Harbor Stage Launches 2024 Season With ‘Betrayal’

The Harbor Stage Company on the shore of Wellfleet Harbor is opening its 12th season with Harold Pinter’s award-winning 1978 modern masterpiece “Betrayal,” co-produced with the company’s Outer Cape neighbors, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (WHAT) and directed by Harbor Stage Artistic Director and co-founder Robert Kropf.

Told largely in reverse chronological order, “Betrayal” follows three passionate friends as they navigate a decade of memories, marriage and infidelity. A classic love triangle gets turned on its head. Emma and Robert are married. Robert and Jerry are best friends. Jerry and Emma are... in trouble. “Betrayal” is a brilliant, breathtaking look at fidelity, friendship and the start of something real.

First presented in this two-theater collaboration as part of WHAT’s 2023 season at the Julie Harris Stage, the production now shifts to the Harbor Stage’s intimate seaside space. Harbor Stage co-founders Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers reprise their roles alongside original cast members William Zielinski and Ari Lew. Rounding out the creative team are scenic designer (and WHAT’s producing artistic director) Christopher Ostrom, Harbor resident lighting designer John Malinowski and stage manager Alison Fischer Greene. The time-bending drama begins performances Thursday, June 13 and will play through Saturday, July 6.

Kropf described “Betrayal” as a play the Harbor has wanted to crack for years. In fact, 12 years ago, the play was planned as the Harbor Stage’s inaugural production, but an issue with the rights prevented it.

“There was an issue with the rights that year, and each year after that, for various reasons, despite trying to get it on the bill, it never made it,” Kropf said. “After many years, one summer we learned that WHAT was set to produce it. Chris (Ostrom, WHAT’s producing artistic director) had a similar experience with the play, where for several years, a production of ‘Betrayal’ got sidetracked.”

Finally, after many frustrating postponements, a collaborative production of “Betrayal” between WHAT and Harbor Stage came together, with the play being produced first on WHAT’s Julie Harris Stage in fall of 2023 and now at the Harbor Stage.

When asked about the challenges when staging a work like Pinter’s “Betrayal,” which employs reverse chronology, Kropf said it’s a consideration for the actors to constantly be aware of what they know and when, and where they are in terms of the timeline.

“What information you have or don't have, and having that live in you,” Kropf said. “Even something as basic as age and experience, right? At the beginning of the play, you're several years older than at the end. So you really need to play that. It's very important to make it clear to the audience, where we're at in the chronology. In the end, if the actors are keenly/precisely aware of where they are in time, the audience will follow. And the best part is, if they're at all confused, we have projections that lay out the timeline quite clearly. Also, Jonathon's hair grows shorter with each scene. Or longer. I can't remember which.”

Kropf said he and “Betrayal” cast members Jonathan Fielding and Brenda Withers, along with Stacy Fischer, the fourth co-founder of Harbor Stage Company, all met at WHAT when the Julie Harris Stage was built, and Jeff Zinn experimented with a small repertory company down at the Harbor.

“So there's a great deal of fate involved,” Kropf said. “We shared a natural work ethic and we just very much enjoyed working together. It was a natural and rather effortless experience. So it's not so surprising that things ultimately fell into place as they did. As a director, I'd cast (‘Betrayal’ cast member) Ari (Lew) in ‘The Weir’ and ‘Three Sisters,’ and Brenda tapped his comic genius in last season's ‘Bread and Butter.’ He's a great presence and a wonderful human being to have in the room. (‘Betrayal’ cast member) Bill Zielinski is my oldest/greatest friend and longtime collaborator. He's also a titanic talent.”

Asked what he would like audiences who may be unfamiliar with Harbor Stage Company to know, he responded immediately.

“We need a house. Seriously. We're at a crisis point on the housing front,” Kropf said. “Beyond that, we're an artist run/driven theater group, which means we do everything ourselves. And we don't have a board to lean on. This allows us a great deal of freedom, but comes at an obvious cost. So we've tried to strike that balance between art and commerce, and honestly, we're still trying to crack it. It's a tricky business. We really are committed to the work we do. We've given our lives and all of our time to it. We believe in the theater and the possibility of our work making a difference in the world. It's a serious business for us that we don't take too seriously. In light of the world, it may not seem too difficult, but it is our passion and our plight and we believe in it wholeheartedly.”

Tickets for “Betrayal” (and Harbor Stage Company’s upcoming 2024 offerings, “My Dinner with Andre, July 11 to Aug. 3; and “Westminster,” Aug. 8 to Sept. 1 ) are on sale now. In keeping with the company’s long-time commitment to affordable tickets, individual admission remains capped at $25; subscriptions are $72 for the three-play season, and a Pay-What-You-Can performance of “Betrayal” will be offered on Friday, June 21. More information on the summer’s calendar, the company’s resident ensemble, and Harbor Stage’s mission can be found at harborstage.org.