Press Release – Head Back To School At Persephone Theatre With Educating Rita
Saskatoon, SK – School is back in session at Persephone Theatre.
Experience the wit and charm of Educating Rita by Willy Russell, on the Persephone Theatre Main Stage September 24 to October 5.
The production follows Rita, a feisty, brash, straight-talking hairdresser, determined to change her life with a University education, and Frank, a failed poet and disillusioned professor. Together, they will explore poetry and classic texts of English literature, bringing their own life experiences into Rita’s studies. Both Rita and Frank undergo profound personal transformations, discovering as much about themselves as they do about literature.
Long-time Persephone artist, Pamela Haig Bartley, is directing Educating Rita and was drawn to its timeless themes and enduring humour.
“I had seen the 1983 film, starring (Sir) Michael Caine and (Dame) Julie Walters, when it first came out and loved the transformative nature of the story,” Bartley said. “Both characters are dramatically changed by the Open University literature classes that Frank teaches Rita and by the relationship that develops between them.”
Since Saskatoon is home to both the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Bartley is surprised the play has not been produced here in the past. The play takes place in Frank’s university office. She is looking forward to bringing it to audiences.
“It’s an important play because, not only is it very funny and charming, it also demonstrates the impact of restrictive societal expectations, of the need for personal choice and autonomy, of the concepts of true knowledge versus ‘book learning.’ In theatre, we are storytellers, and this is a great story,” Bartley said.
The story focuses on the ideas of learning versus knowledge, which Bartley said drives the characters forward.
“At the beginning of the play, Rita says, ‘Part of the reason I came here [is] because there’s loads that I don’t understand.’ She eventually begins to see that knowledge is about analyzing and understanding the complexities of the human condition whereas learning can arguably be seen to be less nuanced, more straightforward — the acquisition of a skill, for instance,” Bartley explained.
The two characters start out very different from one another, coming from different backgrounds and socio-economic classes.
“The professor, Frank, has been working in academe for many years, has had far from a satisfying publishing career, his private life is a mess, and he finds little intellectual stimulation in teaching his privileged, apathetic students,” Bartley said. “Rita, on the other hand, is thirsty to understand the world beyond her claustrophobic life in working class Liverpool. She appears to have boundless energy and a naturally curious — and irreverent — personality that yearns to “discover” what she might be capable of in that other world.”
They learn from each other and have a lot of growth throughout the play. Rita and Frank make a genuine connection to each other and their relationship gives the play its heart.
“One of the many strengths of the script is the built-in progression of the development of the characters’ relationship — initially, just as student and teacher — over the school term(s) during which Rita studies English literature in preparation for her exam at the Open University,” Bartley said. “Rita learns life is not necessarily perfect in academe — even if you do know the difference between poetry and literature — and both characters learn to fully appreciate the humanity of the other.”
Bartley hopes Saskatoon audiences will resonate with the play.
“In addition to discovering the true meaning of “assonance,” I hope that people enjoy the genuine, truthful, believable connection between these two richly drawn characters,” she said. “The play is beautifully written and the characters are full of lovely contradictions and idiosyncrasies, a fabulous treasure trove for the actors to mine.
“For those audience members who are into “relatively recent retro”, the play is set in the early 1980s, so the costumes, set and music are also great fun!”
Tickets: $27-$64 tickets are available at the Persephone Theatre Box Office by calling 306-384-7727 or online at www.persephonetheatre.org
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For more information or to book an interview, please contact:
Jodi Schellenberg, Director of Marketing & Communications
306-384-2126 ext. 237
Cast: Sean Hoy and Elizabeth Whitbread
Creative Team: Director, Pam Haig Bartley; Costume Designer, Beverley Kobelsky; Set Designer, Jawon Kang; Lighting Designer, Luke von Eschen; Sound Designer, Grahame Kent; Dialect Coach, Alison Deon; Stage Manager, Jalisa Gonie; and Apprentice Stage Manager, Bengee Smith.
