Experience ‘Democracy’ At Olney Theatre

“At Olney we have had the pleasure of doing several of Frayn’s plays and we are proud to present the regional premiere of his most recent work,” said Jim Petosa, Olney Artistic Director and Director of Democracy. “With this work, Frayn elevates history to the poetic, the dramatic, the epic, and the revelatory.”

Democracy plays on the New Mainstage through August 12. Tickets are just $25 - $46 with discounts available to groups, seniors, and students. In addition, Olney offers several special performances that include sign interpretation, audio description, and post-show discussions.

Based on fact and set against the backdrop of Germany at the height of the Cold War, Democracy re-imagines the interactions between Willy Brandt, the first left-of-centre West German Chancellor in nearly 40 years, and his devoted personal assistant Günter Guillaume, who is no less devoted to his other role as a spy for the Stasi.

One doesn’t need to be an expert in German history, or even history in general, to enjoy Democracy. However, as Frayn writes in his postscript to the play, "Complexity is what the play is about: the complexity of human arrangements and of human beings themselves, and the difficulties that this creates in both shaping and understanding our actions."

“Frayn finds inside Brandt’s rise and fall a political story of visionary leadership clouded by the vagaries of loyalty, betrayal, espionage, and alliance. His meticulously constructed plays are clearly the result of a complex mind that is drawn to puzzles of human interconnection. As is certainly true with Democracy, Frayn’s plays need to be mined, decoded, and solved,” remarked Petosa.

To help solve Democracy (and the history), Olney is collaborating with the German Historical Institute (GHI), an independent research institute dedicated to the promotion of historical research in the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. GHI hosted the first rehearsal of Democracy to give the cast historical perspective on politics of the Brandt chancellorship and is also leading a panel discussion after the matinee on July 21st. "Gerry Livingston and his colleagues with the German Historical Institute have provided first rate historical support for our production of Democracy. A seminar was conducted with the full company that provided first hand accounts of the personalities and events that surround the action of the play,” said Petosa. “They have also made themselves available to actors for further personal observations and discussions. Their passion and generosity have made a significant and positive impact on our work. We are grateful for their time, expertise and life histories, which they provided with tremendous enthusiasm and care."

Just as meticulously assembled as Frayn’s play is the cast of Democracy. Playing one of the most attractive figures of the 20th century, Willy Brandt, is Andrew Long who returns to Olney after appearing as Fagin in Oliver! Long has appeared at the Guthrie Theater, The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Arena Stage, and he has worked extensively with The Shakespeare Theatre, among many others. Playing Brandt’s devoted personal assistant Günter Guillaume is Jeffries Thaiss, who most recently appeared at Olney in 13 Rue de L’Amour. His other Olney credits include last summer’s rep of An Enemy of the People and Hedda Gabler.

Hans-Dietrich Genscher will be played by Clinton Brandhagen (Olney’s Anna Karenina and Potomac Theater Project’s An Experiment with an Air Pump and Piaf). Vincent Clark, playing Helmut Schmidt, recently appeared in Olney’s 13 Rue de L’Amour and George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan. Clark is also a regular at the Washington Stage Guild. Nick DePinto, who plays Ulrich Bauhaus, was recently seen in the altogether in Olney’s 13 Rue de L’Amour. James Konicek will play Günter Nollau. This role marks his third appearance at Olney, having performed in The Elephant Man and Somewhere in the Pacific with Potomac Theatre Project (both shows directed by Petosa). Eric Messner, who played the fireman Jeff in Olney’s Omnium Gatherum, will play Reinhard Wilke. Hugh Nees, who most recently appeared as Ariel in Joy Zinoman's production of The Pillowman at The Studio Theatre, will play Herbert Wehner. Richard Pilcher, who was last seen at Olney in Petosa’s An Enemy of the People, will play Horst Ehmke. James Slaughter, who has performed in over twenty five productions at Olney—and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for his role in Petosa’s An Enemy of the People, will play Arno Kretschmann.

To bring this epic to the Olney Stage, Petosa has essentially reunited the design team of Copenhagen, the most recent Frayn play produced by Olney: Scenic Designer James Kronzer [Olney’s Brooklyn Boy, The Foreigner (Helen Hayes Award nomination), and An Enemy of the People]; Costume Designer Pei Lee; Lighting Designer Daniel MacLean Wagner (Olney’s Brooklyn Boy and Oliver!); and a newcomer to Frayn team, Sound Designer Jarett C. Pisani (Olney’s Brooklyn Boy, 13 Rue de L’Amour, and The Constant Wife).

Playwright, novelist, and translator Michael Frayn was born in London on 8 September 1933. After two years National Service, during which he learned Russian, he majored in Philosophy at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He then worked as a reporter and columnist for The Guardian and The Observer, publishing several novels including The Tin Men (1965), The Russian Interpreter (1966), A Landing on the Sun (1991), and Spies (2002). In addition to Democracy, Frayn’s latest play, his plays include Alphabetical Order (1975), Clouds (1976), Donkeys' Years (1977), Make or Break (1980), Noises Off (1982), Benefactors (1984), and Copenhagen (1998), which was produced by Olney in 2004. His films for television include First and Last (1989), for which he won an Emmy, and an adaptation of his 1991 novel A Landing on the Sun. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Clockwise (1986), a comedy starring John Cleese. -- www.olneytheatre.org