A & E

The cast of "Therese Raquin" will descend into the depths of a long-empty swimming pool in the Braddock Carnegie Library to perform Emile Zola's tale of obsession and desire on the rust-stained white ceramic tile floor of this once-vibrant public amenity.

"It's like (they are) living in a grave," says director Roger Henderson as he observes the playing area from behind a folding table at the pool's shallow end. "That's what led me to it. It's a dead swimming poll that will never be used again."

The audience will look down on the play's progress from their seats on risers set on the pool's deck at the far, shallow end of the pool.

The process of staging "Therese Raquin" at the bottom of a pool has provided Henderson and the cast with challenges and surprises, Henderson says.

The pool's ceramic tile walls and floor create really good acoustics, he says. "That's the hardest thing to get used to, that it doesn't take much to fill this space. It's alive. It echoes."

He also is having an interesting time with the pool floor, which slopes downward as it moves away from the audience to its deepest point at the far end.

"It's really fascinating what happens to bodies as they appear to get smaller," he explains.

Henderson first learned of the pool's existence last fall, when he was directing another Quantum Theatre play -- "After Mrs. Rochester" -- in the more conventional performing space of the music hall that's part of the Braddock Carnegie Library complex.

Henderson and Quantum Theatre artistic director Karla Boos already had discussed the possibility of Henderson's directing another show this fall when they learned of the pool. Both were intrigued by the pool and its surroundings, but they made no immediate commitment to a specific play or space.

It was only later, while Henderson was on a three-month visit to London, that he saw Nicholas Wright's adaptation of Zola's novel and play of "Therese Raquin" performed at the National Theatre that he found the proper play to match with the space.

First published in 1867, Zola's story is of Therese Raquin and Laurent, a pair of secret lovers obsessed with their desire for each other. What stands in their way is her husband, Camille, who is also Laurent's best friend.

As the play progresses, Therese and Laurent are driven by desperation to commit a horrific act that they believe will allow them to live openly and happily together. But guilt and remorse beget a less satisfying result.

"I realize this is not for everybody. Some people are going to like it, and some people aren't," Henderson says. "I like it, because people can be pushed to these kinds of obsessions. We don't want to believe people are capable of these addictions."

After seeing Wright's play, Henderson read Zola's novel and the author's stage adaptation. It made him appreciate Wright's adaptation even more.

Although it closely follows the novel, Wright pumped up the humor of some of the supporting characters to create a contrast with the seriousness of the main characters.

"To me, it's more like the book: It's grim. It's awful. But it's life," Henderson says.

When he first saw the play in London, Henderson immediately thought of Robin Walsh for the role of Therese.

He had directed her in earlier Quantum Theatre productions of "After Mrs. Rochester," "The Crucible" and "Indian Ink" and was eager to work with her again. Also appearing in the production are Hugo Armstrong as Laurent, Mark Staley as Camille, and Mary Rawson as Camille's mother, Madame Raquin. Also cast are David Cabot, Gayle Pazerski and Joe Warik.

"They are all people I've worked with before. I love them as human beings and as actors," Henderson says. "I love working with them. It means coming to rehearsal is fun even though the subject matter may not be."

The building

The Braddock Carnegie Library holds the distinction of being the very first library in the United States built entirely with Andrew Carnegie's money.

The original building that Carnegie dedicated in 1889 was designed by William Halsey Wood of Newark, N.J., who also designed the Church of the Ascension in Oakland, Good Shepherd in Hazelwood and St. Luke in Smethport.

The front-entrance facade of the Richardsonian Romanesque-style building faces Library Street and is constructed of gray stone and features red banding. The building's side that faces the alley is built of dark yellow brick.

Carnegie's intention was that the library would benefit the employees at his first major steel mill, the Edgar Thomson Works, and the employees' families.

In 1893, Carnegie commissioned the architectural firm of Longfellow, Alden and Harlow of Boston and Pittsburgh to create an addition that would house a music hall, gymnasium and pool.

At a time when few homes had indoor plumbing, the facilities were a convenient place for employees to shower, bathe and swim, play billiards, read and get a haircut.

The entrance to the addition, which is built almost entirely of gray stone, faces Parker Avenue.

The Braddock Carnegie Library served as an educational and recreational center. The Braddock School District operated it from 1961 until it closed and was abandoned in 1974.

It had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and in 1978 the Braddock's Field Historical Society purchased the building from the school district for $1.

Beginning in 1982, the library reopened, and restoration of the first floor was completed in 1989.

Renovations continue in the music hall, which reopened in 2004.

The pool is empty and no longer operational. When it's not being used as a performance space, it serves as a storage space for the library.

Source: Braddock's Field Historical Society/Braddock Carnegie Library.

'Therese Raquin' in the future

If seeing Quantum Theatre's production of "Therese Raquin" makes you interested in other takes on Emile Zola's 1867 novel, you might want to see two other productions planned for the coming year:

• From Jan. 31-Feb. 10, The Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory Theatre Company will perform the Pittsburgh premiere of "Thou Shalt Not," a musical based on Zola's "Therese Raquin."

Singer Harry Connick Jr. wrote the music and lyrics for this jazzy musical adaptation that moves the setting from mid-19th-century Paris to the Ninth Ward of New Orleans circa 1946-47.

• Glenn Close, Gerard Butler and Giovanni Ribisi have led roles in a movie version of "Therese Raquin" that's scheduled for release in 2008. Close will play Camille's mother, Madame Raquin.

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