The Engagement Party

by Samuel Baum

directed by Darko Tresnjak

Originally produced at Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT

January 10 to February 3, 2019

About the Premiere Production:

Synopsis: Samuel Baum’s suspenseful contemporary drama centers on a young couple’s intimate gathering with family and friends to celebrate their engagement; a spilled glass of wine leads to a spiraling sequence of events and revelations that will irrevocably change their lives.

Artistic Statement: “The Engagement Party is a potent fable disguised as a comedy of manners," Darko Tresnjak, artistic director, Hartford Stage.  "I am intrigued by these characters and the forces that motivate them, and how the play constantly subverts your expectations. As events unfold, we see how fragile the social contract is and how little it takes for incivility, distrust, and violence to break the surface. With nearly daily headlines about the ways in which people in power abuse their stations, Sam’s play brings issues of harassment and class into a deeply personal realm. Sam Baum has written a piece that is unafraid of asking deep questions, while at the same time being utterly, compellingly entertaining,” 

Grant Statement: The grant will cover the costs of an additional week of rehearsal for the world premiere of The Engagement Party.