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Bent
A co-production with
Show times:
Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 2:00 & 7:00pm
Monday, November 9 at 7:30pm
Thursday, Sunday and Monday performances: $29
Friday performances: $31
Saturday performances: $33
Students/Seniors 60+/Military: $4 off
Previews: Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm
Opening night: Friday, October 30, 2009 at 8pm. Cast party appetizers provided by .
Super Sunday subscribers: Sunday, November 1 at 2pm
First Nighter subscribers: October 29, 31, November 1-9
Student Rush: $10.00 tickets for students w/ID starting one hour before curtain.
Please ask for the discount at time of purchase.
Bring a Group and Save! Groups of 10+ /$4.00 off each ticket Groups of 30+/$8.00 off each ticket
Show Summary
BENT
A co-production with ion theatre company
October
29-November 22, 2009.
This co-production commemorates the 30th anniversary of the seminal play by Martin Sherman. Co-directed by Glenn Paris and Claudio Raygoza. Featuring Chris Buess, Eric Dowdy, Philip John, Steven Lone, Charlie Reuter, Walter Ritter, Bobby Schiefer and Michael Zlotnik.
Yellow stars. Pink triangles. Dignity. Courage. Comfort. Survival. A riveting story of love in the midst of the Holocaust. This 1979 play about gays under persecution by the Nazis took the world stage by storm. Profoundly universal and provocatively theatrical. “An explosive, overpowering experience.” – WWD
Ion’s mission () is to ignite community change through the staging of bold, re-imagined classics, and part of Diversionary’s mission is share the complexity of our LGBT history.
Prior to Bent, there had been virtually no inclusion of gays in discussions about the Holocaust. It had a groundbreaking impact when it was first staged off-Broadway in 1978; an impact that continued when the play was performed in London the next year and then finally brought to Broadway. The uniqueness of the story line and the strength of its message about tolerance, love, and human dignity made the play successful. It was nominated for both a Pulitzer and a Tony in 1980.
Creative Team
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| Chris Buess | Eric Dowdy | Phillip John | Steven Lone |
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| Charlie Reuter | Walter Ritter | Bobby Schiefer | Michael Zlotnik |
Press Photos
Click on image for a full size version:
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| Chris Buess (left) as Rudy and Michael Zlotnik as Max. Photo credit: Daren Scott | Michael Zlotnik (left) as Max, Steven Lone as Greta, Chris Buess as Rudy. Photo credit: Daren Scott |
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| Walter Ritter (left) as Uncle Freddie and Michael Zlotnik as Max. Photo credit: Daren Scott | Charlie Reuter (left) as Horst and Michael Zlotnik as Max. Photo credit: Daren Scott |
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| Michael Zlotnik as Max. Photo credit: Daren Scott | Charlie Reuter as Horst. Photo credit: Daren Scott |
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| Phillip John (left) and Eric Dowdy. Photo credit: Daren Scott | Charlie Reuter (left) as Horst and Michael Zlotnik as Max. Photo credit: Daren Scott |
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2009
CONTACTS:
Diversionary: Dan Kirsch, Executive & Artistic Director
or Travis Guss, Patron Services Manager
619.220.6830
dkirsch@diversionary.org, tguss@diversionary.org
or ion theatre company: Alex at 619.600-5020 ext. 3, alex@iontheatre.com
Love in the Face of Atrocity: Diversionary and ion theatre co-stage Martin Sherman’s BENT
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the seminal play
Diversionary Theatre and ion theatre company are pleased to announce an eagerly-awaited collaboration of the seminal, riveting Holocaust love-story, Bent, co-directed by ion artistic directors, Glenn Paris and Claudio Raygoza.
Yellow stars. Pink triangles. Dignity. Courage. Comfort. Survival. A riveting story of love in the midst of the Holocaust. This 1979 play about Nazi persecution of gays took the world by storm when it debuted in London (featuring Ian McKellan) and had a groundbreaking impact when it transferred to Broadway in 1980 (featuring Richard Gere) earning nominations for both the Pulitzer and the Tony®.
The story of a man on the run — from the SS-infiltrated streets of Berlin to the refugee-filled forests of the German hinterlands to the trains of terror that raced the innocent to inevitable destruction — Max, an inveterate scoundrel, struggles to keep his soul afloat amidst the horrors of the “labor” camps, where even love is still possible, if not inevitable.
Diversionary’s cast features Michael Zlotnik as Max and Charlie Reuter as Horst, with Chris Buess, Eric Dowdy, Philip John, Steven Lone, Walter Ritter and Bobby Schiefer. The creative team includes: Bret Young (Assistant Director), Jeannie Galioto (Costume Design), Chris Renda (Lighting Design) and Gwen Fish (Stage Manager).
Diversionary Theatre was started in 1986. The mission of the theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. Diversionary’s season premiere sponsors for the 2009-2010 season are Wells Fargo and the Gay & Lesbian Times.
Fiercely dedicated to forging bold, vital, diverse new work from within its artistic membership, ion theatre company also nurtures powerful, provocative new plays from emerging playwrights, re-imagines classics using the lens of theatrical innovation and connects with new audiences by embracing technology while chronicling its evolving cultural and educational impact in the community.
Bent is recommended for mature audiences. Bent previews on Thursday, October 29, and opens on Friday, October 30 and runs through Sunday, November 22. Performance times are: Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00 & 7:00pm, and a Monday, November 9 performance at 7:30pm. Single tickets for Bent are now available. For information, call the Diversionary box office at 619.220.0097 or log on to www.diversionary.org.
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Financial support for Diversionary Theatre is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Reviews
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This n That
The Evolution of the Pink Triangle - lobby display by .
Lobby artwork by photographer and painter .
Write Out Loud – Saturday, Nov. 7, 2pm. "Prism, Prose and Passion" - stories of the LGBT Community. Stories by Christopher Isherwood, Jackie Kay, Rita Mae Brown and Robert J. Hughes, read aloud for a live audience by Tom Andrew, Camille Davidson, Jonathan Dunn-Rankin and Linda Libby. A benefit reading. Tickets: $12 - all proceeds to benefit those living with HIV/AIDS through San Diego Human Dignity Foundation. Tickets thru 619.297.8953 or email writeoutloudsd@gmail.com.
Bent has become an iconic part of LGBT history
During our rehearsal process for BENT, we have explored many aspects of the climate in Europe and the world prior to the persecution of homosexuals during that time period. If you are interested in learning more prior to attending the play, here are a few links and film titles that relate the material that we studied. - Bret Young, Assistant Director
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Teachers’ Guides to Homosexuals in the Holocaust
Homomonument in Amsterdam
Homosexuality in the Nazi Party – The Pink Swastika
Gay Sex Crime Holocaust Video
We were very fortunate to have holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger speak to us about her amazing life experience. Here are links to her story of survival and triumph.
Films
Paragraph 175
Holocaust: Dachau and Sachsenhausen
Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Books
The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals by Richard Plant
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