A.C.T. celebrates Nobel Prize–winning playwright Harold Pinter's legacy with his most sexually provocative play. A long-absent son and his attractive wife, Ruth, return to his contentious childhood home in London's East End. Caught in a grueling power struggle, father and sons vie for Ruth's attention and affection with outrageous consequences in a play that changed the face of 20th-century drama. Longtime Pinter collaborator and A.C.T. artistic director Carey Perloff directs this brilliant classic featuring René Augesen, who celebrates her tenth-anniversary season as part of the A.C.T. core acting company.
"[A] masterpiece of family warfare . . .
The Homecoming is every bit as big as its reputation." —The New York Times
"Transfixing, juicy, and unsavory . . . riveting" —KQED
"Brilliantly directed . . . a wonderful cast . . . a must-see evening
of classic theatrical drama" —KGO Radio
"A Harold Pinter play as it was meant to be seen . . . this superb cast, so well supported by the design elements and by Perloff's deep understanding of Pinter's darkly comic sensibility, makes for a thrilling and disturbing theatrical experience." —San Francisco Examiner
"Absurdly entertaining . . . magical . . . directed to perfection" —Stark Insider
"Seethes with repressed anger, reptilian power plays, sibling rivalry, and macho jealousy . . . [a] riveting production" —The Huffington Post
"Power and sex . . . two of Pinter's classic themes" —The Guardian (London)
"Ultimately, the objective for a Pinter character is to survive." —Back Stage West
"[Pinter's] conversation is a minefield." —The New York Times
"A contemporary classic that packs a wallop" —Newsday
"Enigmatic . . . [a] masterwork" —Variety
"[Pinter] changed the face of 20th–century theater." —Los Angeles Times
"[Perloff has] produced the most compelling Pinter I've seen anywhere, including London." —San Francisco Examiner
"[Pinter is] a writer in love with the evanescence of truth."—Los Angeles Times
Please be advised: Cigars and cigarettes will be smoked onstage throughout the performance.
Pursuing Pinter: A Celebration
March 20, 4:30–6:30 p.m. (following the matinee performance)
Join us for a celebration of the life and work of Harold Pinter. Homecoming director Carey Perloff will lead a discussion with Austin E. Quigley, author of The Pinter Problem and The Modern Stage and Other Worlds and former dean of Columbia College at Columbia University, and Michael Krasny, host of KQED Radio's Forum program. Then stick around for readings from Pinter's great works, brought to life by A.C.T. core acting company members; Bay Area favorites Marco Barricelli, Giles Havergal, and Ken Ruta; and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn. This event is free and open to the public—no tickets necessary.
Listen to audio from the event:
Prologue*
March 8, 5:30 p.m.
Get inside the artistic process—come early for a preperformance discussion with the director and a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.
Theater on the Couch*
March 11, 8 p.m.
Join members of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis for an exciting postperformance discussion that explores the psychological aspects of the show and addresses audience questions.
Audience Exchanges*
March 15, 7 p.m.
March 23, 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors, moderated by a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.
OUT with A.C.T.
March 16, 8 p.m.
LGBT night at A.C.T. features a catered afterparty and a cast meet and greet. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for more information about how to subscribe to OUT nights.
Pursuing Pinter: A Celebration
March 20, 4:30–6:30 p.m. (following the matinee performance)
Join us for a celebration of the life and work of Harold Pinter. Homecoming director Carey Perloff will lead a discussion with Austin E. Quigley, author of The Pinter Problem and The Modern Stage and Other Worlds and former dean of Columbia College at Columbia University, and Michael Krasny, host of KQED Radio's Forum program. Then stick around for readings from Pinter's great works, brought to life by A.C.T. core acting company members; Bay Area favorites Marco Barricelli, Giles Havergal, and Ken Ruta; and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn. This event is free and open to the public—no tickets necessary.
*Discussions are free for ticket holders. Please note that performance times vary.
