Whistler in the Dark: The Europeans

By Howard Barker
a staged reading presented as part of 21 for 21
an international celebration of the work of Howard Barker

October 21, 2009 at 7:30pm
The Factory Theatre
791 Tremont Street
Boston MA 02118

On October 21st, we join with theatres in 21 countries across the globe to celebrate the work of one of Britain’s most important living playwrights. Be present for this unique event, and for our presentation of a staged reading of one of this provocative writer’s most thought-provoking works.

In the aftermath of the 17th-century siege of Vienna, the survivors begin to build their society anew. The Emperor and Empress would like order restored, and the poor just want to survive, but Starhemberg, the general responsible for the salvation of the city, seeks to forge a new world out of the ashes of the old.

A harrowing love story, and an exploration of our personal freedoms and choices inside the maddening political structures that control our lives.

“British playwright Howard Barker isn’t a young man, but he is an angry one. He doesn’t countenance niceties, and he actively discourages politesse. Whatever lies we tell ourselves in order to live in civil society, Barker reveals and reviles them.” - The Village Voice

the playwright
	Howard Barker was born in a working class family in South London in 1946. His first stage play was performed in 1970. His early nausea with social realism, his embracing of tragedy ‘the greatest art form known to man’, his poetic discourse, and what he calls ‘a suffocating unanimity of critical and theatre opinion’ served to isolate him from mainstream theatre in this country, whose culture he describes as ‘utilitarian, entertainment-obsessed and awash with moral platitudes.’ Such a solitude has been compensated by a powerful and growing international reputation and the formation of a company specifically created to develop his theories of theatre, The Wrestling School . Barker sees his mission as developing a ‘conscience-free, speculative, tragic theatre speaking its own language …’ He describes his greatest achievement as earning world-wide status without compromising his principles. His best known plays are The Castle, He Stumbled, The Possibilities, and Gertrude, The Cry, all studies in the extremes of human behaviour, sexual passion and self-discovery. For more information on Howard Barker, click here.
the company
	Melissa Barker studied theatre at Suffolk University. She has performed with local companies National Theatre of Allston and imaginary beasts. Melissa was most recently seen in New Exhibition Room's world premiere Shhh, and worked with Whistler in there fourth season on The Bacchae.
	Zillah Glory is an Equity actress who came to Boston doing Shear Madness and then stayed for multiple readings, voiceovers and commercials, most notably a Subway commercial and multiple Mass Lotto spots. She was one of three film leads in Big Day of Fishing (BFN’s best independent short of 2009), and fell in love with the New Repertory stage playing "Eliante" in The Misanthrope and “Eurydice" in Eurydice. Zillah has been seen as “Carly” in the film Conversations With God,“ and will next take the role of "Valerie” in The Weir at the San Jose Repertory Theatre this coming January and February. Her thanks and admiration go out to Meg Taintor and the Whistler company for their vision.
	Hannah Husband was last seen in Shh! with The New Exhibition Room, and also appeared in Whistler In the Dark's FeverFest 2008. Other Boston credits include Actor's Shakespeare Project: Coriolanus (Valeria), and Twelfth Night (Fabian). She spent a year touring with the National Players of the Olney Theatre Center, performing in Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Othello (Emilia), and The Importance of Being Earnest(Gwendolen). She holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University, and also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
	Curt Klump Whistler in the Dark Theatre: One Flea Spare (February 2010) and The Bacchae; Actors Shakespeare Project: A Midsummer Night's Dream (January 2010) Coriolanus; New Rep: Macbeth (Spring 2010), Mr. Roberts, and Lieutenant of Inishmore; Huntington Theatre Company: How Shakespeare Won The West; Zeitgeist Stage: The Kentucky Cycle and Sacred Hearts; Shakespeare Now!: Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream; Shakespeare & Company: Hamlet, Julius Caesar , Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest. Curt is also the host of NewEngland.com’s New England TV. Curt trained at Shakespeare & Company in Western Massachusetts and spent several years there acting, teaching, and directing in their award winning education programs and has also taught for the New York Film Academy’s summer program at Harvard University.
