by John Ford Directed by Carey Perloff Music composed and performed by Bonfire Madigan Shive
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes
There will be one 15-minute intermission.
This rarely staged Jacobean tragedy pits the hot-blooded violation of a shocking sexual taboo against the dirty machinations of a corrupt church and state. The result is passionate and poetic, violent and sardonic, and a classic that is mordantly fresh. Starring Tony Award–nominated Michael Hayden and A.C.T.'s own René Augesen, winner of a 2007 Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Award, and set to the virtuosic, edgy stylings of cellist-singer Bonfire Madigan Shive.
"Dynamic performances! A strong, musically enriched, and unsettlingly affecting revival" San Francisco Chronicle
"A bloody morality play . . . complete with incest, revenge, family honor at its most vicious, loyalty, and even faith" Contra Costa Times
"O happy dagger! A wildly passionate . . . revival that no lover of the classics should miss" San Jose Mercury News
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Koret Prologue*
June 10, 5:30 p.m.
Get inside the artistic process—come early for a preperformance discussion with the director and other members of the artistic staff.
Theater on the Couch*
June 13, 8 p.m.
Join members of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis for an exciting postperformance discussion that explores the psychological aspects of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore and addresses audience questions.
Koret Audience Exchanges*
June 17, 7 p.m.
June 18, 2 p.m.
June 29, 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, moderated by a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.
Book Signing and Discussion
June 22 following the matinee performance of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Composer/Performer Bonfire Madigan Shive discusses her contribution to the book Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction. This special event will take place in Fred's Columbia Room at the American Conservatory Theater.
OUT with A.C.T.
June 25, 8 p.m.
LGBT night after a performance of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore 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.
*Discussions immediately follow the designated performance and 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). To subscribe to the full season ($70), call 415.749.2250.
Words on Plays Prepared by
Elizabeth Brodersen, Publications Editor
Michael Paller, Resident Dramaturg
Margot Melcon, Publications & Literary Associate
Ariel Franklin-Hudson, Publications & Literary Intern
Table of Contents
1.
Characters, Cast, and Synopsis of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
8.
The Carnal and the Cerebral
An Interview with Director Carey Perloff about 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by Jessica Werner Zack
Words on Plays is made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Adobe Reader is required to view A.C.T. publications.
Podcasts
Listen to a recent KFOG interview with Bonfire Madigan Shive in which she discusses her experience composing music for 'Tis Pity She's a Whore. The session includes a special live performance.
Composer/Performer Bonfire Madigan Shive live on the KFOG morning show.
> Listen Online
Annabella and Giovanni, the incestuous couple at the center of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, are not very different from these modern day couples struggling to stay together despite social opposition and legal obstacles.
"Equal parts feminist polemics, civil disobedience, and raw poetic power, it's not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. Oh, and she plays a mean cello, too."
—The Village Voice
Using her dynamic vocals and innovative, self-styled cello virtuosity, Bonfire Madigan Shive ignites the stage with a pulsating blend of soul-art-string-sounds to accompany 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.
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