A Noise Within Presents 'Great Expectations' October 23, 2010

A NOISE WITHIN,
LOS ANGELES’ CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
REPERTORY THEATRE COMPANY,
PRESENTS NEIL BARTLETT’S NEW ADAPTATION OF
CHARLES DICKENS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS,
A WEST COAST PREMIERE

Saturday, October 30 – Friday, December 19, 2010
(previews begin Saturday, October 23)

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, revisits CHARLES DICKENS’ thrilling GREAT EXPECTATIONS with the West Coast premiere of a powerful stage adaptation by Neil Bartlett opening Saturday, October 30 and closing Sunday, December 19, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, October 23). ANW Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott co-direct this production – which features original music by noted composer Doug Newell – based on Dickens' masterful novel. Bartlett was also the adaptor of A Noise Within’s 2008-09 season favorite Oliver Twist. This marks the second time Rodriguez-Elliott and Elliott have co-directed Great Expectations at A Noise Within, the first produced during the 1995-96 season, winning numerous awards.

“The play holds a special place in our hearts,” notes Rodriguez-Elliott. “It’s a marker in our history because our 1990s production, which reprised over three seasons, really solidified our reputation for ensemble work. We're doing it again this season in a different adaptation because it’s a wonderful classic story and a great time to revisit it as a celebration of A Noise Within’s history during this final season in our long-time ‘temporary’ home in Glendale before our fall 2011 move to our permanent Pasadena venue.”
Five actors from the 1995-96 season Great Expectations cast appear in the new production, including Elliott (Joe Gargery/Mr. Jaggers) and venerable ANW Resident Artists Mitchell Edmonds (Mr. Pumblechook/Sarah Pocket/Bentley Drummle), Jill Hill (Mrs. Joe/Biddy), and Stephen Rockwell (Herbert Pocket/Compeyson), and Deborah Strang (Miss Havisham). Also featured are Jason Dechert (Pip/Mr. Phillip Pirrip), Jaimi Paige (Estella), Kurt Quinn (Wemmick/Ensemble), and Daniel Reichert (Abel Magwitch/A Sergeant).

Great Expectations is the story of Pip, orphaned as an infant and thrust into a childhood of cruel poverty, who clings to the hope of a brighter life. On a rain-swept winter’s eve, great tidings arrive: an anonymous benefactor has anointed Pip heir to a tremendous fortune, setting into motion a life’s journey ripe with wonder, heartbreak and finally triumph. Great Expectations’ timelessness has spawned numerous films, including several silent movies and a 1998 motion picture starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, and its universality was demonstrated in 2000 when the Pip character was parodied on an episode of the irreverent television show South Park.

To enhance the theatre-going experience, A Noise Within offers comprehensive study guides for every production, each with a synopsis, director's notes, general theatre lore, links to other resources and detailed information about the playwright, characters, setting, period, costumes, scenic design, music and more. The Great Expectations Study Guide along with those for previous A Noise Within productions are available on-line at http://www.anoisewithin.org/education_studyguides.html.

A Noise Within (ANW) is the only year-round classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the entire country dedicated solely to producing classical dramatic literature in the repertory tradition of rotating productions with a resident company of professional artists. Led by Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, A Noise Within has been hailed by critics as "adventurous," "compelling and current," “ingenuity at work,” “a bona fide class act,” and “what great theatre is all about.” Founded 19 seasons ago, ANW quickly established itself as one of the region’s key theatre companies, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and consistently high praise from the media for its productions and as a leading force in arts education. The company has presented more than 120 plays from the classics of world literature, each season producing works from authors ranging from Shakespeare and Molière to Ibsen, O’Neill and Shaw to Miller and Williams. ANW’s consistent dedication to quality has been rewarded with more than two dozen Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards as well as numerous LA Weekly and Backstage Garland awards. A Noise Within's next chapter provides the long-awaited opportunity to sink deep and lasting roots when the company moves in 2011 from its long-time base in Glendale to a spectacular, permanent home in a Pasadena mixed-use development at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The facility, hailed as an anchor in East Pasadena's arts growth, is designed to broaden A Noise Within’s artistic possibilities, offer a greater scope of educational opportunities, meet ticket demand and allow the company to expand its role as a leader in the presentation and preservation of classical theatre.

Single Tickets are $46 (Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday matinees); $42 (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, Saturday matinees); and $32 (previews). Groups (10 or more) are $25, or $30 on Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees; School Groups (10 or more) are $16, or $20 on Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees.

A NOISE WITHIN is located at 234 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204. To purchase tickets or for a full season brochure, call 818-240-0910 x1 or visit www.ANoiseWithin.org.

WHO:
A Noise Within – one of the nation’s leading classical repertory theatre companies

WHAT:
West Coast Premiere of
NEIL BARTLETT’S ADAPTATION OF CHARLES DICKENS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Cast and Crew:
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott (Co-Directors)

Jason Dechert (Pip/Mr. Phillip Pirrip)
Mitchell Edmonds (Mr. Pumblechook/Sarah Pocket/Bentley Drummle)
Geoff Elliott (Joe Gargery/Mr. Jaggers)
Jill Hill (Mrs. Joe/Biddy)
Jaimi Paige (Estella)
Kurt Quinn (Wemmick/Ensemble)
Daniel Reichert (Abel Magwitch/A Sergeant)
Stephen Rockwell (Herbert Pocket/Compeyson)
Deborah Strang (Miss Havisham)
Darby Bricker (Ensemble)
Elizabeth Fabie (Ensemble)
Taylor Jackson Ross (Ensemble)

Meghan Kennedy (Stage Manager)
Ashleigh Hannah (Assistant Stage Manager)
Kurt Boetcher (Scenic Designer)
Angela Balogh Calin (Costume Designer)
Csilla Balogh (Costume Intern)
Julius Bronola (Costume Intern)
Ken Booth (Lighting Designer)
Doug Newell (Composer)
Renee Cash (Props Master)
Rebecca Baillie (Production Manager)
Adam Lillibridge (Technical Director)
Ronnie Clark (Master Electrician)
Monica Sabedra (Wig/Hair and Makeup Designer)
Alexandra Dunn (Scenic Artist)

WHEN:
Previews:
Saturday, October 23, 8 pm
Sunday, October 24, 7 pm
Wednesday, October 27, 8 pm
Thursday, October 28, 8 pm
Friday, October 29, 8 pm

Opens:
Saturday, October 30, 8 pm

Runs:
Sunday, October 31, 2 pm
Wednesday, November 10, 8pm
Thursday, November 11, 8 pm
Friday, November 12, 8 pm
Sunday, November 21, 2pm
Sunday, November 21, 7 pm
Saturday, November 27, 2pm
Saturday, November 27, 8pm
Thursday, December 9, 8pm
Friday, December 10, 8pm
Saturday, December 18, 2pm
Saturday, December 18, 8pm
Sunday, December 19, 2pm
Sunday, December 19, 7pm

WHERE:
A Noise Within
234 South Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91204

TICKET PRICES:
$46 (Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday matinees);
$42 (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, Saturday matinees);
$32 (previews).
Group rates and special rates for school groups available

TICKETS & INFO:
818-240-0910 x1
www.ANoiseWithin.org