PHILADELPHIA– Three retired military men plan one last great adventure in the Philadelphia premiere of Heroes, Tom Stoppard’s adaptation of Gérald Sibleyras’ Le Vent Des Peupliers and the final production of Lantern Theater Company’s record-smashing 2012/13 season. Directed by M. Craig Getting and starring local actors Peter DeLaurier, Mal Whyte and Dan Kern, performances will run May 16 through June 9 and will include An Evening with Warrior Writers on Monday, May 20 on the Lantern’s Mainstage. [A full performance schedule follows in the fact sheet below.]
Gustave (Kern), Philippe (Whyte) and Henri (DeLaurier) are three World War I heroes plotting an escape from the dictatorial captors and untrustworthy fellow prisoners at their retired soldiers’ home. While hatching their plan for an escape from their back patio to Indochina – or to the poplars on a nearby hill – these once vibrant and virile war heroes struggle with the reality of being young at heart while subject to life’s new aches and pains. Stoppard’s playful, bawdy and heartbreakingly funny adaptation showcases his gift for comedy and intelligent dialogue, and won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2004.
“We are excited to have cast an ensemble of veteran actors who are of similar ages to the characters in Heroes but are at the top of their artistic careers, charged with portraying men that are in their decline,” says Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon.
“What I love most about Gérald Sibleyras’ play – and Tom Stoppard’s sharp adaptation – is its deftness in tackling the difficulties of age with humor and humanity,” says Heroes director M. Craig Getting. “And lest we forget, these are veterans of World War I. Men who, while they survived the battles, had their world irrevocably altered by the war. Henri, Gustave and Philippe each carry a memento of the war, a physical or mental reminder of their time in the trenches. However, the play is full of wit and laughter; it is not maudlin. Heroes invites us to laugh with this band of brothers at the absurdity of their daily lives – and perhaps, by extension, our own.”
Heroes runs May 16 – June 9, 2013 (press opening: May 22, 7 p.m.). Tickets are $20 – $38 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. Additional discounts are available for seniors, groups of 10 or more, and current/former members of the U.S. military. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
Peter DeLaurier (Henri) has directed Sizwe Bansi Is Dead (2009),Vigil (2011) and The Island (2012) at the Lantern. As an actor, he has appeared on the Lantern stage many times, including roles in Uncle Vanya, QED, Skylight and Underneath the Lintel, for which he won the 2004 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play. DeLaurier is an Artistic Associate at People’s Light & Theatre, where his credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author, Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily, The Imaginary Invalid, Anne of Green Gables, Holes, A Delicate Balance, In the Blood, Once in a Lifetime, Sister Carrie and the international tour of Kabuki Achilles. He is a multiple Barrymore Award nominee and winner.
Making his Lantern acting debut, Dan Kern (Gustave) won the 2008 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play for his work on the Lantern’s Skylight. As an actor he has been seen in numerous productions including Magic Fire(The Wilma Theater),God’s Man in Texas (InterAct Theatre Company), The Tempest (Act II Playhouse) and most recently in Endgame at Arden Theatre Company. Film and TV appearances include The Lovely Bones, Frasier, Profiler, The President’s Man, Star Trek: Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and the award-winning short film Me and the Big Guy. Nationally, Kern has been honored with Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle Awards for his direction of Juno and the Paycock and for his portrayal of Leontes in The Winter’s Tale. He has also appeared in leading roles at the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, American Conservatory Theatre, Missouri Rep and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Native Londoner Mal Whyte (Philippe) recently made his Lantern and American Shakespeare debut in the role of Fluellen in Henry V. His work abroad has included Great Expectations (The Gate, Dublin), Wallflowering (Tall Tales, Dublin & Irish Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Landmark/Helix, Dublin), The Shaughraun (Abbey & West End), The Butterfly Ranch (Performance Corporation, Dublin), The Dock Brief (Bewley’s, Dublin), Dead Funny (Rough Magic, Dublin). On film, his work includes roles in Once, Breakfast on Pluto, Man About Dog, Ulysses, Last of the High Kings, Michael Collins and Braveheart.
M. Craig Getting (Director) is a Philadelphia-based director and arts educator. Directing credits include A Skull in Connemara, Act Without Words II, Molloy, Lady with Lapdog at the Lantern; Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Curio Theatre Company; Straw, Stick, Brick, at the 2011 Philly Fringe; and Really Rosie at Theatre Horizon. He teaches with the Lantern, Curio and Delaware Theatre Company, covering everything from basic storytelling to Shakespeare.
The creative team for Heroes includes Scenic Designer Nick Embree (New Jerusalem, The Island), Costume Designer Natalia de la Torre (The Island, A Skull in Connemara) and Lighting Designer Janet Embree (The Island), with original music and sound design by Christopher Colucci (The Liar, The Island, Private Lives).
An Evening with Warrior Writers
Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Moderated by Kathryn MacMillan, Lantern Theater Company Associate Artistic Director and Professor of Theater at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Presented in honor of Memorial Day and in conjunction with Heroes, this moderated panel discussion with Heroes Director M. Craig Getting and Warrior Writers’ Executive Director Lovella Calica and Outreach Coordinator Kevin Basl will explore how art can be used to better understand and transcend experiences of war trauma.
Warrior Writers is a Philadelphia-based national organization that helps veterans transform their lives through art by providing a creative community for artistic exploration and expression. Lovella Calica is a writer, photographer and multi-media artist interested in developing creative, collaborative ways of organizing and communicating. She is the founder and director of the Warrior Writers Project, has edited Warrior Writers’ two anthologies of Iraq era veterans’ writing/artwork, and continues to write grants and organize writers workshops for vets around the country. She is also a co-founder of the Pilipino-American artist collective, Tatlo Mestiz@s. Kevin Basl is a writing instructor in Philadelphia who served two tours of duty in Iraq before returning to Pennsylvania and earning his M.F.A. in English-Creative Writing from Temple University.