Insight into the Play, the Playwright, and the Production
Each entertaining and informative issue of Words on Plays, A.C.T.'s in-depth performance guide series, contains a synopsis, advance program notes, study questions, and additional background information about the historical and cultural context of the play.
Words on Plays is available for purchase in the lobby of the theater during performances or online ($12 each + postage and handling or $5 each for the electronic edition). For more information about how to subscribe to a full or partial season, click here.
Words on Plays Prepared by
Elizabeth Brodersen, Publications Editor
Dan Rubin, Publications & Literary Associate
Michael Paller, Resident Dramaturg
Emily Hoffman, Publications Fellow
Zachary Moull, Dramaturgy Fellow
Table of Contents
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1.
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Characters, Cast, and Synopsis of The Homecoming
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4.
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Director Carey Perloff on The Homecoming
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6.
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The Ripple Effect: An Interview with Scenic Designer Dan Ostling
by Dan Rubin
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12.
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Spoken Identity: An Interview with Voice and Dialect Coach Jill Walmsley Zager
by Dan Rubin
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19.
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"It's Gone. It Never Existed. It Remains.": Pinter and the Mist of Time
by Michael Paller
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23.
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The Ruth Puzzle
by Emily Hoffman
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26.
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Probing Pinter's Play
by Henry Hewes
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28.
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Harold Pinter Knew Better Than to Explain (PDF)
by Carey Perloff
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33.
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Harold Pinter (1930–2008)
by Michael Billington
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39.
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The Homecoming's London
by Zachary Moull
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42.
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A Homecoming Glossary
by Zachary Moull
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44.
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Questions to Consider / For Further Information . . . (PDF)
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Adobe Reader is required to view A.C.T. publications.
Production Photos
Click to view larger images from The Homecoming. All photos by Kevin Berne.
Costume Sketches for The Homecoming
Costume designer Alex Jaeger was particularly inspired by his conversations with director Carey Perloff—a friend and frequent collaborator of Harold Pinter for two decades—as he began to envision the wardrobe for these complex characters: "It was really great having Carey's insight into Pinter, because [the costume design] ended up in a completely different place than I thought it would when we started. When you see a world like this and you read the behavior of these characters, I think the initial impulse is to go very low class. But these characters aren't low class. . . . I realized that the more respectable they look, the more extraordinary their behavior becomes, so we made them pretty respectable."
Click on the images below to view costume sketches and learn more about each character.
René Augesen at A.C.T.: A Tenth Anniversary Celebration
René Augesen celebrates her tenth anniversary with the acclaimed A.C.T core acting company by tackling the iconic role of Ruth in The Homecoming—a role that Homecoming director (and A.C.T. artistic director) Carey Perloff says that Augesen "was born to play." From her poignant turns as Nora in A Doll's House and Eleanor in Rock 'n' Roll to her mesmerizing work as Célimène in The Misanthrope and Shelly in Buried Child, Augesen has given some of the most memorable performances in recent A.C.T. history.
Click on the images below to view larger photos from her impressive career as A.C.T.'s leading lady.
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| 2002–03 Season | 2003–04 Season |
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| 2007–08 Season | 2008–09 Season |
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Augesen's colleagues reflect on their years of collaboration—onstage and off:
"In the ten years that René has been at A.C.T., she has tackled an astonishing range of material with total virtuosity, passion, imagination, humor, and heart. René is captivating onstage; she is absolutely watchable no matter what role she's playing, because she inhabits a character with 100 percent of herself. She has also been a mentor and teacher to a whole generation of Master of Fine Arts Program students at A.C.T., raising the bar on their training by providing an incredible standard to aspire to."
—Carey Perloff, A.C.T. artistic director
"René is a consummate artist—a magnificent actor whom I've had the distinct pleasure of sharing the boards with on several occasions. She is never less than extraordinary in each and every role she plays, and I consider myself very lucky to have been her acting partner and colleague over the years. My only hope is that there may be more opportunities to collaborate in the future. She's as good as it gets in the American theater and a shining example for younger actors to aspire to. Period."
