Death and the Maiden

By Ariel Dorfman

A powerful political drama and psychological thriller by the noted Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman. In telling this story, the author addresses dilemmas which touch many of our lives: innocence, evil, truth and lies, forgiveness, and revenge.

Dorfman began writing the play in the mid-1980s, when he was in exile from Chile, a country under the rule of the military dictator General Augusto Pinochet. It was not until Chile's return to democracy in 1990 that Dorfman returned to the play and "understood ... how the story had to be told." A workshop production of Death and the Maiden was staged in Santiago, Chile, opening in March, 1991, and in July of that year the play had its world premiere at London's Royal Court Upstairs. In November the production, which received the London Time Out Award for best play of 1991, moved to the Royal Court Mainstage. Reception of the play was positive, critics finding it both dramatically engaging as well as historically timely. Later a film version was released directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley.

Alkioni Valsari is a promising young director from Greece who studied theatre at Trinity College, University of Wales, and then moved to London, England where she finished her Masters degree in Directing at Rose Bruford College. She has worked on Loula Anagnostaki's The Parade, Sarah Daniels's Dust, Stewart Permutt's The Wheel of Life and Patrick Marber's Closer. She is currently completing her first screenplay.

Natasha's Cafe
Main and Esplanade
Reservations: 859-259-2754
Tickets - $15 (contact Natasha's Café)
Seating at 6:30 (menu ordering)
Show at 8:15 (September 22nd 9:15)
Reservations required

Contact: Alkioni Valsari 859-576-2218, Gene Williams 859-621-7569

Cast:

(Paulina)
Pamela Perlman is a Lexington native who studied theatre, voice and dance at Indiana University, but at the urging of her parents, obtained a degree in something “practical”, then returned to UK to attain a law degree. She is a trial attorney specializing in personal injury and criminal defense with a solo practice in Lexington. Death and the Maiden marks Pamela’s debut at Natasha’s venue. However local audiences have seen her in productions including Studio Players’ Crimes of the Heart (Meg) and Other People’s Money (Kate), AGL’s Last Night of Ballyhoo (Reba) and LCT’s Annie (Miss Hannigan) and Oliver! (Nancy).

(Miranda)
Lew Bowling is excited to be a part the Idea Festival and Natasha’s production of Death and the Maiden. He was seen earlier this year as Dr. Caius in the Lexington Shakespeare Festival production of Merry Wives of Windsor and in the Studio Players productions of Other People’s Money and Arsenic and Old Lace. Lew was active in university and community theatre in Colorado and Nebraska and has appeared in productions of Fiddler on the Roof (Tevya), South Pacific (Emile De Becque), Butterflies Are Free (Don Baker), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Sheridan Whiteside), and others. He is a graduate of Ottawa Univ., the Univ. of Northern Colorado, and the Univ. of Iowa and has attended a Shakespeare Workshop with faculty and graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In real life he is currently a librarian at UK, following twenty-five years teaching in high school and college, and is also a part-time jazz musician.

(Gerardo)
Mike Van Zant was last seen as Pistol in The Merry Wives of Windsor with LSF. He was Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night with LSF the previous season. He has appeared in The Lion in Winter (Richard), Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead (The Player), and Arsenic and Old Lace (Jonathan Brewster) with Studio Players. Mike attended Berea College and trained with The National Shakespeare Conservatory. This is his first performance at Natasha's.