An Ideal Husband

8-23 August

By Oscar Wilde

Directed By: Robyn Bull

Sir Robert Chiltern is a wealthy member of the House of Commons and a man of strict moral principle. Unexpected guest Mrs. Cheveley arrives at a dinner party, on a mission to blackmail Sir Robert into supporting a fraudulent scheme to build a canal in Argentina. When she threatens to tell his beloved Lady Chiltern-- and the world-- that Sir Robert’s money came from an illegal stock secret, Sir Robert feels he has no choice but to give in to her demands. Lady Chiltern questions his decision, urging him to stay true to his morals. As Sir Robert flips back and forth between following his heart and protecting his reputation, Lady Cheveley tries to win back the affection of her ex-fiancee, Lord Goring. Deceit and lies weave themselves throughout as Wilde pulls the curtain on the hypocrisy of moralistic Victorian society. With wit and gaiety, Wilde paints a scathing critique of gossips, income gaps, sexist attitudes, and the perils of protecting one’s morals.

Red

27-30 August

Written by John Logan

Directed by Kristof Haines

In this Tony Award winning play, master abstract expressionist Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art, a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, Rothko works feverishly with his young assistant, Ken, in his studio on the Bowery. But when Ken gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Raw and provocative, RED is a searing portrait of an artist's ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.