http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2012/04/26/fireside-tales-saving-a-library-through-story-and-song/

The Department of Theater at Swarthmore College presents Jessica Cannizzaro’s Honors Dramaturgy Thesis, Fireside Tales: Legends and Lore from the Forgotten Wilderness on May 1 and May 2 at 7pm, in the Frear Ensemble Theater. Fireside Tales is compiled and written by Jessica Cannizzaro, based on and using America’s local legends, beloved folk songs, and best kept secrets.

The play takes place in the main room of the Evanston Public Library in Illinois, just before the library is torn down by the city. A motley group of citizens has gathered to see the library and its many stories, the staples of their community, one more time before they are gone forever. The play is an exploration of storytelling, and the many ways our stories change across state, across time, and across culture. In every instance, storytelling becomes not just about the words being shared. It is the way we link a smell of turkey cooking in the oven to the story of a family dinner in 1997. It is the feeling of cold feet under warm quilts as you await a new bedtime story.

Direction and vocal coaching is provided by Guest Artist Adrienne Mackey ’04. Adrienne Mackey is a director who creates original and compelling theater using the power of the human voice and the forms of the human body. In 2009 Adrienne founded Swim Pony Performing Arts – a company devoted to exploring the possibilities of live performance. Adrienne has been awarded the Independence Foundation Fellowship and the CEC New Edge Residency, and is a five-time recipient of the Garrigues voice scholarship.

Faculty Advisors are James Magruder and Allen Kuharksi.

The event is free and open to the public without advance reservations.  For further information, contact Tara Webb at twebb1@swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8260.

http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2012/04/20/american-buffalo/

The Department of Theater will present David Mamet’s AMERICAN BUFFALO, the Honors Acting Thesis of Jessica Cannizzaro (’12), Lori Barkin (’12) and Michelle Fennell (’12), Directed by Alex Torra.  Performance times will be Saturday and Sunday, April 21^st and 22^nd at 2 PM and 8 PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Frear Ensemble Theatre. Set design by Marta Roncada (’14), Costume design by Matthew Saunders, Sound design by Scott Burgess, Lighting design by Josh Schulman.

David Mamet is best known as a playwright, but has received Oscar nominations for his screenplays, directed films, taught acting and written several books. Mamet’s 1975 play premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and opened on Broadway in 1977.  Don, Teach, Bob, and the mysterious Fletcher, conspire to steal a priceless coin collection from a well-to-do man.  The plot takes place in Don’s junk shop and the conspiracy centers around a rare nickel. Told with Mamet’s typical vernacular of vulgarity, the characters attack their environment, both literally and with lexicon, until the final events leave the audience pondering over the nature of good and evil, two sides of the same coin.

Director Alex Torra is a Philadelphia-based director and performer whose work focuses on ensemble-generated, original performance and contemporary interpretations of classics.  He is an Associate Artist with Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he has worked as a Performer in Twelfth Night, Cankerblossom, Welcome to Yuba City, Pay Up, 365 Days/365 Plays, and Anodyne; as Assistant Director on Chekhov Lizardbrain and Sweet By-and-By; and as Director of Come to my Awesome Fiesta, it’s Going to be Awesome, Okay? He also serves as the Resident Director for the Philadelphia ensemble Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, for which he directed Punchkapow, and with whom he is developing a handful of new works, including JapanAmerica Wonderwave, Zombie Defense Consultation, and Cityscape. Alex has also worked closely with Shakespeare in Clark Park over the last few years, directing Much Ado About Nothing and Comedy of Errors. His work with classical text has included linguistic work on “Original Pronunciation”, the dialect in which Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed. Last year, Alex served as a Fellow at the Philadelphia Live Arts Brewery, where he began the development of a self-produced piece entitled The Sincerity Project. He has received the Grace LeVine Theatre Award from the Princess Grace Foundation as well as fellowships from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and NY’s Drama League. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.F.A. in Directing from Brown University.

For more information please contact Tara Webb at 610.328.8260 or email lpacevents@swarthmore.edu. Swarthmore College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you or anyone in your party anticipate needing any type of special accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please let us know or contact Susan Smythe, ADA Program Manager at 610-690-2063 in advance of your participation or visit.