Theatre Northwest’s Fall Production ‘Angel Street’ Premiers Nov. 12

Exciting and melodramatic play features five-actor cast from Northwest Indiana

Angel Street,’ the inspiration for the 1944 movie ‘Gaslight,’ will take center stage this November at Theater Northwest, the performance company of the Indiana University Northwest Department of Performing Arts.

This thrilling fall production, debuting in Savannah’s Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, will excite audiences as the thick and dramatic plot unravels at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13. The final performance will be at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 14.

Angel Street’ tells the story of a couple, Jack and Bella Manningham, who live in 19th-century Victorian England. Under the guise of kindliness, handsome Mr. Manningham tortures his wife into insanity by accusing her of petty aberrations that he has arranged. And since Mrs. Manningham’s mother died of insanity, she is more than convinced that she is also going out of her mind.

While Mrs. Manningham’s husband is out of the house, a benign police detective visits her and ultimately proves to her that her husband is a maniacal criminal that is preparing to kill her.

Theatre Northwest chose ‘Angel Street’ because, as an educational theatre, we try to offer our students and the community exposure to a number of dramatic styles,” explained Jerry Taylor, director of ‘Angel Street’, and Associate Professor with the Department of Performing Arts. “Theatre Northwest hasn’t done a melodrama for quite some time and we thought a suspenseful and famous play like ‘Angel Street’ would fit the bill.

The demoniac story of ‘Angel Street’ will be played out on the stage by Talia Anderson, of Hobart, as Mrs. Manningham; Christian Rickert, of Lowell, as Mr. Manningham; Ashley Thompson, of Whiting, as Nancy; Lindsay Hutchins, of Portage, as Elizabeth; and Nicholas Helding, of Hobart, as the detective.

We are beginning the season with an all-freshman cast for the first time in many years,” Taylor said. “We are excited to have these new students involved in the program, three of whom are new theatre majors!

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased by contacting the Theatre Northwest box office at (219) 980-6808. Any remaining tickets may be purchased at the box office prior to the event.

Theatre Northwest has begun its 50th season. A celebration recognizing this major landmark in the Theatre and IU Northwest’s history will be celebrated in Spring 2011.

The Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium is located in the Savannah Center on the southeast corner of the main campus parking lot at 33rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary. Free parking is available in the main campus lot.