PSA
Theatre UAF presents “An Inspector Calls,” written by J.B. Priestley in the Salisbury Theatre November 7-16,
2014.
On a spring evening in 1912, the prosperous middle-class Birling family is celebrating their daughter’s
engagement with a small dinner party in the British industrial city of Brumley. Following dinner, the family is
visited by Inspector Goole, a policeman who questions each member of the family in turn about the death of a
young working-class woman. The inspector’s relentless search for answers threatens to destroy the family’s
public reputation and undermines the relationships they once held dear.
“An Inspector Calls” is presented in the Lee H. Salisbury Theatre in the Fine Arts Complex on the UAF
Campus. Performances are November 7, 8, 14, 15 at 7:30 p.m. and November 15 & 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16
adults; $12 seniors and military; $8 students, if purchased ahead of time online at www.uaf.edu/theatrefilm, or
by calling the Box Office at 474-7751. At the door, tickets are an additional $2.
Cast:
Rachel Blackwell as Mrs. Birling
Ian Hendren as Gerald Croft
Marley Horner (in his Thesis role) as Inspector Goole
Katrina Kuharich as Sheila Birling
Nancy Nguyen as Edna
Nolan Raapana as Mr. Birling
Mallory Smith as Eric Birling
Production team:
Director: Brian Cook
Costume & Scenic Designer: Bethany Marx
Lighting Designer: Adam Gillette
Assistant Director: Ian Buoncore
Stage Manager: Kellie Bernstein
British Dialect Coach: Carrie Baker
Performances:
Friday, November 7 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, November 8 @ 7:30pm
Friday, November 14 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, November 15 @ 2:00pm
Saturday, November 15 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, November 16 @ 2:00pm
Quotes about the Production:
When asked why director Brian Cook wanted to produce this particular show he said “I think it’s always fun to
work on a mystery play where the audience pieces together the puzzle alongside the characters. I love detective
stories and crime dramas, and Inspector Calls fits right in there. At the same time, though, it is more than just
entertaining – there’s a purpose and a message. It’s been intriguing to do a production that is set in a historical
period that’s just far enough away to be different, but at the same time is close enough to be understandable and
recognizable. The play is written in 1947, but set in 1912, and thus we are looking back over the last 100 years
as we listen to the characters talk about war, joblessness, love, and theft, we are bound to think about all of the
events that they have not yet witnessed. That is, in part, Priestley’s message. His play is something of a warning
about being too naïve and too inwardly-focused. I can’t really be any more detailed than that without giving
away secrets.” He went on to say “I love the mystery component: that the story unravels as characters reveal
their darkest secrets. We get to know these people so intimately, some of them we love, some of them we hate.
There’s an aspect of rooting for the good guys and against the bad guys in this play, but eventually it turns and
we’re asked to question who is actually good and who is bad. I love those sorts of sudden reversals, especially
when they are entertaining and engrossing the way they are in Inspector Calls. Plus, how often, in Fairbanks, do
you see actors talking with good British accents?”
Carrie Baker, Associate Professor of Performance, served as dialect coach for the production and taught the cast
Standard British and Cockney dialects. She had this to say about doing the show with British dialects:
“Economic standing or class is a significant subject in the play. Most characters will be speaking in the
Standard British dialect, but some characters who are lower class will be speaking the Cockney dialect. We
have also incorporated some Cockney sound changes into the upper class characters who have lower class
upbringing or roots. Acting with a dialect is a significant challenge for an actor and a great opportunity for our
actors to be having as part of their undergraduate education. Professional actors are often required to use
dialects, so exposing our students to this process is invaluable in developing their ability to incorporate a dialect
into their character work.”
Actress Katrina Kuharich, who plays the daughter – female lead Sheila Birling added “I’m really excited for
‘An Inspector Calls’, and I think it’s going to be a completely different show than we’ve done before. It’s in the
round too, which is a different stage set-up where the audience is on every side of the stage, and it’s very
personal and intimate, and they’re looking in on everything that’s going on, and so I think it will be really great
for the audience.”
Graduating senior and actor Marley Horner (who plays Inspector Goole) is doing his Thesis based on this
production. His research was centered on the period of the play, written after World War II and set right before
World War I, which he feels “really gives an idea of the class struggle that was going on at that time.”
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For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kim Eames, 474-6590, kkeames@alaska.edu.