For Immediate Release
September 7, 2004

ACCLAIMED ACTOR-DIRECTOR COMING TO PORT CITY
Jerry Etienne to work with Saint John Theatre Company

A deliciously devilish piece of theatre is luring one of the Atlantic Canada’s top directors to Saint John.

Jerry Etienne, a Nova Scotia-based dynamo of the stage, has agreed to help launch the Saint John Theatre Company’s spectacular 2004-2005 season by directing a November production of Dangerous Liaisons. Christopher Hampton’s famous play is a dazzling tale of sexual power games set in 18th-century France.

“I love the play,” Etienne says. “I have been wanting to direct Liaisons for a while now. It's a fascinating show that has it all - sex, violence, politics and romance. Add that to the beautiful clothes they wore during the period and the music that was popular, and you have a pretty good formula for a wonderful show.”

The SJTC production will feature Saint John native Graham Percy in the role of the devilish Valmont, and SJTC veteran Elizabeth Chase as the conniving Marquise de Merteuil.

Etienne is known to Maritime theatre buffs as Artistic Director of the Atlantic Theatre Festival in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Before taking that position in 1998, he spent several years as Artistic Director of Theatre Newfoundland Labrador. He has also directed and acted at theatre festivals across the country. Most notably, he played leading roles at the Stratford Festival for four years.

Etienne comes to the Saint John Theatre Company as part of the Guest Artist Program, which is designed to enhance the training opportunities for the Company’s many volunteers.

“Working with someone of Jerry's calibre is always a wonderful learning experience for our people,” says Stephen Tobias, the SJTC’s Artistic Director. “One of the great things about Jerry is that he has worked with actors who come from a variety of backgrounds. Theatre Newfoundland Labrador is a professional company that makes great use of their own community-based talent. This means that Jerry can offer useful advice to novices and veterans alike.”

Etienne, who has directed more than 40 plays in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, is bringing his talents to Saint John for the first time. He says it’s important to involve the community in theatre.

“That involvement develops an appreciation for theatre within the community,” he explains. “That helps to foster not only the talents in the community, but a future audience that can recognize good theatre from not-so-good theatre. It helps to keep standards and expectations a little higher, and that’s a good thing.”

Dangerous Liaisons, which runs November 18-20 at the Imperial Theatre, is the first of three plays in the SJTC’s 2004-2005 season. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stunningly dark musical Evita opens on St. Patrick’s Day. The Sunshine Boys, one of Neil Simon’s most hilarious comedies, is slated for May 19-21.

Casting for Dangerous Liaisons will begin next week with roles available for 5 females ranging in age from 15 to 60+ years and 3 adult males.. Open auditions will be held Thursday, September 16, at 7 P.M., and Saturday, September 18, at 1 P.M. All auditions will take place at the Saint John Theatre Company loft, which is on the fourth floor at 86 Prince William Street. Anyone who wishes to audition is required to prepare a monologue lasting no more than three minutes.

“What I look forward to the most with this project is the joy of discovering with the Company the many levels in this show,” Etienne says. “Liaisons is a political statement as well as a piece of wonderful comedy and a statement on the social mores of a society that is very similar to our own. This play is another example of a piece of literature that endures because it touches on universal aspects of the human animal that seem to remain constant through the ages.”

The Saint John Theatre Company is a community-based, not-for-profit organization. Subscriptions for Saint John Theatre Company’s Main Stage series can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office for only $49 for three shows. People interested in acting in Dangerous Liaisons or working behind the scenes can contact the SJTC at stage@sjtconline.com or (506) 634-1990.


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