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"December
12, 1904"
An original theatrical presentation
commissioned
especially for the Fenyes Mansion's 2004 Holiday Open House
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 The
25-minute work uses the Mansion's studio as its stage to explore early
Pasadena lifestyles, East Coast perceptions of the "wild west," the
women's suffrage movement, and the age-old battle of the sexes. It
is a visit by formidable Aunt Prudence -- who is coming to Pasadena
from New York to spend the 1904 holiday season with her nephew William
and his wife Eleanor -- that sparks the action.
Veteran actress Dena Dietrich sets the pace as
the initially unwelcome visitor. Miss Dietrich has appeared on Broadway
in Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second Avenue" and "Funny Girl," made
over 200 guest appearances on television and is still remembered for
her commercial turn as the Mother Nature it isn't nice to fool.
Emmy award-winning actress/singer/dancer Barbara
Keegan is Eleanor, and David St. James, well
known for his appearances on numerous television series, including
"The West Wing," "Alias," "ER" and "Frasier," among others, is William.
Award-winning playwright Leslie Gray has served
as artist in residence at the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.
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DENA
DIETRICH recently appeared on Steven Bochco's dramatic
series, "Philly," starring Kim Delaney. She played
Judge Ellen Armstrong, who frequently brought her dog to court
with her, and was considered quite a weird character in the
courthouse. Prior to that, she completed work in "NYPD
Blue," "Murphy Brown," Mad About You," and
"The Golden Girls," among over 200 other guest appearances.
She is a veteran Voice-over performer and can be heard every
day on radio and television, essaying numerous characters and
sounds. He background is strongly theatre oriented; she has
appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second
Avenue," directed by Mike Nichols, with Peter Falk and
Lee Grant; "Funny Girl" on Broadway and in the National
Company; "The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake," starring
Jean Arthur; the original musical of "East of Eden";
other productions include Off-Broadway "Three Penny Opera,"
"Cindy," and Lanford Wilson's "Rimers of Eldritch,"
plus numerous regional and stock productions throughout the
United States. She is sometimes remembered as the Mother Nature
it itsn't nice to fool. |
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LESLIE
K. GRAY
Writer/Director Leslie K. Gray, a native of Los Angeles, has
had readings and productions of her works at Greenway Court
Theatre, ASK Theatre Projects, the Coronet Theatre, New Playwrights'
Foundation, and others. She is an L.A. Cultural Affairs Department
Artist in Residence, and a member of the Alliance of Los Angeles
Playwrights and of the Dramatists Guild. Gray wrote and directed
the acclaimed, site-specific production of Tri-Pi Theatre's
Reds, Whites, and Blues which was performed in a hotel suite
at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and was remounted last year
at the Japanese American National Museum. Her upcoming production
of Tsuki's Pink Dress, a puppet theatre piece about the Japanese
American Internment, will run at JANM in June of next year.
Leslie is also a puppet/mask/scenic element designer and garnered
an LA Weekly Theatre Award for her puppet designs for Circle
X's Grendel. She also has published fiction and poetry with
selections from Peculiar Vagrancies presented by the New Short
Fiction Series in Beverly Hills. Leslie is thrilled to create
"December 12, 1904" specifically for the Pasadena
Museum of History, this event, and this beautiful house. She
hopes you enjoy the leap back 100 years!
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BARBARA
KEEGAN is an Emmy Award-winning performer who made her
stage debut at age 3 singing "Molly Malone" with Danny
Kaye. Since then, she has won critical acclaim as a versatile
actress, singer and dancer in stage appearances from New York
to Los Angeles, co-starring with veterans such as Maureen O'Sullivan,
Timothy Bottoms, Abe Vigoda, Louis Nye, Edward Asner, Marion
Ross, and now the wonderful Dena Dietrich. Ms. Keegan recently
starred Off-Broadway in the original cast of Hindi Brooks' Computer
Pals," and is thrilled to be reunited with writer-director
Leslie K. Gray, for whose Triumvirate Pi Theatre she has appeared
as both actress and singer. Listeners will recognize Barbara's
voice from numerous "appearances" on National Public
Radio, while her work on screen can be seen in film and television
hits from the legendary "Caddyshack" to HBO's provocative
"Arli$$," as well as her starring role as PBS-TV's
original "Handy Ma'am." A former Miss Miami Beach,
Barbara is a popular host and spokesperson for an impressive
list of sponsors, and has appeared in over 400 commercials and
infomercials worldwide. Goofiest ego-moment: Hearing that visitors
to the Cannes Film Festival were treated to her infomercials
-- dubbed into French. Merry Christmas, everyone! |
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DAVID
ST. JAMES served as a Naval officer in Vietnam and London,
and acted in New York for years. Since 1990 he has appeared
in many television shows, including "Alias," "The
West Wing," "Frasier," "Just Shoot Me,"
"Will & Grace," "ER," "The Hughleys,"
"Bernie Mac," "Drew Carey," and many others.
His film work includes "SWAT," "American Wedding,"
"Donnie Darko," "Tomcats," "L.A. Confidential,"
"Contact," "Alien Resurrection," "Forget
Paris," and "Black Sheep." Onstage, David has
appeared as God in "Beat for Sparrows" at the Ivy
Substation, as Howard Hughes in "Howard Hughes in Hell"
at Theatre 40, and he wrote and starred in "Two Men Crammed
In A One-Man Show" at Theatre Neo and Co. of Angels. David
also sculpts and endlessly renovates his 1888 Victorian house
in Hollywood's Little Armenia. |
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Miss Dietrich, Miss Keegan,
and Mr. St. James appearing through the courtesy of Actors'
Equity Association.
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