Sherlock Holmes Falls in Love at DCC,

April 12 through 15

Release Date April 4, 2007

Poughkeepsie, NY – Sherlock Holmes suffers a rare case of falling in love at Dutchess Community College in the DCC Performing Arts Program production of Sherlock Holmes or The Strange Case of Alice Faulkner. The classic play by William Gillette is co-directed by Steve Press and DCC Alumna Blair Wing and marks the 120th anniversary of the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes. DCC’s production runs from Thursday through Sunday, April 12 through 15, in the James and Betty Hall Theatre in Dutchess Hall at the main campus in Poughkeepsie. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Admission is $10, $5 for DCC students, seniors and DCC staff. Tickets for open seating will be sold at the theater one half hour before show times. For information, call (845) 431-8696.

“This script is the only one authorized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,” said Press, a professor of speech and theater at DCC. Gillette, a contemporary of the Holmes creator, was an actor and playwright. In his own time, he was just as famous as Conan Doyle. “When he came to Conan Doyle and asked permission to do the adaptation, Conan Doyle was flattered,” said Press

But not entirely pleased with the result. “In all of Conan Doyle’s stories, Sherlock Holmes couldn’t love any woman because he was so superior,” said Press. “But Gillette didn’t buy it. He had Holmes fall in love and declare his love to Alice Faulkner, who he rescues from a terrible situation. At first, Conan Doyle was upset, but when the money started to pour in, Conan Doyle changed his mind.”

This became Gillette’s most successful play, running for 35 years with Gillette in the lead. Press said that Sherlock Holmes or the Strange Case of Alice Faulkner, “Is filled with complications, disguises, and all kinds of great characters from every strata of society.”

Sherlock Holmes is produced through the theatre practicum class of DCC’s Performing Arts Program. Students enrolled in the class experience the full spectrum of theatrical production from audition to performance. In addition to current students, Sherlock Holmes includes three DCC alumni. “One of the wonderful things about teaching in a community college is that a lot of people stay in area,” said Press. “They come back, sign up to take a course, do a show, and remain part of your company forever.”

Press is especially excited to co-direct with DCC graduate Blair Wing. Wing came to Dutchess after a tragic accident that left her in a wheel chair. She worked with Press in the theater program and went on to earn her B.F.A. from SUNY New Paltz and M.F.A. from Ohio State University. She has performed with Dancing Wheels and traveled to Africa to perform at the World Summit. Wing is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in New Media at the University of East London.

Alumnus Todd Dezago plays Sherlock Holmes. He studied acting and theater, but his claim to fame is comic book writing. He started writing professionally in 1994 for Marvel on X-Factor, teamed up with artist Mike Wieringo on Sensational Spider-Man, and now has produced his own book with Wieringo, Tellos, which was published through Image Comics. He has also worked for DC Comics, most recently on a 40-issue run of Impulse. It was through Dezago that DCC tapped veteran illustrator Nick Cardy, who worked in the heyday of pulp paperbacks and comics, to create the poster for the production.

Alumnus J.D. Lewis is playing Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson. Lewis, a Sherlock Holmes aficionado, had acted under Press as a student at both DCC and Marist. “He brings a maturity to the Watson role, a knowledge of Sherlock Holmes, and a love of the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle,” said Press.

The play showcases unique talents of DCC students, particularly the stage combat skills of Risa Petrone. She plays Billye, a tough street fighter and one of two roles originally written as boys but cast as women in DCC’s production. “In the Holmes stories, there was a gang of street boys, the Baker Street Irregulars, who watch out for Holmes, run errands, and do little things that are illegal,” said Press. In the first production of Gillette’s play in London, a young Charlie Chaplin played Billy. “I knew that period of history also included street girls, and I thought it would be funny if Billy turned out to be a girl in disguise.” He added the “e” to the name to match a common women’s nickname in the 1920s. Press also included a fight scene which was not staged in the original play, but was referenced in other scenes. In that scene, a gang of street thugs attacks Billye because they know she’s a spy for Holmes.

Additional members of the cast include Dara Cleveland as Alice Faulkner, Lindsay Tillou, Kevin Edwards, Emma Knauss, Renee Credendino, Stefan Bozydaj, Russell Brown, Rob Stubbs, Linda Roper, Mary Pasquale, Jeanne Goehring, Nicholas Capra, Jeff Muller, Brian Anderson. The stage management team includes George Spencer, Crystal Garcia, and Gina Zambito.

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