It’s not exactly a make up/break up story, but you can be optimistic if you want to. It can’t hurt.
Island Theatre will present a free staged reading of David Hare’s award-winning drama “Skylight” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Bainbridge Public Library.
Donations will be accepted.
First performed in 1995, “Skylight” was most recently produced on Broadway in 2016 with Bill Nighy and Carrie Mulligan in the lead roles.
In the play, a genial but lonely restaurateur, Tom Sergeant, shows up on the doorstep of his former lover, Kyra Hollis, who is 20 years his junior.
She is not overjoyed. Only an hour or two before, she was interrupted by his son Edward — not seen since Kyra left Tom three years earlier. Edward reports that his father is behaving very badly, and urges Kyra to think about going back to him.
Tom’s wife, meanwhile, we learn, has recently died.
He and Kyra grapple with each other, moving between tender passion and vicious political polemics, as the night darkens and the lines between past and present begin to blur.
The Island Theatre production is directed by Tell Schreiber and features Helen Heaslip, Tom Challinor and Quinn Balas in the cast.
“I chose ‘Skylight’ for it’s extraordinarily true-to-life dialogue, it’s small cast, and because it strikes me as highly relevant for our times,” Schreiber said. “Caught as we are in a shocking transition from liberal to archly conservative government, and faced as we are with an agonizing schism between affluence and need, between haves and have-nots — a schism that has grown shockingly wider in the last few years — I wanted to air this story of Tom Sergeant and Kyra Hollis.”
In leaving Tom, the director explained, Kyra has not simply rejected him, but the successful, bourgeois life that he leads in favor of a cold flat in a destitute section of London and a job teaching in a school for difficult children where crime is commonplace.
“She has, in fact, dedicated herself to a life of service in the public interest,” Schreiber said. “Tom is simply flummoxed.”
The job of choosing a play for a staged reading, as opposed to a full production, is complex and involves very specific questions, the director said — actual cast size not being the least of them.
“Usually, a large cast will be hard to schedule and will require more rehearsal time,” Schreiber said. “As three or four rehearsals is a customary schedule for a reading one generally avoids large casts. What is the gender mix in the cast? All men or all women may estrange some members of the audience. We are more or less blessed to have a broad acting pool on the island, made up of more women than men, but fairly well balanced; and that pool has a good spread of talent, from experienced to green.
“Intelligence is rarely a limiting factor,” he added. “Is it within the range of actors one might have available at the time? A Greek or French tragedy, a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, a Moliere would not be a good choice, unless actors with experience of those highly stylized dramas were to be available.”
The lead trio features faces new and familiar to Bainbridge audiences.
Challinor is a local theater fixture, with stints as an actor, director and producer to his credit. A former classroom teacher for over 20 years, he has an MFA in arts leadership from Seattle University. His acting credits include: “Noises Off” (Fredrick Fellows), “Macbeth” (Macduff) and “As You Like It” (Duke Senior) at Bainbridge Performing Arts. He has directed productions of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “American Buffalo,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Twelfe Night or What You Will” and “The Tempest.”
“I chose Tom Challinor for the part of Tom because his wide stage experience as both actor and director give him skills the role needs,” Schreiber said. “Also because though he’s generously directed many things on the island he’s not been given the chance to show what he can do as an actor, and I think acting is his first love. He’s the right age, the right look, and so deserving of a part as rich as Tom Sergeant.”
Heaslip trained in London, where she appeared in “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” (West End), “Rabbit” (Frantic Assembly’s UK Tour), “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” (Bridewell Theatre, and “The Tempest” (Kents Cavern).
In Seattle, she appeared in “Feston” (NCTC) and served as movement director in the Act Theatre production of “The Cherry Orchard.”
“I chose Helen Heaslip for the part of Kyra because she, too, has an unusual depth of stage experience and hasn’t yet appeared in a leading part on the island,” the director said. “But her age and her look are so perfect for Kyra. She immediately agreed to do it because she so loved the play.”
A Bainbridge High School graduate, Balas has been acting his whole life. He appeared in the 2015 and 2016 Island Theatre Ten Minute Play Festival productions of “Tree for All” and “A.D.A.M.” as well as in the Bainbridge High School productions of “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” “My Fair Lady” and “Pirates of Penzance.”
“Quinn Balas, who will read the part of Edward — Tom’s son — is my friend from two earlier shows that we did for Island Theatre’s Ten Minute Play Festival,” Schreiber said. “He’s a great boy who loves theater and took part in productions at Bainbridge High. Each of the actors has jumped enthusiastically into the work of bringing the play to life. I’m very excited to get to work with each of them.”
Founded on Bainbridge Island in 1994, Island Theatre’s mission is to provide quality theatre, geared toward mature audiences, onstage and in less conventional venues, through plays that challenge performers artistically while both entertaining and intellectually engaging audiences. Its regular schedule includes bi-monthly staged play readings at the Bainbridge Public Library; potluck dinners in privately hosted homes at which guests are welcome to join in a selected play reading; and the annual Island Theatre Ten-Minute Play Festival.
Run entirely by volunteers, Island Theatre is a nonprofit organization supported by donations, the Bainbridge Community Foundation and One Call for All. Get more information at www.IslandTheatre.org.
