COVINGTON, KY- The first production of a chilling new play by an Emmy nominated writer, the first Carnegie performance by two Broadway actors, and the first Cincinnati collaboration with Dayton’s premier theatre company all conspire together this fall in the Otto M. Budig Theatre with bloody excellent results.
The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center (The Carnegie) proudly continues its 2012-13 Theatre Series with the chilling world premiere of Michael Slade’s UNDER A RED MOON. Co-produced with Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company (HRTC), UNDER A RED MOON is inspired by the true events of Britain’s notorious “Acid Bath Murderer.” UNDER A RED MOON plays in The Carnegie’s Otto M. Budig Theatre November 2 – 18, 2012, under the direction of award-winning off-Broadway and regional theatre director Margarett Perry. Tickets are $17 – $23 and are available online at http://www.thecarnegie.com or by calling The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940 (open Tu – Fr, noon – 5 p.m.).
UNDER A RED MOON is presented by Anonymous and John & Francie Williams.
A taut psychological thriller based on true events
Witness a chilling psychological thriller inspired by the true events of Britain’s notorious 1949 “Acid Bath Murderer.” Confessed serial killer John George Haigh awaits trial in prison as Dr. Ruth Covington arrives to determine his mental state for the court. While he welcomes their one-on-one encounter, Haigh won’t give up his secrets too easily, knowing full well that it’s the hangman’s noose if he is found sane.
A hair-raising encounter in the mold of “Silence of the Lambs”, UNDER A RED MOON receives its world premiere production at both The Carnegie and Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company.
A thrilling new collaboration for a chilling new production
The Carnegie partners with Dayton’s Human Race Theatre Company for the inaugural production of UNDER A RED MOON, marking the first co-production between the two companies and the first time any Greater Cincinnati theatre company has joined forces with the award-winning Dayton organization.
“We’re very excited to be able to work with The Carnegie on UNDER A RED MOON,” says Human Race Producing Artistic Director Kevin Moore. “We share a similar mission and I’ve long admired their willingness to do daring work. We’ve been looking for a show on which we could collaborate for years, and when Michael presented us with this script, all the pieces just fell into place.” The co-production opportunity allows both companies to present this brand new work to their audiences while sharing expenses and combining resources.
UNDER A RED MOON will play at HRTC October 18 – 27, 2012, and the entire production (including cast, set, lighting design, costumes, props and sound) will transfer to The Carnegie for the local November 2 – 18, 2012 run.
Now in its fifth season as a theatre producer, The Carnegie has forged previous co-productions with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, New Edgecliff Theatre, Northern Kentucky University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.
A murderously excellent theatre team
UNDER A RED MOON is culled from the dynamic mind of Emmy and Writers Guild Award nominee Michael Slade, whose plays and musicals have been produced at leading theatres in New York and across the country. Better known perhaps for his extensive writing for young and family audiences (from which UNDER A RED MOON is a wide departure), Slade has spent much of his career writing for television, including ABC’s “One Life to Live” and NBC’s “Another World,” “Passions” and “Days of Our Lives.”
His theatrical characters having been inhabited by actors including Kathleen Turner and Colleen Dewhurst, Slade works for the first time with Broadway veteran actors Bradford Cover* (John George Haigh) and Dee Pelletier* (Dr. Ruth Covington). Cover’s stage credits include the Broadway production of A THOUSAND CLOWNS and myriad off-Broadway appearances, and he has also made memorable appearances on television’s “The Good Wife,” “Law and Order” and “All My Children.” Pelletier is herself no stranger to Broadway or sound stages, having played Ivy in the Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony Award winning play AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and appearing in “Girls,” “Law and Order” and “Third Watch.” Pelletier was also recently seen as Tanja in Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s critically acclaimed production of BEHIND THE EYE. Greater Cincinnati actor Daniel C. Britt completes the cast of three making his Carnegie debut in the role of Ralph Gow, having worked locally at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and New Edgecliff Theatre, among others.
UNDER A RED MOON marks the Carnegie debut of director Margarett Perry, who directed previous HRTC productions including GOD OF CARNAGE. Previously the Producing Artistic Director of New York City’s Access Theatre and an Artistic Fellow at The Lark Play Development Center, Perry’s award-winning off-Broadway directing career has included productions of CLEAN ALTERNATIVES, CALL ME WALDO and MOTHER TONGUE.
Full biographies of the playwright and director follow this release.
*Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
One degree of separation from an infamous killer
It wasn’t simply historical fascination that drew UNDER A RED MOON playwright Michael Slade to write about London’s notorious “Acid Bath Murders.”
