CUTTING BALL THEATER NEWSLETTER
December 28, 2005 Volume 2, Issue 5

1. The Maids opens Jan. 20!
2. “Found in Translation” by Literary Manager William Selig
3. No Exit and Macbeth named in Top 10 theatrical events of 2005
4. Upcoming in 2006…
5. Make a Tax Deductible Holiday Donation to The Cutting Ball!

See the West Coast premier!
Jean Genet’s The Maids, in a new translation by Martin Crimp, opens in January!

(Pictured: Jennifer Stuckert as Solange and Linnea Wilson as Claire)

directed by Adriana Baer
January 20 – February 25
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
at the EXIT Stage Left
156 Eddy Street , San Francisco
Regular Admission: $25 Students & Seniors: $20
Next Generation (under 30): $15
Pay-what-you-can previews January 20 and 21

For more information, please go to http://cuttingball.com/curProds.php#maids

“Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee! Thou art translated.”
– Peter Quince, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, III.i

As usual, William Shakespeare’s words bear great wisdom. Translation goes far beyond simply “saying the same thing in another language” -- the act of translation is inherently transformative. Underneath his ass’s head, Midsummer’s Bottom may still be Bottom, but he has also become something else entirely. While transformation is not the goal of translation, it is a necessary and inseparable byproduct.

The word “translate” derives from Latin roots meaning, “to carry across.” Translation involves carrying a work across boundaries – not only boundaries of language, but of culture, time, and place. Without making this trip, the work will never see new horizons, and yet, in surviving the journey, it must inevitably become something other than what it was. This is why the translator – s/he who carries the work across – has an inevitable and major impact.

With Martin Crimp’s translation of The Maids this season, The Cutting Ball is presenting a brand new, vital translation of a classic play for the second time in two seasons. Artistic Director Rob Melrose believes strongly in the need for new translations, particularly when existing versions were made for an audience in a distant time and place (a 1948 British translation of No Exit was the most recent English version before Melrose’s new translation in Cutting Ball’s 2004-2005 season). Says Melrose, “Some people feel that plays need to be translated every 10 years, and I agree.”

The Cutting Ball couldn’t be more excited to premier Martin Crimp’s translation on the West Coast. A renowned playwright himself, Crimp has a powerful theatrical sense that shows itself clearly in his many translations, which have been performed all over the world. Aside from its fresh and contemporary voice, Crimp’s translation of The Maids also brings Genet’s intended ending to English-speaking audiences for the first time ever. This revised ending has long been the standard for European productions but, until now, English-speakers have known only the original ending that Genet himself abandoned. We hope you will join us in the New Year as we partner with Crimp to newly “carry across” Genet’s masterpiece – from Paris in 1947 to San Francisco in 2006!

Bay Area theater critic Karen McKevitt named The Cutting Ball’s production of No Exit one of the top 10 stage events of 2005!

• For the complete article in the SF Bay Guardian, please visit http://www.sfbg.com/40/12/art_masters.html
• For information about our production, please visit http://cuttingball.com/noexit.php

Bay Area theater critic Tom Kelly named The Cutting Ball’s production of Macbeth one of the top 10 stage events of 2005!

• For the complete article in the SF Bay Times, please visit http://www.sfbaytimes.com/?sec=article&article_id=4471
• For information about our production, please visit http://cuttingball.com/macbeth.php

The Maids,
by Jean Genet
Jan. 20-Feb. 25

The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World
by Suzan-Lori Parks
May 19- June 24

 The Hidden Classics Reading Series at Modern Times Bookstore

Medea
by Seneca
Feb. 21

The Changeling
by Middleton and Rowley
March 14

Expressionist Texts
by Toller and Kokoschka
April 4

For more information please go to http://www.cuttingball.com/curProds.php#classics

The Cutting Ball Theater relies on donations from individuals to continue producing the high-quality, energetic work on which we pride ourselves. Like most performing arts organizations, the majority of donated funds come from individual theater lovers, not government agencies or corporate foundations. Please consider making a tax deductible donation by visiting: http://cuttingball.com/donate.php

For more information about The Cutting Ball, please visit www.cuttingball.com.

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