THE SMASH HIT PRODUCTION OF
RETURNS TO CINCINNATI BY POPULAR DEMAND
Brent Harris as Screwtape.
CINCINNATI, OH – THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view, returns by popular demand to Cincinnati for four performances at the Aronoff Center’s intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater on Saturday, October 17 at 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 18 at 2:00 PM & 7:00PM. The show is part of the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 2015-16 Season, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Aronoff Center; CAA’s full season will be announced at a later date.
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 17 at 10:00 AM at http://www.CincinnatiArts.org, (513) 621-ARTS [2787], and the Aronoff Center Ticket Office. Group discount tickets for 10 or more are available at (513) 977-4157.
The National Tour of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS kicked off after a hit nine-month run at the Westside Theatre in New York City where it entertained 50,000 theatergoers. Prior to that, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS was a sold-out hit in Chicago and Washington D. C. where it ran for a combined eight months.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS’ National Tour has delighted capacity audiences in 50 major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Seattle, Dallas, and Houston. Over 400,000 people have seen this production on tour, which continues to attract a national following.
Associated Press calls THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS “Devilishly funny!”; The Chicago Sun-Times hails the production as “Smart, sizzling entertainment!”; The Boston Globe raves that it is “Engrossing and Entertaining!”; and The Chicago Tribune says THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is “Very smart…richly rewarding…exuberant theatricality!”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS creates a topsy-turvy morally inverted universe set in an eerily stylish office in hell, where God is called the “Enemy” and the Devil is referred to as “Our Father Below.” The play follows His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape, Satan’s top psychiatrist (due to his profound understanding of human nature), and his slavish creature-demon Toadpipe, as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to ruin the life and damn the soul of an unsuspecting human on earth. Screwtape is played by award-winning actor, Brent Harris.
Along with The Chronicles of Narnia (including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), The Great Divorce, and Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters is still one of Lewis’ most popular and influential works. The book’s piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self-recognition made it an immediate success. When first published in 1942, it brought worldwide fame to this little-known Oxford don, including the cover of Time magazine.
The idea for Screwtape first came to Lewis after listening to Hitler’s Reichstag Speech on July 19, 1940, while it was simultaneously translated on BBC Radio. Lewis wrote: “I don’t know if I’m weaker than other people, but it is a positive revelation to me how while the speech lasts it is impossible not to waver just a little… Statements which I know to be untrue all but convince me…if only the man says them unflinchingly.”
Lewis dedicated it to his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien, who had expressed to Lewis that delving too deeply into the craft of evil would have consequences. Lewis admitted as much when he wrote: “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment . . . though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is produced by New York City based Fellowship for Performing Arts. Max McLean serves as Artistic Director. Executive Producer and General Manager is Ken Denison of Aruba Productions. Scenic Design is by Cameron Anderson, Costumes by Michael Bevins, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug, and Original Music and Sound Design by John Gromada.
“Clever and Satirical” -The New York Times
“One Hell of a Good Show” -The Wall Street Journal
“Pure Genius” – National Review
“A Profound Experience” – Christianity Today
CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION SPONSORS
SEASON SPONSORS: AMERITAS (Founding Season Sponsor), FIFTH THIRD BANK (Lifetime Endowment Partner), FURNITURE FAIR, LOCAL12 WKRC, TheP&G FUND of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS: 21C Museum Hotel, The Berry Company, Cincinnati Herald, CityBeat, Garfield Suites Hotel, Heidelberg Distributing, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Pepsi, Skyline Chili, TriHealth, Ultimate Air Shuttle
Founded in 1992, the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is a not-for-profit organization that oversees the programming and management of the Tri-state’s finest performing arts venues – the Aronoff Center for the Arts and Music Hall – and is dedicated to supporting performing and visual arts. Each year, CAA presents a diverse schedule of events; serves upwards of 600,000 people in its venues; features the work of talented local, regional, and national artists in the Weston Art Gallery (located in the Aronoff Center); and supports the work of more than one dozen resident companies. Since the inception of its acclaimed arts education programs in 1995, CAA has reached more than 1.3 million students.
For more information, visit www.CincinnatiArts.org.
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CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters
WHEN: Saturday, October 17 – 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 18 – 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
WHERE: Aronoff Center for the Arts – Jarson-Kaplan Theater
PRICES: $58 • $46
INFO: The Screwtape Letters creates a topsy-turvy morally inverted universe set in an eerily stylish office in hell, where God is called the “Enemy” and the Devil is referred to as “Our Father Below.” The National Tour of The Screwtape Letters kicked off after a hit nine-month run at the Westside Theatre in New York City where it entertained 50,000 theatergoers. Prior to that, The Screwtape Letters was a sold-out hit in Chicago and Washington D. C. where it ran for a combined eight months.
TICKET INFORMATION – on sale Friday, July 17 at 10:00 AM
- www.CincinnatiArts.org
- (513) 621-ARTS [2787]
- Aronoff Center Ticket Office
- Group sales (10 or more): (513) 977-4157
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 