Press Release: “Up the Down Staircase”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2011
CONTACT: Melissa Woodrow, (831) 998-0751
E-MAIL: Click to email Melissa Woodrow.
AUTHOR: Written by Daniel Tarker, TWS Writer
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The Western Stage begins its 2011 season May 6 – 22 with Bel Kaufman’s “Up the Down Staircase,” adapted by Christopher Sergel. A warm and humorous comedy about a young and idealistic English teacher’s challenging first year working in an inner-city high school. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the studio theatre, Hartnell College Performing Arts Building. Tickets can be purchased through the box office (831) 755-6816 or online at westernstage.com. (79 Word PSA)
The Western Stage Takes a Provocative and Humorous Look at Public Education
Salinas, CA — April 1, 2010
When Bel Kaufman’s debut novel “Up the Down Staircase” hit the bookstores in 1965, her story about a young, idealistic English teacher struggling through the first year of teaching in a gritty inner-city public school became an instant sensation, selling 6.5 million copies, and prompting Time magazine to call the book “easily the most popular novel about US public schools in history.”
Beginning May 6, The Western Stage presents Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of this classic story, which promises to be as thought provoking as it is entertaining, especially when one realizes the issues documented by this piece — overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating facilities, emotionally damaged students, limited resources, and a frazzled staff struggling to hold everything together — may be even more pressing today than they were half a century ago.
Drawing on her own 20 years of experience as a public school teacher, Kaufman’s story focuses on Sylvia Barnett, a new and enthusiastic English teacher at Calvin Coolidge High School in New York City, who wants to make a real difference in the lives of her students by teaching them about great literature. Instead, she quickly finds her idealism challenged by both indifferent students and an administration whose authoritarianism borders on the absurd, punishing students for even the slightest infractions like climbing up the down staircase instead of the up staircase.
At 99 years old, Kaufman is still an active writer and teacher. She was recently hired as a professor at her alma mater, Hunter College, where she teaches courses on Jewish humor. Poised to enjoy her centennial birthday during her first semester of instruction, she will be one of the oldest active college professors alive.
“Up the Down Staircase” is directed by Jeff McGrath, whose previous TWS credits include “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” (2003) and “Footloose” (2011). The design team includes David Parker (Scenic), John Englehorn (Lighting), Tomas Reyes (Sound), and Christina Perez (Costumes).
Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through May 22 in the studio theatre, Hartnell College Performing Arts Building. Tickets can be purchased through the TWS box office (831) 755-6816 or online at westernstage.com. Season tickets are still the best bargain with several flexible purchase options that will provide patrons seats to other upcoming productions like “The Little Shop of Horrors,” “Sunsets and Margaritas,” and “Chicago.”
—Daniel Tarker
Learn more about the play and the cast in our supplemental article.
