From left, Pete Clappis, Stacy Fisher, Michael Edwards and Justin Campbell star in Hysteria playing through Oct. 21 at American Stage Theatre.
ST. PETERSBURG – American Stage Theatre Company presents a critically acclaimed production of Terry Johnson’s Hysteria: Or Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Neurosis to kick off the 2012.2013 season at the Raymond James Theatre.
The show continues through Sunday, Oct. 21.
Hysteria is a fantastical farce based on a stunning historical meeting between Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dalí. The setting is London in 1938, where Hysteria springs from Freud’s fanciful mind as he juggles unexpected visits to his home by the famous surrealist painter Dalí and a mysterious young woman named Jessica. Full of mistaken identities, dazzling surprises, and sheer Freudian slips, the tables are turned as Freud soon finds himself the subject of Jessica's own bizarre form of psychoanalysis while Dalí's surreal imagery creeps into his dreams and consciousness.
Hysteria was the winner of the Olivier Award for “Best New Comedy.”
The director of Hysteria, Todd Olson, has this to say about the production, “Audiences are leaning forward in their seats to hear this story.”
Capecod.com says this production “balances laugh-out-loud comedy with deadly serious revelations … Playwright Terry Johnson is a brilliant storyteller, and this production does his script justice.”
The cast includes four actors, three of whom are returning to American Stage Theatre.
Justin Campbell plays Salvador Dalí and is returning to American Stage after his critically acclaimed performance in American Stage Theatre’s production of A Steady Rain.
Michael Edwards plays Sigmund Freud and has over 45 years as an actor/director across the country. Edwards is a member of the American Stage Theatre Company. He performed in last season’s popular production of August In Osage County.
Pete Clapsis plays Yahuda and has performed in numerous readings of plays and musicals at American Stage Theatre, including the role of Joe Corso in the award winning Joe Corso Re-Enters From The Wings, written by Todd Olson.
Stacy Fischer plays Jessica and is making her debut at American Stage. Her performance as Jessica has been hailed as “breathtaking” and the Cape Cod Chronicle’s review states that her focused energy and intensity keeps the audience on the edge of its seat (when it isn’t laughing).
The creative team includes scenic designer, Scott Cooper, who is the head of the new theater department at Saint Petersburg College. He has received Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay outstanding Scenic Designer in the Tampa Bay area and has designed scenery for all the major theaters in the Tampa Bay area.
Lighting Design is by John R. Malinowski who also designed the lighting for American Stage’s co-production of An Ideal Husband. Costume design is by Adrin Erra Puente who served as the Costume Shop Manager for the American Stage Theatre Company for the last seven seasons and has costume designed a dozen productions for American Stage.
Hysteria will be performed in two acts with one intermission. Act One: 1 hr.10 min.; Act Two: 40 min.
Performance times and prices for 2012-2013
American Stage Theatre recently announced updated performance dates, times and pricing for the 2012-2013 season
Dates and times and Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Saturday and sunday Matinees are at 3 p.m. Note: Tuesday and Sunday evening performances (8 p.m.) and Wednesday matinee performances (3 p.m.) are added on select productions.
Performance pricing: $29 for previews and Wednesday matinees; $39 for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees; $49 for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Student advance tickets are $20 and student rush tickets are $10, 30 minutes prior to curtain. Group Ticket Pricing Packages are also available. For tickets, please call the American Stage Box Office at 727-823-PLAY (7529).
American Stage Theatre Company is located at the Raymond James Theatre, 163 Third St. N. in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. For more information, visit www.americanstage.org.
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