Several years ago, Slade was approached by a New York theatrical producer who wished to share an unforgettable story of an unwitting brush with death. It was 1949 when as a recent college graduate Jessica visited London with her best friend, Patsy. During their stay at the respectable Onslow Court Hotel, the two friends made the acquaintance of a charming older man, who expressed great interest in the girls’ lives and recommended the best sites to visit and concerts to attend. The stranger quickly earned the girls’ confidence, and a date was made for a day trip to the country. When family commitments forced Jessica and Patsy to cancel the outing with their new friend, a note was written and left for him, expressing deepest apologies and a desire to reschedule, though the girls knew that they were departing for Paris the very next day.
It was several weeks later when Jessica and Patsy picked up a newspaper to find a picture of the man whom they’d disappointed with a caption below: “ACID BATH MURDERER CONFESSES.”
Needless to say, this hair-raising story formed the foundation for UNDER A RED MOON, relating the impetus for the real-life capture of the notorious Acid Bath Murderer and the dramatized psychological interview which is the action of the play.
Ticketing
Tickets to The Carnegie’s production of UNDER A RED MOON are $17 – $23 and may be purchased online at www.thecarnegie.com or by calling The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940 (open Tue – Fri, noon – 5 p.m.).
UNDER A RED MOON will include nine performances:
- Friday, November 2, 7:30pm*
- Saturday, November 3, 7:30pm
- Sunday, November 4, 3:00pm
- Friday, November 9, 7:30pm†
- Saturday, November 10, 7:30pm
- Sunday, November 11, 3:00pm
- Thursday, November 15, 7:30pm
- Saturday, November 17, 7:30pm
- Sunday, November 18, 3:00pm
*Performance includes closed captioning and American Sign Language interpretation
†Performance includes closed captioning only
Please note that there will not be a performance on Friday, November 16.
Single Ticket Pricing
- $23 Adults
- $21 Carnegie and Enjoy The Arts Members
- $21 Groups of 8 or More
- $17 Students
Opening Night Dinner
On Friday, November 2 at 6:00pm, The Carnegie will host an opening night dinner in The Carnegie Galleries to precede the performance. Tickets are $40 per person, and includes a themed gourmet dinner by Jeff Thomas Catering, wine dessert and gratuity.
A full menu is available at www.thecarnegie.com.
Reservations may be made by calling The Carnegie Box Office at (859) 957-1940 (open Tue – Fri, noon – 5 p.m.).
About The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center
THE CARNEGIE THEATRE SERIES produces professional, innovative stagings of an eclectic range of popular and rarely-performed works. Striving to unite the greater Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati theatre community through partnerships and collaborations, the series engages and nurtures both emerging and established talent, including working professionals, committed part-time theatre artists, university performing arts students and younger students. Carnegie Theatre Series productions bring together these forces to provide quality theatre for Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.
THE CARNEGIE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER is a multidisciplinary arts venue serving the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. Over the course of the past ten years The Carnegie has “morphed” from a grassroots gallery with an education component into an all-inclusive arts organization offering professional theatre, art exhibitions showcasing the best of local and regional artists and a comprehensive arts education program.
The Carnegie is home to The Carnegie Galleries, comprised of more than 6,000 square feet of gallery space where emerging and established artists exhibit in multiple shows throughout the year; the Eva G. Farris Education Center, which provides arts education to thousands of children, many of whom are at or below the poverty level; and the newly renovated 465-seat Otto M. Budig Theatre, which offers an affordable theatre space for local, up-and-coming and established production companies and is home to The Carnegie’s Theatre and Concert Series. The Carnegie is the largest arts venue in Northern Kentucky.
The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center receives ongoing operating support from ArtsWave, Kenton County Fiscal Courts, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. / US Bank Foundation.
About The Human Race Theatre Company
The Human Race Theatre Company was founded in 1986 and moved into the Metropolitan Arts Center in 1991, taking up residence at the 212-seat Loft Theatre. In addition to the Eichelberger Loft Season, The Human Race produces for the Victoria Theatre’s Broadway Series, the Musical Theatre Workshop series, and special event programming. The Human Race, under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Kevin Moore, also maintains education and outreach programs for children, teens and adults, as well as artist residencies in area schools, The Muse Machine In-School Tour, and summer youth programs. Human Race organizational support is provided by Culture Works, Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, Shubert Foundation, the Erma R. Catterton Trust Fund and the Ohio Arts Council. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The 2012-2013 season sponsors are Morris Home Furnishings, Premier Health Partners, the Sam Levin Foundation and Jim and Enid Goubeaux.
