SPRING THEATREWORKS, INC.

Jeffrey Horne, Executive Director

25 JAY STREET, STUDIO 203   BROOKLYN, NY 11201         917.213.1242         www.springtheatreworks.com

For immediate release, please.

SPRING THEATREWORKS, INC. presents

“ARDEN:

THE LAMENTABLE TRAGEDIE OF A DUMBO REAL ESTATE MOGUL”

An adaptation of George Lillo’s “Arden of Feversham” set in present-day DUMBO, Brooklyn

 Beginning FREE performances Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 8 p.m. at Spring’s Performance Loft in DUMBO

             Spring Theatreworks (Jeffrey Horne, Executive Director) presents ARDEN: THE LAMENTABLE TRAGEDIE OF A DUMBO REAL ESTATE MOGUL, adapted by Michelle Salerno & Jeffrey Horne from George Lillo’s 1739 play “Arden of Feversham” and directed by Michelle Salerno.  Performances will begin Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 8 p.m. at Spring’s Performance Loft in DUMBO, Brooklyn at 25 Jay Street (between Plymouth & John Sts; F to York Street, A/C to High Street).  Admission is free, donations suggested.  Reservations are strongly encouraged as seating is limited.  Seats can be reserved by emailing name, performance choice and number of seats to arden@springtheatreworks.com.

 On February 14, 1551, Thomas Arden, an extremely wealthy land-owner in Faversham, England, was murdered in his home by two hired killers.  It was discovered that these murderers were employed by Arden’s wife Alicia and her longtime lover Mosby in conspiracy with several enemies Arden had made in the course of his dubious real estate dealings.  All parties were tried and punished with death; Alicia was burned at the stake and the conspirators were all hanged.  A play of questionable authorship (some have attributed it to Shakespeare) called “ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM,” printed in 1592, brought this story to the stage for the first time.  In 1739 another more widely accepted version of the Arden story was penned (although interrupted by his death) by playwright George Lillo and called “ARDEN OF FEVERSHAM.”  Now in 2007, Michelle Salerno & Jeffrey Horne have collaborated to create a new adaptation of this enduring tale of greed, jealousy, adultery and revenge - ARDEN: THE LAMENTABLE TRAGEDIE OF A DUMBO REAL ESTATE MOGUL.

 By piecing together scenes from both pre-existing texts the co-adaptors have modernized the story and situated it amidst the current real estate market in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  Thomas Arden is owner of Arden Properties, a significant competitor in the sizzling DUMBO real estate market.  Thanks to his strong political ties, Arden has just been given exclusive rights by the city to develop a hotly contested plot of land, successfully wrenching it out of the hands of Green who believes he is the rightful owner.  However, even despite this substantial victory, Arden’s ego is bruised.  He suspects that his wife Alicia, formerly renowned for her faithfulness, has been cheating on him with Mosby, a man far below her reputation.  It is left up to the audience to decide where the true tragedy in this story lies.  Is Alicia justified in her adultery given Arden’s mistreatment of her?  Are the conspirators’ actions against Arden properly placed social justice and vigilantism?  How long can one man’s power and control go unchecked?  Or is Arden doing what is right and just for the good of society and his community?  Spring presents ARDEN in their minimalist story-telling style at their signature intimate loft space in the heart of DUMBO.

         Director Michelle Salerno was the associate producer for Spring Theatreworks’ most recent production, POOR JACOB’S HAMLET. Her directing credits include MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION at TSI/Playtime’s Shaw Festival, a new translation of THE BEAR (Trans. By Jane Guyer), and SEAM at Café Deville Downstairs.  Michelle also assistant directed GERTRUDE STEIN CUBED. Her stage managing credits include LITTLE RED: LOST IN THE WOODS, STATEMENTS AFTER AN ARREST UNDER THE IMMORALITY ACT (New York Fringe Festival), LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE, PLEASE!, and a reading of THE MADMAN OF RUSSIA. She has also worked as a production assistant on THE UNKNOWN: A SILENT MUSICAL directed by Jean Randich and wrote and performed THIS MUST BE SO. She is a graduate of Eugene Lang College.

Spring Theatreworks, a Brooklyn-based non-profit theatre company, was founded in 2000 and is dedicated to fostering new and diverse voices in the American theatre and nurturing innovative approaches to storytelling.  All of Spring’s productions are conceived, created and often produced in their signature intimate loft space in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  To date, they have presented 22 productions in NYC, 14 of which were world premieres.  They support emerging artists through productions of new plays as well as revivals of works by contemporary masters, thereby putting the new works into a specific context.  Their most recent productions were POOR JACOB’S HAMLET, an ultra-minimalist adaptation of HAMLET in November 2006 and Steven Gridley’s STILL-LIFE (WITH RUNNER) in October 2005, which was hailed as “sensational, jolting, involving theatre.”  They also notably co-produced the June 2004 U.S. debut of preeminent Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse’s NIGHT SINGS ITS SONGS directed & translated by company member Sarah Cameron Sunde at The Culture Project.   In July 2004 they produced two new plays by acclaimed Chicago playwright Brett Neveu in “BRETTFEST 2004: 2 by Neveu.”  Anita Gates of The NY Times described the performances in NIGHT SINGS ITS SONGS as “uniformly excellent” and nytheatre.com called TWENTYONE by Brett Neveu “one of the finest new plays in town.” Spring’s November 2003 revival of Janusz Glowacki’s CINDERS was described by Martin Denton of nytheatre.com as “thoughtful, provocative, and arresting…boldly acted and brilliantly designed, this is theatre at its very best…surely one of the finest productions of 2003.”  Plus, Andy Propst of Backstage listed CINDERS as one of the most memorable productions of the 2003 season. The artists currently represented by Spring Theatreworks are Karen Forte, Matthew Drennan, Steven Gridley, Doug Simpson, Sarah Cameron Sunde, Jacob Titus and Erin Treadway.  The Executive Director is Jeffrey Horne and the Associate Producer is Michelle Salerno.  For more information go to www.springtheatreworks.com.

The cast of ARDEN features Bridie Coughlin, Michael Kevin Darnall, Karen Forte, Daniel Gee Husson, Tom Lacey, Matt Luceno, Patrick McColley, Ax Norman* and Andy Rabensteine* and the production is stage managed by Nicole Brickley.  This is an approved Equity Showcase.  Opening night is April 19 at 8 p.m. and performances run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. through May 12.  Admission to all performances is free.  Send an email to arden@springtheatreworks.com including name, choice of performance and number of seats.  Seating is limited to 25 per performance so reservations are strongly encouraged!  More information and production images can be found at Spring Theatreworks’ website at www.springtheatreworks.com.

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For further information and to make press reservations please call
Jeffrey Horne at 917-213-1242 or email to jeffrey@springtheatreworks.com.

Press / reviewers are invited to attend any performance beginning Thursday, April 26, 2007.