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by Bernard Pomerance
Directed by Jim Petosa
This Tony Award-winning drama offers an intense look at John Merrick, a physically deformed Londoner of the late 1880s. Intelligent and sensitive, he strives to be normal, even as he is viewed as a carnival freak and later a scientific celebrity by London’s socialites. This deeply poignant story raises questions about faith, science, charity, and with particular resonance for our time, asks us to consider societal responsibility—what does it mean for citizens to be responsible for one another?
“An enthralling and luminous play.”
– The New York Times
Esme Allen* has performed at New Repertory Theatre in Muckrakers, The Elephant Man and Amadeus. Other area credits include Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stoneham Theatre, IRNE Nomination); North Shore Fish (Gloucester Stage Company); The Cherry Orchard, Middletown, and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); and Coriolanus (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). Other credits include Youth Ink! (McCarter Theatre, NJ); Jack, or the Submission, and The Whole Arrangement (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Television credits include The Good Wife (CBS); and Ask the Bartender (FOXNEWS). Ms. Allen earned her MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. She is a Founding Artistic Associate of The Bridge Repertory Theater of Boston and teaches at Salem State University and Wheelock College. She also creates collage-based visual art, which has been exhibited in the North Shore area. She resides in Jamaica Plain and will be set designing Bridge Repertory Theater’s production of Julius Caesar this spring.
JOEL COLODNER* returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Regular Singing, Freud’s Last Session, Imagining Madoff, The Elephant Man, Three Viewings, and Indulgences. Other area credits include Sorry and That Hopey Changey Thing (Stoneham Theatre); Sweet and Sad (Gloucester Stage); It’s a Wonderful Life, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Mrs. Whitney (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); Our Town (Huntington Theatre Company); The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev (Lyric Stage Company); The Light in the Piazza (SpeakEasy Stage Company); and numerous roles with Actors’ Shakespeare Project. Regional credits include Streamers, Comedians, and Hamlet (Arena Stage); The Rainmaker (Guthrie Theatre); An American Clock, Measure for Measure, and Wild Oats (Mark Taper Forum); The Threepenny Opera (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); and The Seagull (Pittsburgh Public Theatre). Off-Broadway credits include How I Learned to Drive (Vineyard Theatre). Broadway credits include work with the Acting Company and Phoenix Theatre. Television credits include Moonlighting, Remington Steele, Eight is Enough, Highway to Heaven, St. Elsewhere, 21 Jump Street, Cagney and Lacey, and LA Law. Mr. Colodner earned his BA from Cornell University and MFA from Southern Methodist University. Originally from New York, he resides in Portsmouth, NH.
MICHAEL KAYE* returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Good, Broken Glass, The Elephant Man, Amadeus, Opus, House With No Walls, and Silence. He also appeared in Good this past summer Off-Broadway (PTP/NYC). Other area credits include Mothers and Sons and Clybourne Park (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Uncle Jack, Monster, The Glass Menagerie, and Good (Boston Center for American Performance); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); Book of Days (Lyric Stage Company); and various productions at Huntington Theatre Company and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. Mr. Kaye serves as Assistant Professor of Acting at Boston University School of Theatre, where he earned both his BFA and MFA in Acting and Theatre Education respectively. Born in Chicago, he now lives in Sandwich, NH.
TIM SPEARS* returns to New Repertory Theatre after performing in Statements After An Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Lonely Planet, Good, The Elephant Man, Amadeus, and Mister Roberts. He also appeared in Good this past summer Off-Broadway (PTP/NYC). Other New York City credits include A Question of Mercy and Assistant Director on Monster (PTP/NYC); and JUMP! and Realism (The Exchange). Other Boston credits include Clybourne Park (Speakeasy Stage Company); Uncle Jack, Monster, House (IRNE Nomination), Good, and A Question of Mercy (Boston Center for American Performance); and The Devil’s Teacup (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre). Mr. Spears received a BFA in Acting and an MFA in Directing from Boston University. Born in Texas, he now resides in Somerville.
JIM PETOSA (Director, Artistic Director) joined New Repertory Theatre as an award-winning theatre artist, educator, and leader in 2012. He has served as Director of the School of Theatre, College of Fine Arts, at Boston University since 2002, and Artistic Director of Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and its National Players educational touring company (1994-2012). While at Boston University, he established the Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP), the professional production extension of the Boston University School of Theatre, in 2008. Throughout the Northeast, Mr. Petosa has directed for numerous institutions, including The Gift Horse, Brecht on Brecht, Good, Freud’s Last Session, The Testament of Mary, Broken Glass, Assassins, On the Verge, The Elephant Man (IRNE Nomination), Amadeus, Three Viewings, The Last Five Years, and Opus at New Rep. In Boston, his work was nominated for two IRNE awards for A Question of Mercy (BCAP). He has served as one of three artistic leaders for the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC) since 1987. In Maryland, his work earned over 25 Helen Hayes Award nominations as well as the award for outstanding direction of a musical for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well… His production of Look! We Have Come Through! was nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new play, and he earned the Montgomery County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Award for Outstanding Artist/Scholar. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, Mr. Petosa has served on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for StageSource. Originally from New Jersey, he was educated at The Catholic University of America and resides in Quincy.
INSIDER EXPERIENCES |
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First Rehearsal |
Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 1:30pm |
Attend first rehearsal to see where and how it all begins. Participate in a “Meet and Greet” with the cast, designers, crew, and New Rep staff, then stick around to hear a reading of the play.Click here to see photos from First Rehearsal for THE ELEPHANT MAN. | |
Sneak Peek |
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 6:30pm |
Attend part of a working rehearsal with the director and cast. Learn about rehearsal process at the mini-talkback. | |
Meet the Designers |
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 6:30pm |
Meet the director and scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers. Learn about the design concepts and collaborative process. |
SPOTLIGHT SYMPOSIUM |
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Public Policy and Health Care in an Advanced Democracy |
Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 4:30pm |
Click here for more information! |
Click here to learn about THE ELEPHANT MAN’s Spotlight Symposium, Public Policy and Health Care as a Fundamental Right in an Advanced Democracy.
Hear the original music written by THE ELEPHANT MAN Sound Designer David Reiffel. Mr. Reiffel has previously designed sound for New Rep productions including MASTER CLASS, MARRY ME A LITTLE, CHESAPEAKE, THE KITE RUNNER, THREE VIEWINGS, COLLECTED STORIES, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, and others. In the play, Louis Toth plays oboe.
Merrick Theme:
Treves Theme: