NIGHTS OF WRATH
June 2- 26 at Greenwich Street Theatre

Horizon Theatre Rep will present the English language Premiere of NIGHTS OF WRATH by Armand Salacrou. The war drama originally premiered on Broadway in 1957 in French as Les Nuits de la Colere. Directed by Horizon Theatre Rep Artistic Director Rafael De Mussa, performances of this new translation by David Looseley begin June 2nd at The Greenwich Street Theatre. Opening night is scheduled for Friday, June 3rd.

NIGHTS OF WRATH is set in April of 1944 in Nazi-controlled Chartres, France. Here a resistance fighter who has blown up a train is killed by the Gestapo. The friend who betrayed him to a collaborator is executed by other resistance members. This intense drama travels back in time to unravel the secret of the betrayal as it takes a searing look at the ethics of anti-Nazi terrorism and pro-status-quo collaboration.

The production stars Alicia Adema, Gary Carlson, James Craft, John Gilligan, Ed Suarez, and Ruth Kavanagh with fight choreography by David Brimmer (Bug, Killer Joe), costumes by Ramona Ponce (Ridiculous Theatre Company), sound design by Kristin Smith, lighting by Tony Mulanix and sets by Scott Aronow (Texas Homos).

NIGHTS OF WRATH was written in 1946, only two years after the liberation of Paris from the Nazis. The play explores the heroism of France's 'secret army', which playwright Armand Salacrou had witnessed firsthand as one of the members of the intellectual resistance alongside Jean-Paul Sartre and others. The play also examines the ease with which many outwardly respectable French slipped into collaboration with the Nazi party without ever particularly meaning to. Modern audiences will see distinct parallels to our current political climate as the play examines the motives for going to war, the moral paradoxes of terrorism, the impossibility of neutrality, and the problems of ethical politics in a faithless age.

Armand Salacrou (1899-1989) is a French dramatist known for a preoccupation with affirmation of human freedom. He is the author of nearly 30 plays. In addition to Les Nuits de la Colere, his play Feu la Mere de Madame also premiered on Broadway in 1957 in French. Rarely produced in the US, Salacrou has only recently been rediscovered in European literary circles and now stands with Anouihl, Camus and Sartre as one of the most original voices of his generation.

Horizon Theatre Rep (HTR), now in its fifth year, is committed to innovative staging of contemporary and classical work. Past productions include the US Premiere of In the Solitude of Cotton Fields, produced at Grand Central Terminal, 3Xpirandello at The New York International Fringe Festival, Jean Paul Sartre’s Men Without Shadows and Dejan Dukovski’s Powder Keg, both seen at The Flea.

NIGHTS OF WRATH runs June 2nd - June 26th, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. The Greenwich Street Theatre is located at 547 Greenwich Street, between Charlton and Vandam. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 visiting www.theatermania.com.