The Edith Wharton story from 1911 is set in the area where the troupe presents—the rolling Berkshires—and is inspired by an actual sledding accident. The novella was adapted for the stage by Dennis Krausnick and first presented by S&C in 1996 in The Stables Theatre. It was remounted in 1997 and then again (for a reading) in the 2002-03 season.

Krausnick will direct original players Kevin G. Coleman as Ethan and Elizabeth Aspenlieder as Mattie Silver. Steve Boss and Mary Guzzy are also in the company.

The tale is a story within a story "exploring a haunting and passionate love triangle bearing a secret frozen in time." Homer Winterson arrives in Starkfield and meets Ethan, a withered man who has reached middle-age before his time. Serving as a kind of Greek chorus, Winterson, who assumes all the characters in the New England village, pieces together the story of Ethan’s past.

Krausnick has adapted 25 of Wharton's works for the stage. He has approached the Ethan Frome script as if it were a living thing, making adjustments and rewrites in recent months.

The staging is at The Founders' Theatre. Tickets range $10-$45. For information about Shakespeare & Company, call (413) 637-353 or visit www.shakespeare.org.