Follow Us On Twitter
The GreyZelda Theatre Group will present their original adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, directed by co-artistic director, Rebecca Zellar beginning in August. A preview will be held on August 9th and performances will be August 10th - September 16th, Thursdays through Sundays at StageLeft Theatre, located at 3408 N. Sheffield in Chicago.
The Scarlet Letter will be adapted by Rebecca Zellar and the GreyZelda Theatre Group. Hawthorne's tale will be told by the group through movement, shadow work, and the original text. The story is about Hester Prynne who confronts ugliness, passion, and the strength of the human spirit when she bears an illegitimate child. Set in a Puritan community at the beginning of our country's history, the characters' dilemmas of personal responsibility and all-consuming emotions of guilt, anger, loyalty, and revenge are timeless.
Rebecca Zellar says, "We've created beautiful compositions inspired by Hawthorne's words and characters. We've extracted abstract themes and images - the sort that flash through a person's head while reading a great book - and have put them on their feet. Adapting and collaborating with the artists involved is an intense pleasure."
The GreyZelda Theatre Group resolves to create and perform honest, quality driven theatre that serves to strengthen the city of Chicago's reputation as a vital hub of the American and international artistic experience. The focus of the Group is to create work that is explorative socially, personally, emotionally, and artistically while emphasizing unconventional methods of staging, casting, and storytelling. The Group hopes to reach audiences who are looking to be inspired and challenged by intuitive risk-taking. A core belief of the group is that to conceive the future, one must understand the past
The actors include GreyZelda associates, Elizabeth Styles (Hester Prynne), Meredith Lyons (Pearl), Derek Jarvis (Governor Bellingham/ensemble) and Lisa Baer (Mistress Hibbons/ensemble). The rest of the cast includes Ron Kuzava as Chillingworth, Toby Minor (Dimmesdale), Tim McCormick (ensemble), and Jes Bedwinek (ensemble). The designers of The Scarlet Letter are Heath Hays (set and lights), Kim Katona (photography and shadows) and Melissa Kuhlmann (movement). Stacie Barra is the assistant director. Sarah Stec is the graphic designer.