'Faith Healer' Next at Sherman Players Sept. 19-Oct. 5

Press release

Sherman Players Presents Brian Friel’s “Faith Healer”
September 19-October 5

Sherman, Conn. -- The Sherman Players is proud to present “Faith Healer” by acclaimed Irish playwright Brian Friel (“Dancing at Lughnasa,” “Philadelphia Here I Come”) September 19 to October 5 at Sherman Playhouse, 5 Route 39 North (just behind the Sherman Firehouse), in Sherman, Connecticut.

A beautifully written play told in four monologues, Friel explores the fallibility of memory and the complex interplay of love, loyalty, loss, and despair. Set in the remote and forgotten corners of the British Isles, faith healer Frank Hardy offers the promise of redemption to the sick and the suffering. But his is an unreliable gift, a dangerous calling which brings him into conflict with his wife Grace and his manager Teddy. Their competing accounts of past events reveal the fragility of memory and the necessity of stories as a means of survival.

The Observer notes: “The writing is beautiful, supple, rhythmical, charged with the slow, sure throb of despair and enchantment... Brian Friel is the most profound and poetic of contemporary Irish dramatists.” Writing for The New York Times, Ben Brantley found that the play “became a sort of touchstone for me in understanding not only Mr. Friel's work with a depth I hadn't appreciated before but also for defining the elusiveness of great art and the pain of the artist who creates it.”

“Faith Healer” premiered on Broadway in 1979 in a production directed by Jose Quintero and starring James Mason. It returned to Broadway in 2006 with a cast featuring Ralph Fiennes, Cherry Jones and Ian McDiarmid. More recently, it was mounted at London’s Donmar Warehouse in 2016 and featured Stephen Dillane as Frank.

The Sherman production features veteran area actors Matthew Bogen (West Haven) as Frank, Priscilla Squiers (Danbury) as Grace, and Bruce Tredwell (Brewster, NY) as Teddy.

Matthew Bogen’s dramatic credits include the title role in “King Lear,” “Terra Nova” (Scott), “Julius Caesar” (Caesar), “Noises Off” (Lloyd), “Macbeth” (once as Lennox and once as Macduff), “Blithe Spirit” (Bradman), “Moon Over Buffalo” (Paul), “Taming of the Shrew” (Hortensio), “The Lion in Winter” (once as Philip and once as Geoffrey) and “Our Town” (Gibbs). His musical credits include roles in “Sweeney Todd,” “Sugar,” “Man of La Mancha,” and “Guys and Dolls.” As a director, he’s helmed productions of “Much Ado About Nothing,” “As You Like It,” “Macbeth,” “The Tempest,” “Our Town,” “The Lion in Winter” and “The Actor’s Nightmare.”

Priscilla Squiers has appeared on numerous local stages, most recently as Dr. Livingstone in “Agnes of God” for Westport Community Theater and Stratford’s Square One Theatre, and as Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” at Downtown Cabaret Theatre. Among other favorite roles are Florence Foster Jenkins in “Souvenir,” Maria Callas in “Master Class,” Baruska in “Once,” Mrs. Kendal in “The Elephant Man,” Kate in “Dancing at Lughnasa,” Emily in “The Belle of Amherst,” Vivie in “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” Rosalind in “As You Like It,” Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Nina in “The Seagull,” Olivia in “Twelfth Night” and Emma Goldman in both “Assassins” and “Ragtime.”

No stranger to local stages, Bruce Tredwell has a range of credits including “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (George), “1984” (Syme), “Tartuffe” (Orgon), “The Lion in Winter” (Henry), “A Few Good Men” (Lt. Kendrick), “Moon over Buffalo” (George) and “Lend Me a Tenor” (Tito). Among his musical credits are “Peter and the Starcatcher” (Mrs. Bumbraker/Teacher), “A Little Night Music” (Fredrik), “Titanic” (J. Bruce Ismay), “Company” (Peter), “The Music Man” (Harold Hill), “Peter Pan” (Captain Hook) and roles in two of Sherman Players’ past pantomimes, “Aladdin” and “Cinderella.”

Directed by veteran director, actor and arts feature writer E. Kyle Minor (Danbury) and produced by Sherman Players Artistic Director Robin Frome, the production is designed by Al Chiappetta (Sherman) and Leif Smith (Redding) and stage managed by Jenny Lynch (Kingston, NY). Costumes are by Lesley Neilson-Bowman (Washington) and Dandy Barrett (Danbury) serves as production dramaturg.

To celebrate the Irish connection, the Playhouse will host a pre-show Irish music session in the Green Room. Expect a pub atmosphere with Celtic-themed music played by area musicians. The sessions will take place from 7:00-7:45 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1:00-1:45 PM before Sunday matinees.

“Faith Healer” runs September 18 (preview night), 19, 20, 27, 28, October 3 and 4 at 8:00 PM and September 21, 29, and October 5 at 2:00 PM. A special post-performance talkback with NYU Irish Literature Professor and Brian Friel expert John P. Waters is scheduled at one of the performances during the second weekend. (Check website for specific date.) Tickets are $24 for adults and $12 for students (with ID) for regular performances and half price for the September 18 preview ($12 for adults and $6 for students). Tickets may be purchased online at www.ticketleap.events/events/shermanplayers.

Please note that “Faith Healer” contains themes that may be difficult for some audiences. For more information on content, please visit the Faith Healer page on the website (shermanplayers.org). Not recommended for young audiences.

“Faith Healer” is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals (concordtheatricals.com).

For general information about Sherman Players, its season and volunteer opportunities, please visit shermanplayers.org or email admin@shermanplayers.org.