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• UK Professional Premiere of Arthur Miller's Playing for Time

UK Professional Premiere of Arthur Miller's Playing for Time

Thu 10 – Sat 26 Nov – Main House

Press Night: Friday 11 November, 8pm

Salisbury Playhouse is delighted to be presenting the professional UK premiŽof Arthur Miller’s Playing for Time. Adapted from the novel by Fania Felon, a holocaust survivor, this compelling and powerful piece tells the story of the women’s orchestra she was recruited into in Auschwitz. This unforgettable piece explores how this group of women, prisoners in Auschwitz, strove to keep their dignity and spirit, retained the will to survive and found unexpected hope within the orchestra and through each other as they literally played for time. It will feature a company of 24 actors and musicians who will play live on stage – the largest cast ever to be seen on the Playhouse stage. The screenplay was filmed in 1980 with Vanessa Redgrave in the leading role.

Double Olivier Award winner (and further double nominee) Joanna Riding, best known for her musical performances in My Fair Lady, The Witches of Eastwick, Carousel and Me and My Girl in the West End, will be playing Fania. Joanna continues her run of straight plays following her latest performance as Ruth Condomine in Peter Hall’s production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit which played at Bath prior to a tour. Joanna won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in both 2003 and 1993 in the National Theatre productions of My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle directed by Trevor Nunn and as Julie in Nicholas Hytner’s production of Carousel.

Playing for Time will be directed by Playhouse Artistic Director, Joanna Read and the Musical Director will be John Owen-Edwards, former Musical Director of D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for which he has conducted shows including Patience, The Yeomen of the Guard, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado. He has also been musical director for Annie at the Victoria Palace, Oklahoma! at The Palace, The Mitford Girls at the Globe, Valmouth at the Chichester Festival, Goodbye Mr Chips at Chichester and Evita at the Prince Edward amongst many others.

Casting for this production is now complete. In addition to Fania, the women prisoners comprise Lotte, a violinist, who will be played by Jess Murphy. Jess trained at the Royal Academy and has just finished the run of Blood Wedding at the Almeida. Liesle, a violinist, will be played by Fiona Johnson and Etalina, also a violinist, will be played by Charlotte Roach who has recently been seen on stage at the National Theatre in Iphigenia at Aulis and Dream Play. Olga, who plays the accordion, will be played by Fiona Bruce. Helene, a flautist, will be played by Hannah Bourne and Paulette, a Cellist, will be played by Karen Fisher – Pollard. Rosalie Craig will be playing Marianne, a singer. Rosalie was last seen at Salisbury Playhouse in Howard Goodall and Melvyn Bragg’s musical The Hired Man in 2003. Greta, a flautist, is played by Helen Kirkpatrick and percussionists Varya and Esther will be played by Kate Lynn Hocking and Luisa Prosser, respectively. Alma will be played by Louise Yates, violinist Elzvieta by Tamzin Aitken and guitarist Katrin by Sarah Freestone, a professional musician who has performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Mala, who works as an interpreter for the Germans, is played by Erin Brodie and Tchaikowska is played by Victoria Woodward.

The female German guards, Mandel and Frau Schmidt, are played by Caroline Head and Caitriona Hinds respectively. Alex Ratcliffe plays infamous Nazi, Dr Mengele, Adam Kay plays Kramer the Camp Commandant and Terry Taplin plays Schmuel a Jewish prisoner. Terry was last seen at Salisbury Playhouse as Swanepol in The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs in November 2004. The three SS Guards are played by Nicholas Atkinson, Bobby Scott Freeman and Daniel Moore.

Playing for Time will be designed by Su Houser with Lighting Design by Paul Anderson.

Notes for Editors

The professional UK premiere of Arthur Miller’s Playing for Time will run at Salisbury Playhouse from Thu 10 – Sat 26 November 2005.
Tickets: 9 750.

Salisbury Playhouse is holding an exclusive evening to celebrate the UK premiere of Playing For Time on Saturday 12 November at 7pm. A unique opportunity to enjoy a champagne reception, a performance of this powerful play and chance to meet the cast after the show.

Tickets: 0
This event is in support of Salisbury Playhouse’s Capital Campaign and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Box Office: 01722 320333
www.salisburyplayhouse.com.

For more details, or to arrange an interview, please contact Laura Prowse, Press and Communications Co-ordinator on 01722 320117 or press@salisburyplayhouse.com.