A play about a woman who made a career out of tricking people will open at the Yale Repertory Theatre on, of all days, April 1 -- otherwise known as April Fool's Day.
"The Adventures of Amy Bock," by recent School of Drama graduate Julie McKee, examines the life of a young woman magnetized by the art of the scam. It is based on the real-life adventures of Amy Bock, a New Zealand woman who became notorious in 1909 when she was arrested, at age 45, after impersonating a man and marrying the 32-year-old daughter of the owners of a seaside resort called "The Nuggets." After being tipped off by someone suspicious about her, the police, who were already searching for Bock for her involvement in fraud, arrested the masquerader on the eve of her honeymoon. It wasn't her first arrest; she had already served a number of prison terms for crimes that included forgery, larceny and false pretenses.
Ms. McKee first learned about Amy Bock during a trip to New Zealand to visit family members. "I bought a book on New Zealand women and there she was, large as life and dressed as a man," says the playwright. "She was an adventuress, a liar and a thief, one of New Zealand's most unsuccessful con artists. I fell for her immediately."
Set against the backdrop of late 19th-century Australia and New Zealand, Ms. McKee's play portrays Amy Bock as she invents a series of identities for herself -- sometimes a woman and sometimes a man -- seducing everyone she meets and creating havoc in her wake.
"I was astonished and amused by her ability to transform herself, the imaginative qualities I thought she must have had in order to create so many identities," says Ms. McKee of the real Amy Bock. "From what I knew of her, she had to be charming, romantic, fantastic and highly intelligent. At the same time she was on the run for the most part, literally from the law and also, I think, from herself. Who was she really and who or what was she running away from?"
Not knowing the answers to those questions, Ms. McKee says she had to create her own conclusions in her play. "Many of Amy's life's adventures are recorded and, taking Amy's cue, I made up the rest," explains Ms. McKee. "I'm sure she would approve."
Stan Wojewodski Jr., dean of the School of Drama and artistic director of the Yale Rep, will direct "The Adventures of Amy Bock," which was originally conceived and workshopped at the School of Drama in 1995. Ms. McKee further developed the play with the support of The Sundance Playwright's Laboratory and the Playwriting Center at Emory University. Her other works include "Far-Flung," "A Farewell to Mum" and "A Backward Glance," which were all produced at New York's Ensemble Studio Theater, as well as "Ron's Garden," an award-winner at the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts Reading Series in 1992.
Dean Wojewodski recently directed the Yale Rep's season opener, "First Lady," as well as last season's production of David Edgar's "Pentecost," which was hailed by The New York Times critic Alvin Klein as "the most ambitious and intellectually arousing theater adventure of the year."
The leading role of Amy Bock will be played by Enid Graham, a graduate of Julliard, who has performed in major regional theaters throughout the United States. Also featured in the cast are Frank Deal, Audrie Neenan, Kristine Nielsen, Alec Phoenix, Reno Roop, Blair Sams and Sandra Shipley who appeared in "Venus" at the Yale Rep last season .
Also collaborating on the project are set designer Scott Pask, costume designer Suttirat Larlarb, lighting designer Les Dickert, sound designer David Budries, stage manager Merredith Scott Brittain and production dramaturg Scott Hamlin. Previews for "The Adventures of Amy Bock" begin Thursday, March 27, and the production will run through Saturday, April 19, at the Rep, corner of Chapel and York streets. Tickets are $25-$30; group rates are available. For tickets and information, call 432-1234.