Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

A Hand Witch of the Second Stage by Peter Barnes

An innocent woman accused of witchcraft and slated for execution in medieval France turns the tables on her inquisitors in an unexpected and hilarious plot twist. This 30-minute feast of the absurd by the author of The Ruling Class and Red Noses is a penetrating commentary on faith as a weapon and also a liberator.

One for the Road & Press Conference by Harold Pinter

Two plays by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter (The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, Ashes to Ashes) merge into an unforgettable hour of theater. In an unnamed police state a government official named Nicolas brutally interrogates a political dissident and his family, invoking God and country to justify his actions. Mesmerizing, devastating, and brilliantly controlled, One for the Road is a miniature masterpiece. In Press Conference the minister of culture fields the media's questions, revealing his disdain for public dissent and desire for approval in the process. A short shock of a play that will haunt you long after you've left the theater.

Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett

An overbearing director and his agreeable assistant painstakingly arrange an elderly actor, who stands on a pedestal submitting to their direction. An allegory of totalitarianism and the struggle to oppose it, this 10-minute piece is engrossing, troubling and ultimately triumphant.


Cast & Crew

ABOUT ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES

4 One-acts by 3 Greats of the Modern Theater in a Single Show

A Hand Witch of the Second Stage by Peter Barnes
directed by Peter Sampieri¹

One for the Road & Press Conference by Harold Pinter
directed by Fred Sullivan, Jr.

Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett
directed by Fred Sullivan, Jr.

Set Design & Technical Direction by Bill Wieters
Lighting Design by Richard Van Voris
Sound Design by Kerry Callery
Stage Management by Stef Work²
Assistant Technical Direction, Andrew Morissette; Assistant Stage Manager, Marc Mancini; Props Master, Jay Berger; Dramaturge, Jennifer Madden; Production Assistant, Valerie Westgate; Wardrobe Assistant, Jen Bennett

CAST
Sam Babbitt, Minister of Culture (Press Conference)/Protagonist (Catastrophe)
Karen Carpenter, Gila (One for the Road)/Reporter (Press Conference)
Tony Estrella,² Nicolas (One for the Road)/Reporter (Press Conference)/Director (Catastrophe)
Ben Johnson, Henri Mondor (A Hand Witch of the Second Stage)/Soldier (One for the Road & Press Conference)
Jim O’Brien,² Father Nerval (A Hand Witch of the Second Stage)/Reporter (Press Conference)/
Victor (One for the Road)/Luke (Catastrophe)
David Rabinow, Claude Delmas (A Hand Witch of the Second Stage)/ Soldier (One for the Road & Press Conference)
Casey Seymour Kim,² Marie Blin (A Hand Witch of the Second Stage)/Reporter (Press Conference)/
Assistant (Catastrophe)
Damien Beecroft, Nicky (One for the Road)
John McGowan, Nicky (One for the Road)

¹The Director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
²The actor or stage manager appears through courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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