—Marco Barricelli, Former A.C.T. core acting company member and current Shakespeare Santa Cruz artistic director
"What impressed me most about René? What was I so grateful for? René shows up every night, every minute on that stage!"
—Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award–winning actor
"It was my great privilege to work with René Augesen on The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Her creativity, her flexibility, and her sheer professionalism are, in combination, a director's dream. Congratulations on your anniversary, René, and I hope we can repeat the dream sometime soon!"
—John Doyle, Tony Award–winning director
"Like every actor, sometimes René has an easy path in rehearsal—and finds what she's looking for right away—and sometimes a tortuous one—with lots of work in the searching. Whatever the theater gods happen to decree. But either way, you always know that René will arrive and be there when it counts, and she'll have found a brilliance to serve the work. You know this being onstage with her. It's the closest thing to peace that this profession ever grants. Thank you, René."
—Bill Irwin, Tony Award–winning actor and director
"To paraphrase Tolstoy, happy couples are all alike; every unhappy couple is unhappy in its own way. I've actually lost count of how many unhappy couples René Augesen and I have played onstage in the last ten years. The remarkable part is how happy it has made me to do it. To work with René is to be challenged, inspired, surprised, and completely supported in your own efforts. You will often be humbled, as well, chafing with admiration as she raises the bar, and then raises it again, and again. In leading by example, she is a leading example. She is a rare and potent actress, gifted with beauty, brains, talent, wit, sensitivity, and tenacity, all of which—and this is the really important thing—she uses in service of the play, of the character, and of her fellow artists, never in service of her own image. We may not be together 'till death do us part,' but I do hope that from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, I will have many more chances to love and to cherish my dear colleague René Augesen."
—Anthony Fusco, A.C.T. core acting company member
"I first worked with René in Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll. I immediately realized that she was, and continues to be, one of the more astonishing actresses I've had the honor of sharing a stage with. She has a rare combination of emotional depth and availability, high technical skill, great theatrical intelligence, bold imagination, and fearless vulnerability, which combined allow her to grapple with and finally fully embody every role that comes her way. The range and scope of her work over the past ten years is breathtaking, and A.C.T. is lucky to have her and the artistic standard of excellence in acting that she sets."
—Manoel Felciano, A.C.T. core acting company member
"René is a treasure of an artist. She has always impressed me with her determination to be intensely truthful at every moment. She is extremely focused in her work and once she has carefully pieced together all of the elements of her role she has the ability to surrender herself to it totally. She becomes like a blazing force whose attraction is irresistible. René has continued to impress me with her great intelligence, a deep seriousness, a riotous sense of humor, and besides, she loves Johnny Cash."
—Laird Williamson, Director
"René Augesen is an actress of fierce intelligence, luminous emotional depth, and astonishing range—one of those few artists it is an abiding pleasure to watch in both comedy and drama, and who is always on the short list of people with whom I want to work again soon. Her accomplishments at A.C.T. over the past ten years mark her as one of the most distinguished stage actors of her generation and a very bright light in a brilliant company's illustrious history."
—James Bundy, Yale Repertory Theatre artistic director
"When I worked as a fellow actor with René she was notoriously proud of her lack of comic ability. She spoke of it all the time. Nay, bragged. But the lady protested too much. She was constantly hilarious onstage, while at the same time claiming to be puzzled by it. I found this charming. This year we were both selected as Lunt-Fontanne Fellows at the Ten Chimneys Foundation's summer convocation in Wisconsin. I look forward to our reunion.."
—Mark Harelik, Actor
On the A.C.T. Blog
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Celebrating Harold Pinter
posted by Zachary Moull, A.C.T. Dramaturgy Fellow
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Rehearsing in the Dark
posted by Zachary Moull, A.C.T. Dramaturgy Fellow
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Harold Pinter, Carey Perloff, and A.C.T.
Photographs and musings by Carey Perloff on Pinter and his plays
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