THE THEATRE 4 COMPANY STAGES TRI-CITY PRODUCTIONS OF  STEVEN DIETZ’S INTRIGUING COMEDY,  “PRIVATE EYES

The Theatre 4 Company, a professional, innovative troupe based in New Haven, will stage three productions of  “Private Eyes,” an intriguing comedy by Steven Dietz . The first  will be at Long Wharf Theatre Stage II in New Haven on May 13, 14 and 15; followed by the Oddfellows Playhouse, Middletown, June 4 and 5 and the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate), Old Saybrook, on June 10,11, 12 and 13.
 
“Private Eyes,” a play about theater people, delves into marriage, infidelity, illusion, fantasy and therapy. It has been variously described as “a romantic comedy of suspicion, in which nothing is ever quite what it seems, and a relationship thriller about love, lust and the power of deception.”

The plot, with its many twists and turns, reversals and surprises, involves a young married couple, Lisa and Matthew, actors who are rehearsing a play about marital infidelity. Adrian, the suave British director, is having an affair with Lisa, or so her husband thinks and agonizes over. Or perhaps it is only the play that they are rehearsing. Two other characters emerge: Frank, a therapist working with Matthew and Cory, a  woman of mystery. The audience is as challenged as the cast as they struggle to understand the script and their lives.
 
 In the author’s note for “Private Eyes,” Dietz wrote: “I have tried to write about my own fascination with the high-wire act known as ‘an affair’: the insidious power of suspicion, the delicious fever of deception… and the accompanying sobriety of truth….A play about lies must be a comedy, because only laughter can make us recognize truths we’re not fond of. Only laughter is generous enough to hear us out, to listen to our foibles and our familiar debacles… and let us think that next time, next time it will be different.”

Steven Dietz has written more than 30 plays including “Last of the Boys” (Pulitzer nominee);  “God’s Country,” “Rocket Man,” and “Becky’s New Car.” He received the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award for his plays, “Fiction” (produced Off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company) and “Still Life with Iris;” the  2007 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play for “Sherlock Holmes, the Final Adventure”; and the PEN USA West Award in Drama for “Lonely Planet.”  A native of Denver, Colorado, he and his family divide their time between Seattle and Austin, where he teaches playwriting at the University of Texas.

The cast for “Private Eyes’ includes Theatre 4 members: *Rebecka Jones, of  Hamden, as Lisa; *Mariah Sage of New Haven, as Cory; and *Jackie Sidle of Hamden, as Frank. Adrian is played by *Robert Resnikoff  of Middletown, and Philip M. Gardiner of New York City is Matthew. *Janie Tamarkin of Woodbridge, Theatre 4 member, directs the production. Set and light design is by Tate Burmeister and fight choreographer is David Chandler. (* indicates member of Actors’ Equity Association.)   

The non-profit Theatre 4 Company was founded in 2007 by Rebecka Jones, Mariah Sage and Janie Tamarkin who were joined in 2009 by Jackie Sidle.  A love of theater fueled their mission: to bring professional, thought-provoking but affordable entertainment to new audiences, thereby also nurturing other Connecticut-based professional actors.

The fledgling non-profit company has made great strides in such a short time and in a very competitive environment. They have produced two successful plays: “Collected Stories” by New Haven’s Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, and “Anton in Show Business,” by Jane Martin.

Although they do not have their own stage (their long-term goal) they enjoy performing in smaller theaters, like the venues for “Private Eyes,” since they offer a more immediate relationship with audiences.

Theatre 4 also has established “Acting Out,” an outreach program for New Haven that encourages authors to develop new short works for site-specific spaces and welcomes actors to come and perform them in venues that don’t traditionally serve as performance spaces. “Acting out makes the audience aware that the real drama in life is in everyday occurrences,” explained Rebecka Jones. “We encourage our audiences to travel with us as we explore the city’s spaces and reveal its untold stories.”

Performances of “Private Eyes”: Long Wharf  Theatre Stage II, May 13, 8 pm, $40 donation, net proceeds benefit AIDS  Project New Haven; May 14, 8 pm; May 15, 2 & 8pm., $20 suggested donation; Oddfellows Playhouse, Middletown, June 4 & 5, 8pm, $20 donation; Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate), Old Saybrook, June 10,11, 12, 8pm; June 13, 3 pm.  Call The Kate box office 877-503-1286. For Long Wharf and Oddfellows call Theatre 4 Hotline, 203-654-7711. For more information on Theatre 4 visit www.t4ct.org

Brief Bios Theatre 4 Company Members
* indicates member of Actors Equity Association

*Rebecka Jones, a Founding Member, began a career as a visual artist before she entered graduate school at Ohio University where she then trained to be a professional actor and earned an MFA. She has since performed with Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Page 73 Productions (NYC), Elm Shakespeare, Shakespeare & Co., Monomoy Theater and with Quinnipiac’s Theatre for the Community.

*Mariah Sage is a Founding Member and earned a BFA in Drama at NYU/Tisch and an  MFA in Acting  at Brown University/Trinity Rep where she was a Stephen Sondheim Fellow. An actor, director and educator she has performed with theaters across the country and in Europe, including The Trinity Rep, The Public Theater (NYC), The Cleveland Play House and The Apollo (Germany). She has directed for Hartford Stage and Oddfellows Playhouse. She has taught acting at Brown University, NYU/Tisch, Quinnipiac and Hartford Stage. Currently she is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Theatre at Fairfield University.

*Jackie Sidle relocated to Connecticut from Chicago six years ago. She joined Theatre 4 as member in 2009. Last season she appeared as Holly in the Theatre 4 production, “Anton in Show Business.”  Other Connecticut performances include the River Rep Theatre Company, Seven Angels Theatre and Ivoryton Playhouse. She has also performed with the Rhode Island Shakespeare Theatre and The Duplex Theatre in New York City where she performed her one-woman cabaret show. Her Chicago credits include work with StreetSigns, Zeppo Theatre, Circle Theatre and ImprovOlympic.

*Janie Tamarkin  has studied acting at HB Studios in New York city and at Long Wharf Theatre with James Luse. She has acted Off-Broadway, at Long Wharf Theatre and in summer stock. A teacher and director she taught and directed productions at The Hopkins School for thirteen years. She is founder and director of the Heyday Theatre, a nonprofit theater workshop for New Haven area teenagers. She is an Artist-in-Residence for the Schubert Theater’s Education Outreach Program. She served as judge for the Connecticut Drama Association’s annual competitions, and was given their Distinguished Service Award in 2000 for her contributions.