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- Debra Jo Rupp and Caitlyn Griffin
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- Debra Jo Rupp and Caitlyn Griffin
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- Debra Jo Rupp and Caitlyn Griffin
Synopsis
Written By: Kathleen Tolan
Directed by: Sheila Siragusa
It’s New Year’s Eve in a New York apartment. Maggie hovers as her teenage daughter Katia tries to finish her college application—due by midnight. Katia picks tonight—of all times—to challenge Maggie on the ethics of her adoption from Russia, while Maggie picks tonight to learn to bake a pie. Honest, sharp-witted, sharp-tongued, and ultimately deeply loving.
“A captivating emotional ballet that is also a moving demonstration of the strenuous work that goes into good mothering.” New York Times
Performances are July 29 – August 9, 2015
Wednesday July 29 is a preview performance
Wednesday-Saturday at 8 pm. Thursday and Sunday at 2 pm.
Post-performance TalkBacks follow our Thursday 2pm and Saturday 8pm shows.
Post-performance Panel Forum follows our Sunday, August 2- 2pm show.
Memory House is sponsored by Fred and Jessica Olefson
Sheila Siragusa (Director) is sponsored by Dorothy Benzian
Production Design is sponsored by Wilmot Hastings and Gwenn Earl Evitts
Cast
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- Debra Jo Rupp
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- Caitlyn Griffin
Maggie: Debra Jo Rupp*
Katia: Caitlyn Griffin
*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Artists
Playwright: Kathleen Tolan
Directed by: Sheila Siragusa
Scenic Design Geoffrey Ehrendreich
Costume Design Sarah Nelson
Lighting Design James McNamara
Sound Design Tom Shread
Stage Manager Alexandra Hall*
Reviews
CAPTIVATING! A MIRACLE!
“This is a very captivating play and well worth seeing, particularly with this cast. Caitlyn Griffin plays Katia with the energy of a teenager and the catlike grace of a dancer. This is a very talented young actress undertaking a most complex role and doing it justice. Debra Jo Rupp brings to Maggie the special sparkle Rupp has displayed before in other roles. Here, however, she is as strong a personality as anyone has been in a long time. She brings to mind actresses such as Geraldine Page and Marian Seldes. With Siragusa’s guidance they meet on this classic playing field as equals who must conquer. That both do is a miracle that belongs to a director who has seen the possibilities and produced them through two delicious talents. Peter Bergman – Berkshire Bright Focus
TERRIFIC! CONVINCING AND DEEPLY FUNNY!
“Terrific! I loved CTC’s production of Memory House as much for its performances and direction as for its well-honed script… a play filled with subtexts about leaving home, finding meaning in one’s home and homeland, family and work, and the crucible of mother-daughter intimacy and separation. This script, the direction by Siragusa, and the performances by Rupp and Griffin, make the drama’s conflicts, from the ordinary to the outlandish, convincing, pertinent, and deeply funny. Siragusa has directed the two performers with energy and a deft sense of timing. The CTC space provides the perfect context for this intimate piece.” Helen Epstein – ArtsFuse
NOT TO BE MISSED!
“Playwright Kathleen Tolan has crafted dialogue that sounds exactly like a real parent/teen interaction… the characters and acting are so strong that you can enjoy the play without knowing every detail. Rupp is the perfect person to portray Maggie. Her performance is so genuine that there were moments I really believed that she was saying those words for the first time. Griffin does a good job of helping us like and understand the good person Katia is and the great woman she will undoubtedly become – a great woman just like Maggie. I very much enjoyed the 90 minutes I got to spend eavesdropping, as it were, on Katia and Maggie. Such fine performances in this tender little play are not to be missed.” Gail M. Burns – Berkshire On Stage
ENGROSSING! A THOROUGHLY ABSORBING PRODUCTION!