Cut Glass to present ‘Educating Rita’

Cut Glass Theater will stage Willy Russell’s “Educating Rita” from March 30-April 14.

The Seoul-based group is looking to repeat the success of its inaugural production, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” in November.

Founded by Jessica Adel, Stephanie Ann Foster and Gef Somervel, all of whom are prolific performers of other Seoul-based theater groups, Cut Glass Theater was formed to bring something new to Seoul.

“What we felt lacking in Seoul were the classics,” said Foster. “Amid all of the strong work that was being done (by other theater companies), we saw a gap; we wanted to offer materials that were exclusively ‘classic’ in feel, if not necessarily in time period.”

“Educating Rita,” by Willy Russel, was chosen by Cut Glass Theater as an exemplifying classical piece despite being written and set in 1980s.

“Though it’s set in 1980s Northern England, it’s about the struggles of class and gender that involve all of us. It’s a very human show. We chose it to help define the borders of our company style ― to show that not every ‘classic’ is from the classical period,” Foster said.

Foster said that “Educating Rita” was also a perfect piece to fit in between the comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” and the upcoming “Our Country’s Good,” a very intense drama about the struggles between the guards and the inmates who founded Australia.

The play is about Rita, a Liverpool hairdresser who decides to study literature at Open University and her disillusioned, alcoholic professor, Dr. Bryant.

Rita’s abusive husband objects to her studies, and wants her to stay at home and have a baby. But as her relationship with Bryant develops, Rita builds self-confidence, while he begins to reexamine his attitudes to life.

“‘Educating Rita’ is rooted in a period closer to our own, and written in a style that often bridges the gap between comedy and drama,” said Foster.

“For example, Rita feels a desperate drive to better herself through education, but she also sees established literature in a refreshingly fun way, and thinks that ‘Howards End’ is a dirty-sounding book, and that ‘Of Human Bondage’ is likely to be about something perverted.

“That nuanced quality made ‘Educating Rita’ the perfect piece to use between main stage shows,” he said.

Some of the cast also featured in the production that introduced the company to Seoul, “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

“We felt it was a success because not only was material phenomenal, but also there is a real hunger for the classics in Seoul. These are the scripts that are studied in schools, and with good reason,” Foster said.

Foster says that as a community theater group, Cut Glass Theater’s one challenge is commitment level, as all performers are amateurs who hold down other full-time jobs.

“So rehearsals for community theater projects in Seoul are often limited to one to two times a week, or to a one month period, but we feel that, in order to do a project justice, it takes more time than that,” Foster said.

Foster also mentions challenges her company has faced as a community theater group, such as getting locked out of rehearsal space, finding the stage flooded with water on the night before the opening, facing power outages, and constantly searching for a viable space for performance.

“As a community theater group, we’ve seen our share of off-stage dramas,” she said. “But we do it because we’re all love-bitten. We simply can’t imagine a Seoul where these plays aren’t being brought to life.”

“Educating Rita” will be performed at Camarata Studio in Haebangchon near Noksapyeong Station at 8 p.m. on March 30-31, April 6-7 and 13-14 and at 5 p.m. on April 1 and 8.

Tickets are 15,000 won and reservations can be made at CutGlassTheatre@gmail.com.

By John Lee (jlee17@alumni.nd.edu)