Eugene O'Neill Foundation Begins Month-Long Dramatic (R)Evolution in Danville

From Eugene O’Neill Foundation:

DANVILLE, CA - A wide range of events has been planned by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation for the 17th Eugene O’Neill Festival getting underway this week in Danville. The focus is on the Revolution that playwright O’Neill initiated for the American theatre, and the Evolution that followed.

The highlights of the annual Festival are productions of Edward Albee’s Seascape, opening on Friday, September 2 for nine performances at the Village Theatre in downtown Danville, and the production of Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones opening on Friday, September 23 for six performances at the Old Barn at Tao House, part of the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, in the Danville hills.

“When Eugene O’Neill wrote The Emperor Jones in 1920, he set a new direction for American drama that would be felt for years to come. Seascape and The Emperor Jones represent both an evolution in American drama as well as a revolution,” says Eric Fraisher Hayes, artistic program director for the Eugene O’Neill Foundation.

“O’Neill moved the American theater beyond objective reality into the magical and surreal world of psychological perception in order to explore deeper truths about what it is to be human,” say Hayes.

The two plays provide center-pieces for the Festival. The full Festival program includes a “Find Your Park” hike to celebrate the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, pre-show picnics at Tao House, special Centennial exhibits at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and a Tao House, and the screening of Ric Burns’ PBS American Experience documentary about Eugene O’Neill.

The Festival will also feature a staged reading, on September 29, of Artist in Residence Adrienne Pender’s new play, N, which tells the story of O’Neill and actor Charles Gilpen who originated the title role of Brutus Jones in O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones.

Tickets for the stage productions are now available online at www.villagetheatreshows.com, or through the Eugene O’Neill Foundation website, www.eugeneoneill.org.

Tao House in the Danville hills is part of the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service. It is here that playwright O’Neill and his wife Carlotta lived from 1937-1944, and where O’Neill penned his final and most important works, including A Long Days Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh and A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Eugene O’Neill Festival is produced by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, the not-for-profit organization that provides educational, community and performance programs at Tao House and the O’Neill National Historic Site. Information on the Foundation and its programs is available at www.eugeneoneill.org.

For tours of Tao House, contact the National Park Service at (925) 838-0249.

17th Eugene O’Neill Festival -- 2016

Festival at a Glance

Performances: Tickets online at villagetheatershows.com

• Seascape by Edward Albee 1975 Pulitzer Prize winning drama Village Theatre, 233 Front Street, Danville

• September 2, 3, (8:00)
• September 4 (2 pm)
• September 9, 10, (8 pm)
• September 11 (2 pm),
• September 16, 17 (8 pm)
• September 18 (2 pm)

Presented in cooperation with Role Players Ensemble

• The Emperor Jones by Eugene O’Neill O’Neill’s 1920 Classic drama Old Barn, Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site, Danville

• September 23, 24 (8 pm)
• September 25 (2 pm),
• September 30 & October 1 (8 pm)
• October 2 (2 pm)

• N by Adrienne Pender New play by Travis Bogard Artist in Residence Old Barn, Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site

September 29 (8 pm) -- Staged Reading

Documentary: Screening of Ric Burns’ PBS American Experience documentary about Eugene O’Neill. Thursday, September 8 (7 pm). Danville Veterans’ Hall, 400 Hartz Ave.

Centennial Park Hike: "Find Your Park” -- Join NPS and East Bay Regional Park Rangers at Front Street Park (across from Danville Library), and hike up to Tao House. Celebrate the National Park Service’s 100th Anniversary. Sunday, September 11, 9:00 a.m. Register in advance at taohouse.eonf@gmaiil.com.

Exhibits:

• “Two Centennials” exhibit at Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Ave., Danville. Celebrates NPS 100th Anniversary & Eugene O’Neill’s first production

• Special exhibits on Eugene O’Neill’s career and The Emperor Jones at Tao House

For details and updated information, go to www.eugeneoneill.org or Call (925) 820-1818

Image via Pixabay.