Complete UNDER A RED MOON Cast and Production Team List
Cast
- Ralph Gow – Daniel C. Britt
- John George Haigh – Bradford Cover*
- Dr. Ruth Covington – Dee Pelletier*
*Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Production Team
- Director – Margarett Perry
- Scenic Designer – Scott J. Kimmins
- Costume Designer – Ayn Wood
- Lighting Designer – John Rensel
- Assistant Lighting Designer / Carnegie Lighting Designer – Chris Head
- Sound Designer – Nathan D. Dean
- Stage Manager – Aaron Vega
- Carnegie Production Manager – Bleu Pellman
- Carnegie Producer – Joshua Steele
UNDER A RED MOON Playwright and Director Biographies
MICHAEL SLADE (playwright) is a playwright, librettist, television writer and children’s author whose work has been performed on five continents. His play Change, which was commissioned by The Human Race Theatre for our Theatre in Context program, premiered in the fall of 2011 to great acclaim, and has since been published by PlayScripts. AND A CHILD SHALL LEAD, which tells the inspiring story of a group of child prisoners in Terezin Concentration Camp, is regularly produced around the world and will be produced by Dayton’s Zoot Theatre in April, 2013. His romantic comedy, GARDEN POLITICS, premiered at the 2nd Street Theatre in Bend, Oregon. It subsequently had a reading in NYC starring Kathleen Turner. An earlier version of the play, entitled IN MEMORY OF KARL MARX, was written for the late Colleen Dewhurst at her request. Shortly prior to her death it was produced as a reading in NYC starring Ms. Dewhurst, Harold Gould and Eileen Heckart. His short play, THANKSGIVING, has been seen at a number of regional theatres, as well as at the Edinburgh Festival. Its companion pieces CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR’S EVE both premiered at the 2nd Street Theatre in Bend, Oregon. A fourth short play, HALLOWEEN, completes the collection entitled, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. His new play, Gingerbread Children, which explores child abuse has had developmental readings at the Lark Theatre in NYC and the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles. The Human Race Theatre will be producing a full workshop of the play in March of 2013, which will be directed by Tony nominee, Sheryl Kaller. Mr. Slade wrote the book for AND THE CURTAIN RISES (music by Joseph Thalken, lyrics by Mark Campbell) which premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in March, 2011. Prior to that, it received a staged reading called THE BLACK CROOK Project at The Loft as one of our Musical Theatre Workshops in 2008. BYE, BYE BIG GUY (music by David Evans, lyrics by Faye Greenberg), a musical spoof of celebrity memorial services in which the dearly departed is Rumplestiltskin, premiered at the Lucille Lortel Theatre as part of the 2007 NYC International Fringe Festival. Mr. Slade has written extensively for young and family audiences, credits include POKEMON LIVE! (which premiered at Radio City Music Hall before touring the United States and four continents) and nine musicals for Theatreworks/USA. His children’s novel, The Horses Of Central Park (Scholastic Hardcover/Apple Paperback) won the ISAR Award for Children’s Literature. Mr. Slade was nominated for an Emmy Award as a writer of ABC’s One Life To Live, and for a Writers’ Guild Award for NBC’s Another World. He has also written for NBC’s Passions and Days Of Our Lives. He is currently working on several projects including a musical with composer Melissa Manchester and lyricist Sharon Vaughn.
MARGARETT PERRY (director) is an award-winning director of new plays. Previous productions at The Human Race include GOD OF CARNAGE, THE RETREAT FROM MOSCOW (DayTony Award – Best Ensemble) and PAINTING CHURCHES (DayTony Award – Best Overall Production). Off-Broadway credits include premieres of Brian Dykstra’s CLEAN ALTERNATIVES (59E59, Fringe First Award – Edinburgh), Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO (The Working Theatre), Israela Margalit’s First Prize (Arclight), Richard Abrons’ THE BODY POLITIC (59E59), Brian Dykstra’s A PLAY ON WORDS (59E59), FJ Hartland’s MOTHER TONGUE (Abingdon) and Brian Dykstra’s THE JESUS FACTOR (Barrow Street). Margarett is a regular at The Kitchen Theatre where she has directed numerous productions including world premieres by Rachel Axler, Brian Dykstra, Rob Ackerman and Darian Dauchan as well as classics including OLD TIMES and PRIVATE LIVES. Perry was the Producing Artistic Director of Access Theater in New York City for six years where she directed and produced numerous plays and world premieres. She is an Artistic Fellow at The Lark Play Development Center where she has worked with a variety of writers developing new plays. Upcoming projects include the world premiere of Brian Dykstra’s SELLING OUT at The Kitchen Theatre in November. www.margarettperry.com
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 