An excerpt from the Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance production of "The Scarlet Letter." Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance is a professional ballet company based in Asheville, NC. (www.terpsicorps.org)
Choreography by Heather Maloy
Projections by G. Craig Hobbs
Music by Ian Moore
Electronica by Jonathan Wertheim
Choir directed by Jenn Foster
Cast
Hester - Sadie Harris
Reverend Dimmesdale - Jon Upleger
Roger Chillingworth, the husband - Zachary Whittenburg
Pearl, the daughter - Carol McCoy
Fiddle - Ian Moore
Cello - David W. Moore
Samplers/Sequencers - Jonathan Wertheim
Alto soloist - Kat Williams
This ballet, "The Scarlet Letter," is inspired by the classic work by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is the goal of this work, originally set in Puritan New England, to explore the universality of the story in a fluid time and place, showing the plight of the characters without confining them to one particular setting.
In our 'New World,' the landscape is in ruin and the people struggling with hunger and poverty. They see their church leaders as royalty, trusting them blindly. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is a newcomer to town. Little is known of her past, save for her marriage to a man serving a long prison sentence. She spends many of her hours alone in nature where she feels closest to God, a practice strange to everyone except for the Reverend Dimmsdale who is fascinated by the unusual purity of her spiritual devotion. Secretly, the two fall in love through their mutual devotion to God.
The town goes into an uproar when Hester gives birth to a daughter, Pearl, and puts her on trial for adultery. When Hester will not confess to Pearl's paternity, she is condemned to bear a scarlet 'A' on her chest for the rest of her life. During her public sentencing, her husband, Roger Chillingworth, recently released from prison, arrives in town. Swearing Hester to secrecy about his identity, he vows to reveal and destroy Pearl's father at all costs.
Lacking the strength to admit to his sins, Dimmsdale's punishment is self inflicted with a guilt strong enough to cause him to fall ill. Chillingworth, masquerading as a healer, offers guidance and 'medication' that only serves to further weaken his mental state. In the throws of hallucination, he meets Hester with Pearl for the first time. Hester is greatly disturbed by the condition of her former lover, decides that the time has come to escape the 'New World" and persuades him to leave with them.
Over time Reverend Dimmsdale has become quite a celebrity, widely revered for delivering sermons with the passion and charisma of a man possessed. That coming Sunday marks the fulfillment of his life goal, a sermon that will be broadcast throughout the "New World." The couple decide to leave immediately after.
In delivering the greatest sermon of his life, his physical condition becomes obvious. Amidst his feverish warnings against a life of hidden sin and the wrath of an angry God, he breaks his bound of silence in a shocking confession.
To view more excerpts from The Scarlet Letter visit
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E306F3DB1EC4FCDD
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strong womanby AVEROF45,888 views
If you have not read Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" you may have some trouble following this plot. Chillingworth, Hester's husband, has been in jail in England because of his puritannical beliefs. Now, a bit too late and a bit uncomfortably, he returns, treats Hester as a villainess and poisons her lover Dimmsdale's mind and body so that at last he dies. Hester and Dimmsdale's daughter Pearl is both angry and loving to them both. Not a pretty story, but very dramatic.
faaronshreman 1 year ago
After the birth of Pearl, Dimmesdale and Hester talk in the forest, she finally tells him the real identidy of Chillingworth... the girl in the red I believe is Pearl...
breakinrachel 3 years ago
But you haven't explained where in the story this scene appears, for those of us who haven't seen the other segments. Is this before or after Pearl's birth? The viewer shouldn't have to wait till four minutes into the segment to figure that out.
LanguorousLass 3 years ago
As a ballerina and obsessee of the Scarlet Letter, I love this :D
tulleskirt 4 years ago