	Lorna Nogueira is ecstatic to be working with Whistler in the Dark again and to be back for a second round with Howard Barker, the first being Whistler's production of The Possibilities. She has appeared in several other Whistler productions, including Vampire and All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down. She also appeared recently in Apollinaire Theatre's The Thugs and Dark Play or Stories for Boys. She will appear next in Apollinaire Theatre's production of The Wonderful World of Dissocia, beginning October 30th.
	Jennifer O'Connor holds a B.F.A. in theatre performance from Salem State. Joining Whistler for their inaugural production of The Possibilities, she has been with the company ever since. For three seasons she was the company manager and an acting member of imaginary beasts. Other Boston area collaborations include Chelsea Theatre Zone (now Apollinaire Theatre), Insomouth Productions, and staged readings with Catalyst Collaborative@MIT and New Voices @ New Rep.
	Chuong Pham is pumped to be back on the Whistler squad. He was last seen in New Exhibition Room's Shh!.
	Alejandro Simoes has trained at Shakespeare & Company, Southwick Studio, and Northeastern University. Recent credits include Shh! with New Exhibition Room, How Many Miles to Basra? with Stoneham Theatre, Travesties, Romeo & Juliet, and Misalliance with The Publick Theatre, Titus Andronicus with Actor's Shakespeare Project,The Taming of the Shrew with Commonwealth Shakespeare Co., King John at Shakespeare & Company, Olly's Prison, and Dido, Queen of Carthage, at American Repertory Theatre.
	Scott Sweatt holds an M.F.A in Acting from Columbia University a B.S. in Theatre from Skidmore College and Coos County's Best Marigolds in 1993. He is a recent transplant to the Boston area but feels fortunate to be a part of such a vibrant theatre community. Boston credits include: Pablo Picasso Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Lenny Small Of Mice and Men, Cassio/Barbantio Othello (New Repertory Theatre), SLAMBoston, Boston Theatre Marathon, Exquisite Corps. Many thanks to those who put the "la-la-la-li" in his life.
	Christopher James Webb is an actor, director, and educator. Local acting credits include: The Visitor in Picasso at the Lapin Agile (New Repertory Theatre); Louis in Angels in America Parts 1 and 2 (Boston Theatre Works); As Bees in Honey Drown and Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged] (Foothills Theatre); and Headbanger, Ritz Rendezvous and The Trophy (Boston Theatre Marathon); and the online sitcoms Time Travel Tours and Bad Guy Guide. His regional credits include: Borealis Theatre Company, Michingan Shakespeare Festival, Artists and Playwrights Initiative, Whole Art Theatre and was a three year member of the Tony-Award winning Denver Center Theatre Company. His directing credits include: The Santaland Diaries (Peterborough Players); Of Mice and Men (New Rep On Tour); The Rainmaker (Foothills Theatre Company); The Santaland Diaries (New Repertory Theatre); Guys and Dolls and You Can't Take it With You (Stoneham Theatre Young Company); The Pre-Nup, Outed and The Trophy (Boston Theatre Marathon); faith & redemption, Savage/Love and Revolution: a Song of Black Freedom (Northern Illinois University); hero (Starving Artists Theatre Company) and War in Heaven and Voodoo Child (National Theatre Conservatory). During the 2009-2010 season he will be playing Demetrius in Actors Shakespeare Project's A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as directing The Santaland Diaries for New Repertory Theatre and co-directing the film Dyslexic Psychic for TwoTwentyTwo Films. He appears in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island. He is on the Acting Faculty at Boston Conservatory, holds an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.
	Matthew Woods is a graduate of Hamilton College and the Harvard / A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. He has made his living as an independent theatre artist in the Boston area for the past several years. In 2007 Matthew became the Artistic Director of imaginary beasts. His directorial projects include Impossible Things (inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll), Look and Long ~ A Gertrude Stein Miscellany, and Dream of Life ~ The Impossible Theatre of Federico Garcia Lorca. Matthew also teaches at North Shore Community College, and serves as the college's Performing Arts Coordinator.