Media Release #8

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, April 17, 2008 … Previews begin today in the Festival Theatre for J.B. Priestley’s compelling and mysterious drama An Inspector Calls.

The prosperous Birling family is enjoying a quiet celebration when a knock at the door changes their lives. A police inspector (Benedict Campbell) enters, questioning each of them about their involvement in a mysterious death. As the family’s secrets are revealed, to the audience and to each other, a remarkable web of connections unfolds and the line between innocence and guilt becomes increasingly blurred.

Written after the devastation of the two great wars and opening on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, An Inspector Calls is both a thrilling mystery and a meditation on what happens when people turn their backs on compassion. It is a plea for humanity and the understanding that we are all bound to each other.

J.B. Priestley (1894-1984) was a major chronicler of the twentieth century, writing 30 plays and 29 novels, as well as poetry, short stories, essays and criticism. His writing often drew from his military service in World War I and his memories of pre-war England. Like An Inspector Calls, several of his plays also reflect his fascination with the nature of time. An Inspector Calls was recently selected by London’s National Theatre as one of the “100 Plays of the Century”.

This production follows a series of Priestley plays produced at the Shaw Festival, including Time and the Conways (2000), Eden End (1994), When We Are Married (1990) and Dangerous Corner (1988). This will be the second production of An Inspector Calls at the Shaw Festival.

The Birling family includes Peter Hutt as Arthur, Mary Haney as Sybil, Andrew Bunker as Eric, Moya O’Connell as Sheila, and Graeme Somerville as Sheila’s fiancé Gerald Croft. The cast also includes Esther Maloney.

An Inspector Calls is directed by Jim Mezon, with design by Peter Hartwell, lighting design by Kevin Lamotte and original music by Paul Sportelli. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Meredith Macdonald and Assistant Stage Manager Barry Burns.

An Inspector Calls begins preview performances Thursday, April 17; opens Wednesday, May 21; and plays in repertory until Sunday, November 2.
An Inspector Calls is sponsored by CIBC World Markets.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

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For more information, or to download images from our image bank to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or
1-800-657-1106 ext. 222
odette@shawfest.com

Patti Broughton
Public Relations Co-ordinator
905-468-2153 or
1-800-657-1106 ext. 224
pbroughton@shawfest.com

Press Contact Information

Shaw Festival
odette@shawfest.com
1-800-657-1106 ext 222
Shaw Festival Box 774 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 CANADA

Source URL: http://www.shawfest.com

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