Unbound Productions Announces HISTORY LIT Cast, to Play 5/11-20

Unbound Productions Co-Artistic Directors Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet, and Jeff G. Rack have announced a new project in the same vein of the popular Wicked Lit theatre series – HISTORY LIT (May 11-20, 2012). Whereas Wicked Lit focused on the creation and production of new works of theatre inspired by classic horror stories, HISTORY LIT will present stage adaptations of literature that reflect history in creative ways. Visit HistoryLit.org for details.

For 2012, HISTORY LIT will be produced in conjunction with Pasadena Museum of History and feature a series of theatrical adaptations based on the works by some of the greatest women writers of the 19th and 20th centuries – Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Katherine Mansfield. These short plays will be presented throughout the Museum complex, including the Estate Gardens, Curtin House and inside historic Fenyes Mansion, which is opening briefly to the public for the first time since beginning a series of extensive repairs and upgrades in 2010.

The cast for History Lit includes Aries Sanders, Branden Taylor, Brandon Massey, Brian David Pope, David Valdes, Eric Harris, Eric Keitel, Georgan George, Gwendolyn Edwards, Ilona Kulinska, Katie Strandberg, Mark Bate, Michael Perl, Minda Grace Ware, Susannah Myrvold and Timothy Bell. Stage Managers include Carolyn Schultz, Jacqueline Adorni, Rachel Manheimer, and Michael Field will stage manager the production.The design team includes Christine Cover Ferro (Costume Designer), Drew Dalzell (Sound Designer), and Ellen Monocroussos (Lighting Designer).

HISTORY LIT audiences will experience all three short plays as they are led through the Museum gardens and mansion. This is a walking show – patrons must be able to comfortably walk a minimum of 1,000 paces and climb stairs in order to experience these productions.

The show runs May 11-20, 2012 (dark on Monday, May 14) and all shows will start promptly at 8:00 p.m. All performances take place at Pasadena Museum of History, located at 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91103. Tickets range from $39-49. Visit HistoryLit.org for complete pricing and scheduling details. Visit pasadenahistory.org for parking information.

The three plays featured in HISTORY LIT 2012 include:

The GArden Party
By Jonathan Josephson
Directed by Jeff G. Rack
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Katherine Mansfield

It is an ideal night for a party at the Sheridan estate and young Laura has had the time of her life playing hostess to a throng of party guests. But when an unexpected accident befalls a stranger who lives down the road, Laura's congenial life may be changed forever.

Two Pictures in One
By Paul Millet
Directed by Jonathan Josephson
Adapted from the short story "The Two Altars: Or Two Pictures in One" by Harriet Beecher Stowe

A simultaneous chronicle of the lives and fates of two early Massachusetts families: the Wards, an 18thCentury Anglo family living during the early days of the American Revolution and the Caffeys, a 19th Century African-American family living ten years prior to the Civil War. By juxtaposing these two points in time, Two Pictures in One examines ideas of freedom and personal consequences.

The Yellow Wallpaper
By Jeff G. Rack
Directed by Paul Millet
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

An affluent woman is confined to her room for bedrest under doctor's orders. Her treatment leads her to start seeing things in the ornate yellow wallpaper which dominates her bedroom, and forces her to deal with her inner and outer demons.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was residing in Pasadena when she wrote this classic story which deals with depression and female oppression in the late 1800s.

Founded by Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet, and Jeff G. Rack, the mission of Unbound Productions is to create fresh adaptations of classic literature as a way of reimagining great stories for new audiences. With its flagship theatre festival Wicked Lit, and its newest project History Lit, Unbound takes pride in engaging in ambitious storytelling and creating surprising and impactful theatrical experiences.

The focus of History Lit is to bring a new life to great literature that reflects history in creative ways. In 2011, the inaugural History Lit reading series was produced in conjunction with Pasadena Museum of History and features works by great women writers of the 19thand 20th Centuries. Performances took place at the Museum as well as private readings at Los Angeles-area schools. In 2012, these plays will be presented in a full production on the grounds of the Museum and the Fenyes Mansion. The flash poetry performance Charles Bukowski: Back at Barney's, in conjunction with the City of West Hollywood, Barney's Beanery, and PST…It All Started Here, made a splash in February 2012 as History Lit's spontaneous debut.

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