Dan Bisbee, Melody Deatherage and Mitch Heid came into the KPBX studio to speak with E.J. Iannelli on behalf of the Spokane Civic Theatre new main stage production of Amadeus.

The 1979 play, written by Peter Shaffer, imagines and dramatizes a rivalry between the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. It was made into a popular 1984 movie directed by Miloš Forman.

Deatherage is directing this production; Heid and Bisbee are starring as Mozart and Salieri, respectively. They talked about the play’s creative approach to history, the depth of its characters, how music factors into its sound design, and the universal themes that emerge from its narrative, such as the divine (or not) provenance of genius and suffering.

To add to the discussion, the actors each performed two monologues. Salieri’s scene provided the early context for the play, whereas Mozart’s gave voice to his thoughts on music. With Deatherage providing stage directions, Bisbee and Heid also performed the scene in which their characters encounter one another for the first time.

Amadeus opens on the Spokane Civic Theatre’s main stage this Friday (Feb. 2) and runs there until Feb. 25.

For tickets or more information, you can call the Civic’s box office on (509) 325-2507 or visit the Spokane Civic Theatre website online.