Preview, ATC's Online Newsletter
No. 2 – Winter 2011
Ten Chimneys
A Week of Rehearsals at Ten Chimneys: A Blog by Jennifer BazzellArizona Theatre Company had a rare opportunity in rehearsing the world premiere of Ten Chimneys. Thanks to the generosity of The Edgerton Foundation, we were able to assemble the cast, the director, the playwright and a few staff members of Ten Chimneys at the actual home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, the main characters of the play. ATC Dramaturg Jennifer Bazzell kept a blog of the experience of spending a week in the home of those two luminaries of the American theatre and preparing a play based on their lives.
The Lunts: American Theatrical Royalty“This pair of actors left a broad legacy to the American theatre, in that, they trained and influenced some of the greatest performers to appear on the English-speaking stage. Sadly, however, they left us little record of their work, having appeared in only one full-length film together, as well as only a small handful of television appearances. Still, they left an indelible impression on both the American and English stage history of the 20th century.”
A Visit to Ten Chimneys“The historic summer estate of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin is truly a national treasure. Ten Chimneys was given its nickname by the fact that there are ten chimneys on the premises. The main house has six chimneys throughout its eighteen rooms, the Lunts’ country cottage has three chimneys and a Swedish log cabin studio houses the tenth chimney.”
An Interview with Jeffrey Hatcher and David Ira Goldstein“But I do think there is something interesting and entertaining to audiences about watching actors rehearse a scene and trying to find their way to whatever the truth is - some by highly technical means, some by more psychological or even mystical means.”
Visitors to Ten Chimneys: Uta Hagen and Sydney Greenstreet“Uta Hagen and Sydney Greenstreet are two more characters in Ten Chimneys that are based on real people (along with Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne). Both of these extraordinary actors made a great impact on the American theatre in their careers (much like their hosts at Ten Chimneys) and both left a significant legacy on film, as well.”
