Posted July 27, 2009

Barrington Stage Company announces return of the acclaimed new play Freud's Last Session by Mark St. Germain from August 14 through August 30 at BSC's Stage 2

(PITTSFIELD, MA) July 27, 2009 -- Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd and Richard M. Parison Jr., announced today that the acclaimed world premiere production of Mark St. Germain's new play, Freud's Last Session, will return August 14 through 30 at BSC's Stage 2 theatre (36 Linden Street, Pittsfield). Starring Mark H. Dold and Martin Rayner, under the direction of Tyler Marchant, Freud's Last Session played to sold out performances during its heralded run from June 11 through July 3.

BSC's Musical Theatre Lab presentation of I'll Be Damned originally scheduled for August 13 through 29 has been cancelled. The next Musical Theatre Lab presentation will be a staged reading of Mother Is the Memory of All Wisdom by Sara Cooper and Zachary Redler, directed by Joe Calarco (BSC's The Burnt Part Boys and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick), on September 5 and 6.

Freud's Last Session centers on legendary psychiatrist Dr. Sigmund Freud (Martin Rayner), who invites a young, little known professor, C.S. Lewis (Mark H. Dold), to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex and the meaning of life - only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.

Playwright Mark St. Germain was intrigued by an account of Sigmund Freud's meeting with an unnamed Oxford don shortly before Freud committed suicide in 1939 to end his battle with oral cancer. In Freud's Last Session, the psychoanalyst's visitor is C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters. Freud, a staunch atheist, quizzes Lewis, a former atheist who converted to Christianity, about his views on God and more personal matters.

Barrington Stage has presented Award-winning playwright Mark St. Germain’s The God Committee, Ears on A Beatle and The Collyer Brothers at Home/Period Piece. He has also written Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award), Forgiving Typhoid Mary, Out of Gas on Lovers Leap, among others. His musical theatre credits include The Gifts of the Magi, co-written by Randy Courts and Stand By Your Man - The Tammy Wynette Story. Mr. St. Germain was also a creative consultant and writer for several seasons on The Cosby Show and co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film, Duma.

Barrington Stage's production design team for Freud's Last Session includes Brian Prather (scenic design), Mark Mariani (costume design), Clifton Taylor (lighting design), Beth Lake (sound design). Kate Cudworth is production stage manager.

Performances for Freud's Last Session are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm, Sundays at 7:30pm (please note, no 4pm performance on Sat., Aug. 15) at BSC Stage 2 (36 Linden Street) Pittsfield . For ticket information, call 413-236-8888. Tickets are $25 and $30 (Sat. eve.). $15 tickets are available for students age 21 and younger for all performances excpet Saturday evenings. Senior citizen tickets are $20 on Saturday matinees only. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or by calling 413-236-8888.

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