Mar 13, 2007 : Gail Phaneuf's new play, Binding the Artful Dodger, previously read at Playwrights' Platform, was performed March 7, 2007, as part of the Provincetown Reading Series, Provincetown Theater at 238 Bradford St. in Provincetown, MA.

A dance. A confession. A lie. A bind. In a gripping new play, Boston playwright Gail Phaneuf brings the bright fluorescent halls of suburban high school life to the darker places adolescents sometimes go - places adults often fail to see.

"Binding the Artful Dodger" is a play about Cassie, a 17-year-old dancer battling teen angst and more, looking for connection and comfort in a reserved guidance counselor. In her quest for acceptance, Cassie pries into Ms. Minuck's private and solitary world, and in the end, she will push too far.

In one 90-minute act, Phaneuf explores the self-destructive toll of secrets kept in shame. A lovely dancer under the lights, Cassie starves herself behind closed doors. And Ms. Minuck, a woman of deep faith, feels foreign in her own skin.

Patrick Falco directed the reading and Terry Norgeot choreographed the dance numbers for the piece that was performed by Kara Griffin. Patti Hathaway portrayed Miss Minuk and Devon McFadden played the role of Cassie. Lee Roscoe read stage directions.

"This will not be your typical reading," says Phaneuf, "the integration of dance into the script is a central part of the piece. In order for the audience to experience the reading fully, we felt that it was vital to include some of the dance numbers, instead of simply having them described with stage directions. When we see a dancer we are awed by their beauty and grace, but are often unaware of the difficulties they face every day in a world where eating disorders are rampant and perfection is an expectation.”

Phaneuf is well known to Provincetown theater, both as an actress and a playwright. She played the role of Anna Paula Vogel's "The Baltimore Waltz" for the Provincetown Players and has performed in several Provincetown readings. Her edgy 10-minute play "Random Selection" was performed at Provincetown Theatre Company's Spring Playwrights' Festival and has gone on to be published and produced several times in Boston.

This new work comes on the heels of Phaneuf's professional fall production of “Monsters!” in Boston, a comic musical she co-wrote with Ernie Lijoi.

The reading was sponsored by The Provincetown Realty Group.

Contact: Michelle McGrath - 617-688-4297 - threeandwe@mac.com