 May 13 - June 11, 2005
Director: Patti Woolsey
Silver Spring Stage presents the thrilling espionage drama Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore, directed by Patti Woolsey and produced by Patty Hackett and Kathë Park. In 1961 Peter and Helen Kroger (really Morris and Lona Cohen), two Americans living in a London suburb, were convicted of spying for the Russians and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. British Intelligence, known as MI5, had been monitoring their activities from the home of Bill and Ruth Search (whose daughter Gay went on to be a well known journalist), who were actually good friends of the Krogers. In 1969 the Krogers were exchanged with a British spy and went to Russia. This high profile case interested Hugh Whitemore and he wrote the story into the play Pack of Lies. He changed the names of the Search family to Jackson. Whitemore was fascinated with the themes of loyalty and deception and the emotional cost of lying and spying. It premiered in 1983 with Judi Dench and was later made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame television program starring Ellen Burstyn and Alan Bates.
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| Roman S. Gusso (Bob Jackson),
Susan Geisel (Barbara Jackson)
and Alexandria Lundelius (Julie Jackson) |
Pack of Lies is set in the now distant memory of the Cold War. Though the singular enemy of Soviet communism has been extinguished, the play has a bracing relevance to today. When across our region, including the Beltway, signs alert us to “report suspicious activity”, the power of the state to enlist average citizens into espionage is still quite chilling. Whitemore himself wrote: “I became increasingly preoccupied with the role of the ordinary citizen in our society. Is it ever possible for the average, relatively powerless, man or woman to make anything more than a token stand against officialdom? Is it not potentially risky to allow the state (albeit for well argued reasons) greater moral license than the individual? Or is it, perhaps, naive to expect more than an approximate degree of truthfulness from governments and their spokesmen?" Pack of Lies offers many of these compelling questions even as it will entertain audiences with its unraveling of a thrilling spy story.
Patti Woolsey makes her directorial debut at Silver Spring Stage with Pack of Lies. The talented cast features Susan Geisel and Roman S. Gusso as Barbara and Bob Jackson, Mike Gentry as Detective Stewart, Jean Aviles and Steve Swift as Helen and Peter Kroger, with Allyson Harkey (Thelma), Alexandria Lundelius (Julie) and Lauren Sucher (Sally). The production team includes Patty Hackett (Assistant Director), Michelle Brooks (Stage Manager), John Buckley (Set Design), Sonya Okin (Props/Set Dressing), and Janey Burns (Costumes). Silver Spring Stage is located in the Woodmoor Shopping Center, lower level (next to the CVS) at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. Ticket prices range from $11 to $15. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Information and ticket reservations can be made at either (301) 593-6036 or click here for Online Reservations.
Silver Spring Stage’s 36th season concludes with the hilarious Round and Round the Garden (June 24-July 23). Pack of Lies is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. |
