‘Scarlet Letter’ to Premiere at Bay Street in Sag Harbor
Written in 1850 and set two centuries earlier, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” is in some respects eerily relevant in an election year punctuated by the revelation and condemnation of sexual indiscretions by politicians and other public figures, with press coverage in effect serving the same function as Hester Prynne’s scarlet A.
Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, in its eighth Literature Live! production, is presenting the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Hawthorne’s novel, with public performances beginning next Thursday and continuing through Nov. 26. The adaptation is the work of Scott Eck, an actor and writer who played the lead role of Atticus Finch in the 2014 Literature Live! production of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and Joe Minutillo, the director of this year’s production as well as three previous ones.
Literature Live! is specifically designed to bring live theater to students by presenting a text each year from the core curriculum in a 90-minute live production. “We are also doing public performances in November, and those are definitely for adults,” said Scott Schwartz, Bay Street’s artistic director. “ ‘The Scarlet Letter’ is actually an adult story. It is a professional production with professional actors, and it has a wonderful set designed by Gary Hygom, our producing director.”
Mr. Schwartz also pointed out that, while all of Bay Street’s productions include some local actors, the Literature Live! productions use mostly performers from the East End or close by. “This year is very special because one of the things we’ve emphasized the past three years is offering new work and/or producing world premieres. I’m really excited that commitment is being carried into Lit Live.”
Felix Bird, an East End resident who has composed music for more than 300 television episodes, independent films, and documentaries, has created original music specifically for this production. The production team includes Mike Billings, lighting designer, Kate D’Arcy, costume designer, John Sullivan, production state manager, and Michele Tewksbury, assistant stage manager.
Mr. Eck was asked to write a new adaptation of the novel after Mr. Minutillo decided the existing adaptations would not work for Bay Street. “Because I had worked on that stage in ‘Mockingbird,’ in front of that audience, I knew exactly what kind of space and what kind of audience they would be appealing to. I’ve also known Joe Minutillo for 30 years.”
Once asked to undertake the adaptation, Mr. Eck, though familiar with the book from high school and college, read it 10 times between January and February. “The challenge for me was to create a community, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, out of 10 actors. I needed to create what felt like a community of hundreds. So I decided we should bring the characters in from within the audience so the audience would feel directly involved.”
All of his theater pieces, including “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” which ran in New York City for 17 years, have been audience interactive. “Most playwrights rely on the fourth wall, so that the audience is psychologically and intellectually involved but not completely involved emotionally. I needed the audience to be emotionally engaged for this writing to work.”
Mr. Eck also wanted to emphasize the text’s relevance to today’s world. “I wanted to reflect the lack of trust we have in our institutions these days and the way we create candidates for public office. There’s an element of that in the play that Hawthorne has built in, so I’m just bringing in pieces of the novel that highlight instances of discord and discontent between the general population and the institutions of government, religion, and community.”
The cast features Preston Truman Boyd as Beadle/Man 3, Kathleen Mary Carthy as Mistress Hibbins/Woman 3, Chloe Dirksen as Hester Prynne; Carolann DiPirro as Goodwife Doolittle/ Woman 2, Luke David Young as Blacksmith/Reverend Wilson/Man 1, Nick Gregory as Roger Chillingworth, Daren Kelly as Governor Bellingham/ Man 2, Jessica Mortellaro as Goodwife Robson/Woman 1, Dakota Quakenbush as Pearl/Young Child, and Michael Raver as the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale.
Public performances will take place Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 10 through 12 and Nov. 17 through19, and Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. Matinees are set for 2 p.m. on Nov. 12, 19, and 26. Tickets range from $20 to $55.