NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Erika Sanger – director@operahousearts.org

Cyrano by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers
August 8-18 at The Stonington Opera House

Based on the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, this inventive and irreverent retelling by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers features five virtuosic actors playing a multitude of roles in this imaginative version of the classic tale.

Fresh, funny, and touching.
Appropriate for all ages.

Who wins the battle of beauty versus brains? Cyrano is a swordsman, philosopher, poet, and raconteur—everything that the love of his life, Roxane, would want. There’s just one colossal problem: his nose, rendering him unworthy of her affection (or so he believes). Enter Christian, a handsome, yet tongue-tied, young cadet equally smitten by Roxane. Surely together this unlikely pair can win the fair maiden’s heart.

Opening Night:        August 8 at 7:00 PM

Performances:         August 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:00 PM

                                   August 11 and 18 at 2:00 PM

Purchase tickets here $29, $39, and $49
17 & Under Half Price; All live performances are free for K-12 Hancock County, Maine students. Call ahead to reserve.

The playwrights and the director are grateful to be able to share their Cyrano with the Opera House Arts community.

“Finding a new way to tell an old story is a gift, especially when a hero like Cyrano lies at its center. In a world where facts feel contentious and words are treated like weapons, a swashbuckling poet who’s willing to speak truth to power may be the balm, the champion, the bright light we all need. Jason and I are hopeful our adaptation offers audiences a chance to revel in the lasting power of a well-turned phrase and a long-kept promise.” – Playwright Brenda Mary Withers

“I’ve always loved Cyrano. The notion of a hero whose brilliant wit and romantic soul are encased in a less-than-perfect physical package has always appealed to me. I had always wanted to tell this story, and I’m so grateful the stars aligned to allow me and my dear friend Brenda Withers to create our own gently irreverent, and deeply affectionate adaptation. The freedom Cyrano feels behind the various masks he dons could be seen as something of a metaphor for our social-media-saturated times (the wit he wields as he takes down the actor Montfleury is a potent reminder to “never read the comments,” while the ethical implications of his wooing of Roxane on Christian’s behalf might well be compared to “catfishing” today), but the true timeliness of the tale is in its timelessness. So much of Cyrano is about the poetry of the individual soul, the artist inside each of us that yearns to create and express no matter our job, our background, or our appearance.” – Playwright Jason O’Connell

“Everyone wants to be loved for exactly who they are, and this play explores the universal foibles of romance and the poetic thrill of the pursuit. rehearsing this play has been a joy from start to finish. We found five accomplished actors, two of whom are returning to Opera House Arts, and have jumped into the challenge with energy, vigor and skill. It’s deeply funny and surprisingly touching, and audiences of all ages will find something to enjoy.” – Director Kathryn Markey

About the Cast

Patrick Halley’s work has been seen Off Broadway and at many of the country’s major resident theaters, including The Pearl, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Alliance, Denver Center, Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre, Maltz Jupiter, Westport Country Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, People’s Light, Syracuse Stage, Arkansas Rep, Virginia Stage, and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Television credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Difficult People, and multiple national commercials. He is a Bucknell graduate and native of Poughkeepsie, NY.

Rigel Harris’s (she/her) previous work includes productions at The Bushwick Starr, JAG Productions, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Northern Stage, and others. As a writer, she has worked for Showtime Networks and was a selected playwright for Jackalope Theatre’s 2021 Playwrights Lab.

This marks New York City based Torsten Hillhouse’s fourth time working at the Opera House. His regional credits include: ART, Pioneer Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Miners Alley Theatre, Portland Stage, Arvada Center, Capital Repertory, Theatre Aspen, Shadowland Stages, Theatre at Monmouth, Creede Repertory Theatre, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, Perseverance Theatre, Commonweal Theatre, Moscow Art Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Television: The Blacklist, FBI, Bull, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, As the World Turns. MFA from ART/M.X.A.T. at Harvard University.

Dee Pelletier’s Broadway credits include The Minutes (Studio 54), and August: Osage County  (The Music Box). Off-Broadway she has appeared inWomen Without Men (Mint Theater), and BUG (Barrow Street) Regional credits include Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre), Third (Hangar Theatre), Good People (Geva Theatre, Indiana Rep), Cymbeline, Hamlet, Hedda Gabler (Shakespeare Theatre Co.), The Syringa Tree, (Kitchen Theatre, Vermont Stage) On television she has been seen in Succession, Dr. Death, Orange Is the New Black, Star Trek: Discovery. She was trained at the Trinity Rep Conservatory and is a Member of The Actors Center.

Hillel Rosenshine’s New York credits include The Misanthrope (IRT Theater) and Bettinger’s Luggage (AMT Theater). Regional theater credits include The Chosen (Milwaukee Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Bad Jews (The Gamm Theatre), and The Lifespan of a Fact (Elmwood Playhouse). His past film credits include Name to the Face (Best Mobile Film, Druk International Film Festival) and Mighty Real. B.S. Brown University.

Stage Manager Erin Joy Swank’s (she/her) recent credits include theatre (Northern Sky, Clarence Brown, New London Barn); a Star Wars burlesque parody; a Jennifer Holliday concert, a hybrid opera/circus (Opera North); co-writing Off Headset: Essays on Stage Management Work, Life, and Career; and hosting a popular blog geeking out on stage management. Her favorite cast members remain the three adorable camels in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. In summer, she splits time between theatre and paddling any waterway possible. 

About the Director

Kathryn Markey is a director, actor, writer, and creative entrepreneur and serves as the Artistic Director of Opera House Arts. She is the co-curator of Plays For Us, finding and developing new work with substantial roles for women, and has been a featured artist at Symphony Space, Merkin Concert Hall, and In Your Face New York. She is an audiobook narrator, a comedy writer, one-third of the satirical country band The Chalks, and a solo performance artist. Her career spans New York, regional and international screens and stages, from Broadway to Stockholm with many stops in between. A native Vermonter, Kathryn spent 20 summers working in theaters around New England and the Northeast, and is thrilled to connect and create with the folks of Deer Isle and Opera House Arts. Proud Member of Actors Equity, SAG-Aftra, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Writers Guild of America.

Designers

Scenic design by Anna Grigo
Lighting design by Shannon O’Rourke
Costume design by Jennifer Paar
Sound Design by Megumi Katayama

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Images Attached:
Promotional Graphics for Cyrano
Cast Promotional Images
Head Shots: Patrick Halley, Rigel Harris, Tor Hillhouse, Dee Pelletier, Hillel Rosenshine, Kathryn Markey

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