'Julie' at the Henry Street Settlement

The Theatre-Arts Connection's New York premiere of Julie, plays at the Henry Street Settlement from the 6 - 21 May 2005

Julie is an adaptation, by David I.L. Poole, of August Strindberg�s drama 'Miss Julie' about an aristocratic woman who shocks society when she begins a passionate sexual affair with a servant.

Julie, the daughter of a wealthy Count, is a beautiful and aggressive young woman who yearns to break free from the societal mores that seem to repress her every impulse. And so she does--by seducing Jean, her father�s valet. But what begins as a simple flirtation soon turns into a dangerous game of power and betrayal as the ambitious Jean starts to see Julie as a way out of the travails of his own class. Freely adapted from Strindberg�s controversial 19th century play that was banned throughout Europe.

Director David I. L. Poole�s adaptation of the classic tale utlizes surrealism and a myriad of theatrical techniques, including shadow puppetry, dance and mask work. Additionally, he�s moved the play�s location from a Swedish kitchen to a remote island in the Stockholm archipelago and incorporated other writings of the period into the original text. According to Mr. Poole �Relocating the action of the play to an island allowed me to keep the isolation and remoteness of the original play while opening up the possibilities of setting scenes in both inside and outside locations. And the writings I�ve incorporated--which range from historical documents to Nordic legend--provide some fascinating insight into what drives the characters to make some of the choices that they do.�

The cast features Ashway Lawver, Brian Martin, Catherine McNelis, Shauntay Williams, Elizabeth Yocam and Cady Zuckerman.

The play has installation artwork by Liat Hazan, lighting by James Bedell and original music by Daniel Golden.

(For further information click here.)