Current & Upcoming Productions
An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe
October 25 - November 3
Prepare for a spine-tingling night of suspense and mystery with "An Evening with Edgar
Allan Poe!"
Adapted by Robert Mason
Directed by Todd Siff on the Morgan Stock Stage
Enter the wonderfully creepy world of Edgar Allan Poe with six faithful adaptations of some of his most haunting works. From old favorites such as The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart to lesser known gems like The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, this collection of short plays represents Poe at his most horrifying.
Director Notes:
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential literary figures of the last three
hundred years. His horror-filled works are part of our cultural consciousness. MPC
Theatre Arts is excited to bring six of his classic tales to life on the Morgan Stock
Stage for the Halloween season! Our production features stage adaptations of the following
classic tales: The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of
the House of Usher, The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, and The Purloined
Letter. An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe features over 25 MPC students, staff, and
community members. The production will combine Poe's tales from the 19th century with
modern lighting and projection to create a unique experience for the Monterey Peninsula
theatre audience!
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
About the Director:
Todd Siff is a theatre practitioner, musician, and arts educator. He received his
BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University and his MFA in Directing/Theatre for Youth
from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Before his arrival at Monterey Peninsula
College, he served as the Associate Professor of Theatre and Performing Arts Department
Chair at Florida Gateway College for five years. He also served as a lecturer at the
University of North Carolina Greensboro for two years.
Todd's professional career includes working for The Huntington Theatre (Boston, MA),
The Zach Scott Theatre (Austin, TX), Triad Stage (Greensboro, NC) and The Australian
Theatre for Young People (Sydney, AUS). Professional Theatrical Credits include: Entomo
(Off-Broadway), Wolf Child: The Correction of Joseph (TIFLI International Theatre
Festival, India), The Laramie Project (Australian Theatre for Young People), Hello
Out There (Triad Stage), and The Road to Mecca (Huntington Theatre).
His current professional theatrical projects include an adaptation of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and a theatre-for-social change devised play series called The Acceptance Project.
Top Girls
November 14 - November 24
Step into the bold and thought-provoking world of "Top Girls", where ambition, sacrifice,
and success collide in one powerful play. Don’t miss this daring exploration of feminism
and power!
Directed by Laura Coté in the Studio Theatre
“Top Girls” is a hysterical, surrealistic, and groundbreaking play about who wins
or loses when women put themselves first. Marlene has just been promoted to be Managing
Director of the Top Girls Employment Agency in London, but at what cost? Her ascent
from blue-collar roots to the executive suite required both personal and professional
sacrifices. Famously using iconic female historical and mythological figures, the
play explores the realities of being female and the potential price of achieving success
in a patriarchal society. Set against Margaret Thatcher’s Britain in the early 1980s,
and the evolving complexities of modern feminism, this all-female cast of characters
tackles the question of what it actually takes to succeed in today’s business world.
First produced over 40 years ago this play was recently heralded as one of the top
100 of the modern era. Times change, or do they?
Recommended for 13 years + for mature content.
Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
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