The Shadow Box

More information about the play, its cast and creative team
 

The Shadow Box

This outstanding and award winning play is Semi-Circle’s next venture in English speaking theater!

Winning both Tony and Pulitzer prize awards for best play in 1977, The Shadow Box was written by actor and playwright Michael Cristofer. It made its Broadway debut on March 31, 1977 winning a Drama Desk nomination for Best American New Play.  Paul Newman also directed a TV movie version in 1980, which won the Golden Globe award and garnered 3 Emmy nominations.

According to drama critic Marie Rose Napierkowski “The play is still a hearty read for a contemporary audience. The work interweaves the lives of three dramatically different terminally ill patients and their loved ones to give a dynamic, well-rounded perspective of death and dying. The richness of the play is exemplified by its unity. The action takes place during the course of one day, on a hospital campus. The source for Cristofer’s inspiration was his personal experience with two close friends dying of cancer. Offering varying perspectives of characters, comprising three different plots, gives the work certain objectivity in its discussion of a sensitive subject.”

Semi-Circle hopes their spring production not only entertains audiences but also stimulates them to think about these delicate topics and personal issues.  Director Jerome Salyers adds:”This play challenges us all to ask the question: Is Death the only way to show us how to live?”  The families in The Shadow Box ask, and in some cases, answer that question for themselves with grace and honesty, beckoning us to do the same. 

Where
BFS theater, Basel, Kohlenberggasse 11

Performance dates
Thursday 19th April - 20:00
Friday 20th April - 20:00
Saturday 21st April - 14:00, 20:00
Thursday 26th April - 20:00
Friday 27th April - 20:00
Saturday 28th April - 14:00, 20:00

English performance with German subtitles

Time
Evening: 20:00 pm
Matinee: 14:00 pm

Tickets 
Adults: CHF 30
Students/AHV: CHF 20
Book online to get your tickets! 

Tickets also available at:
- Basel Casino SBB Steinenberg 14
- Bider & Tanner, Aeschenvorstadt 2
- Kuoni Reisen, Aeschenvorstadt 21
- Basel Euroairport
- Basel SBB
- Ticket Verkauf BaZ, Aeschenplatz 2

(There is a small booking fee purchasing from these outlets)

The Cast

Interviewer - Belén Navarro

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Production and Creative Team

Richard Brown, president of Semi-Circle / Producer 

Richard Brown is from Norfolk in the UK and came to Basel via Wilmington, DE and Walnut Creek, CA. Richard is the President of Semi-Circle and was the Producer of the musical RENT in June 2011. Recently he directed Night by Harold Pinter at the Autumn Production 2011 and has played numerous roles for the Semi- Circle, including Lucky Eric in Bouncers by John Godber and a cameo role as Mr Grey in RENT.  Richard is also Treasurer of the Basel English Panto Group and has played many roles and also in the band for the Basel Panto.  Richard has three beautiful daughters who live in California and London.
 

Jerome Salyers, Director

Directing productions include Educating Rita, Noises Off, Once in a Lifetime, Our Town, Gypsy and Mame as well as numerous one-acts. In Basel Jerome joined a group of local directors for the 2007 Gay Beggar’s one act production Stuck, directing the title piece and Helpless Doorknobs.  With degrees in stage management and creative writing from CSU Chico and Hayward respectively, Jerome Salyers won BATF awards in 1991 and 1993 for directing and lighting design.  In stage management, lighting and sound design, some of Jerome’s productions include The Skin of our Teeth, Blood Wedding, The Fantasticks, Diamonds, Woman in Mind, Fallen Angels, and The Coloured Museum as well as over 50 additional productions and concerts in the professional and regional circuits for the San Francisco and Northern California area.  Since moving to Basel, Jerome works at the BIS and assists his wife, Kate Michaels, a professional singer and actress with her production company, New Arts Paradigm, Gmbh.  He is a 20 year contributing author for the off-beat online e-zine Doorknobs & Bodypaint and self-published his first collection of flash fiction pieces early in 2011 never too clear on where There really is  His original recording The Approaching Storm can be found at CDBaby. Jerome is excited to help bring The Shadow Box to Basel and greatly appreciates the support and interest in the Semi-Circle community for making this happen. 

Clare Austin, Stage manager

Christian Joller, Lighting design

Colleen Dunkel, Costume design

Colleen Dunkel, alias Mrs Crocodile, is a freelance costumer and teacher based in Basel.  She studied Theater Arts and Costume Design at Santa Barbara City College and graduated in French at University of California at Berkeley.  She has been involved in numerous productions in Basel and her home town of Santa Barbara, CA.  In 2011 she did the costumes for Doubt and Mid-Summer Night's Dream with Upstart Entertainment, Production Design and costumes for Rent with Semi-Circle and costumes for Das Kind von Noah with Theater 58 in Zürich.  She also contributed to Märchentheater Fidibus and their 2011 production of König Drosselbart.  As well as this, she's employed at the Theater Basel.
 

 John Mackinnon, Composer

More on crew sign-ups and other ways to get involved