November 11-15, 18-22, 2008 at Ron Maslin Playhouse as part of Season #40 2008-2009
| Written by Gregory Murphy |
In 1848, in Victorian England, three young artists, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, challenged the guidelines or “code” that all artists had to follow if they wished their work to be shown in the Royal Academy. This group, known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, was championed by John Ruskin, the foremost art critic of the time. In 1853, to show his support of the group, he commissioned Millais to paint his portrait. Together with Ruskin’s wife, Effie, they travelled to Scotland where they shared a cottage in the Highlands.
The events of that summer led to an aftermath that shocked Victorian society and caused a scandal that was not resolved for more than 40 years. The Countess tells that story.
| CRAWLEY | Branden Lalonde | |
| EFFIE RUSKIN | Venetia Lawless | |
| EVERETT MILLAIS | Tim Mabey | |
| JOHN RUSKIN | Geoff Gruson | |
| LADY EASTLAKE | Bev Brooks | |
| MR. RUSKIN | Brooke Keneford | |
| MRS. RUSKIN | Dorothy Beak |
