Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga will open the second half of their 2013 season on Thursday, Aug. 1, with the classic play Dear Brutus. The production will run through Sunday, Aug. 11, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. All performances will be held at the theatre's space inside Eastgate Town Center at 5600 Brainerd Road.
Dear Brutus is the work of Scottish writer J.M. Barrie, best known as the creator of Peter Pan. The title of the play refers to a line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” In Barrie's tale, seven strangers are brought together in the home of an eccentric old man. In the enchanted forest behind his house, each of them discovers a second chance at what might have been.
“When I read this play in grad school, I fell in love with the simplicity of the story and the humor of Barrie, shared mostly in his paragraphs of character description and his intrinsic British wit,” says director Garry Posey. “Almost everyone can relate to the 'what-ifs' that plague everyday life. What-if I hadn't dropped out of school? What-if I didn't stay when I should've left a certain relationship? What-if I had done what I wanted instead of what was expected of me? Dear Brutus is the play for anyone who has ever indulged these 'what-ifs' and shows you what could've been."
ETC's production of Dear Brutus features Jennifer Arbogast, Maggie Bradshaw, Chelsea Christian, Kyle Dagnan, Randal Fosse, Casey Keelen, Kimberlin Lacy, Ryan Laskowski, Brenda Schwab, Joseph Tipton, and Eric “Red” Wyatt. Sanford Knox, Jr. serves as stage manager.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students with a valid student ID. They can be purchased online at http://www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com, by phone at 987-5141, or at the door beginning one hour before each performance. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. Doors open 30 minutes before show time. Free parking is available at the Eastgate Town Center.