Category Archives: Theater

Theater

Design class opportunities are not just for Theater majors!

Looking for a break from writing papers?  Interested in learning more about lighting? The Lighting Design class is now open and available to all!

In this hands on class you will learn the hows and whys to help you design lights for theater, dance, art, or music events. This knowledge is also useful for gallery installation, architecture, engineering and fashion! Your enrollment can lead to design opportunities and steady employment on campus with the LPAC, Olde Club, and beyond.

Meets Mondays 1:00PM – 6:15PM (break halfway through class for coffee).
NO PREREQUISITES!!
Email jmurphy2@swarthmore.edu, or enroll in THEA 004B.

Are you missing some basic skills of drafting and architectural model making? Want to make exciting interior and exterior spaces?

Explore scenery design from concept to production and how it relates to other elements in performance spaces and beyond. A lab component of this class will include an introduction to computer drafting, model making and additional information about materials used for basic construction. The course is designed to serve all students regardless of prior experience in theater production.

Meets Mondays 4:15PM – 6:15PM and Wednesdays 1:00PM – 3:45PM! NO PREREQUISITES! Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
Enroll in THEA 004A or email Prof. Saunders at msaunde1@swarthmore.edu for details.

If you are looking for a broad spectrum class in design processes, look no further! This course offers an introduction to creative aspects of designing scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound for theater and performance with emphasis on the correlation of text, imagination, and space. In a collaborative classroom setting, the students will have the opportunity to explore individual ideas and transform these into a design that is cohesive and relevant to a production. The lab component of the course will provide a broad introduction to the technical aspects of theater production. No prior performance experience necessary!

Meets Thursdays 4:15PM – 6:15PM and 7:15PM – 9:45PM.
NO PREREQUISITES! Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors.
Enroll in THEA 003 or email lswanso@swarthmore.edu for more info.

Radical Democracy and Humanism: Intersections Between Performance and Action (2/9 – 2/27)

_DSC5655Swarthmore College (Departments of Music and Dance, Black Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Theatre, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility) and the William J. Cooper Foundation present a three-week performance residency RADICAL DEMOCRACY AND HUMANISM: INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN PERFORMANCE AND ACTION. Conceived by Professor Sharon Friedler and led by Swarthmore graduate Kate Speer ‘08, the residency centers around engagements with David Dorfman Dance (DDD), a leading American modern dance company known for politically relevant works centered on community responsibility. From February 9 to February 27, 2015, workshops, classes and lectures will address a spectrum of positions and assumptions regarding intersecting issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, politics and the environment. The central performance, David Dorfman’s PROPHETS OF FUNK, for this residency will take place on Friday, February 20, 2015 at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center.

Participating facilitators for the residency include the following scholars and artists: Kate Speer ‘08, who has written and delivered papers on Dorfman’s dances, creative processes, and their connection to radical democracy, Teya Sepinuck, the founder and director of the Theater of Witness model of performance, David Kyuman Kim, a Connecticut College scholar of race, religion, and public life and George Lakey, visiting professor, non-violence advocate and civil rights activist. In the lectures and workshops, selections of David Dorfman’s repertory works will be taught as aids in broadening individual performing range and exposure to these processes will provide a common basis for the study and discussion of different aspects of performance. Discussions will delve into multiple opinions and perspectives in order to encourage participants to begin dialoguing about the questions at stake, effectively employing democratic practices within the concert stage environment. The residency will seek to explore how Dorfman creates dance that de-stigmatizes the notion of accessibility and interaction in post-modern performance and how dance can add a positive challenge to engage audiences in action.

A schedule for these events is available on our home page: http://www.swarthmore.edu/dance-program. These events are free and open to the public without reservations, but space is limited for some of the smaller lectures and workshops. Please contact lpacevents@swarthmore.edu or 610-328-8260 for more information.

Radical Democracy and Humanism: Intersections Between Performance and Action (2/9 – 2/27)

_DSC5655Swarthmore College (Departments of Music and Dance, Black Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Theatre, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility) and the William J. Cooper Foundation present a three-week performance residency RADICAL DEMOCRACY AND HUMANISM: INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN PERFORMANCE AND ACTION. Conceived by Professor Sharon Friedler and led by Swarthmore graduate Kate Speer ‘08, the residency centers around engagements with David Dorfman Dance (DDD), a leading American modern dance company known for politically relevant works centered on community responsibility. From February 9 to February 27, 2015, workshops, classes and lectures will address a spectrum of positions and assumptions regarding intersecting issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, politics and the environment. The central performance, David Dorfman’s PROPHETS OF FUNK, for this residency will take place on Friday, February 20, 2015 at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center.

Participating facilitators for the residency include the following scholars and artists: Kate Speer ‘08, who has written and delivered papers on Dorfman’s dances, creative processes, and their connection to radical democracy, Teya Sepinuck, the founder and director of the Theater of Witness model of performance, David Kyuman Kim, a Connecticut College scholar of race, religion, and public life and George Lakey, visiting professor, non-violence advocate and civil rights activist. In the lectures and workshops, selections of David Dorfman’s repertory works will be taught as aids in broadening individual performing range and exposure to these processes will provide a common basis for the study and discussion of different aspects of performance. Discussions will delve into multiple opinions and perspectives in order to encourage participants to begin dialoguing about the questions at stake, effectively employing democratic practices within the concert stage environment. The residency will seek to explore how Dorfman creates dance that de-stigmatizes the notion of accessibility and interaction in post-modern performance and how dance can add a positive challenge to engage audiences in action.

A schedule for these events is available on our home page: http://www.swarthmore.edu/dance-program. These events are free and open to the public without reservations, but space is limited for some of the smaller lectures and workshops. Please contact lpacevents@swarthmore.edu or 610-328-8260 for more information.

A Night of Scenes 2014 (12/10 & 12/11)

NOSFall14The Department of Theater’s
Directing Workshop (THEA 035)
Presents

A NIGHT OF SCENES 2014

by Directors
Anita Castillo-Halvorssen ‘15
Cooper Harrington-Fei ‘17
Eileen Hou ‘16
Michelle Johnson ‘16
Aaron Matis ‘16
Michaela Shuchman ‘16

and excerpts from
Edward Albee
Samuel Beckett
Nick Dear
David Henry Hwang
David Ives
Lyle Kessler

Wednesday & Thursday
December 10th & 11th
8 pm

LPAC Frear Ensemble Theatre
(LPAC 1, Lower Lobby Level)

Free and Open to the Public
Info: lpacevents@swarthmore.edu or
610-328-8260

Senior Company brings EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON to the Frear (12/5-12/7)

senior company poster (LPAC)EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON is a contemporary epic environmental disaster drama by British playwright Mike Bartlett. The climate is in crisis, and we’re drinking and dancing as fast as we can. Join Senior Company 2015 on a rollercoaster ride to the year 2525 and back, to witness the end of the world as we know it. If you want to be green, hold your breath.

LPAC Frear Ensemble Theater
12.5.14 (Fri) @ 7PM
12.6.14 (Sat) @ 1PM & 7PM
12.7.14 (Sun) @ 1PM

More info: x8260 or lpacevents@swarthmore.edu

Latest reviews of the latest shows: MAD FOREST & THE IMPERIAL HOUSE!

Allison Hrabar reviews THE IMPERIAL HOUSE: http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2014/11/13/dramaturgy-thesis-imperial-house-explores-relationships-and-space/

And more from the Phoenix’ Daniel Bidikov: http://swarthmorephoenix.com/2014/11/13/honors-directing-thesis-presents-relatable-lifelike-struggle/

Plus a sneak peak at MAD FOREST in action:
http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2014/11/14/production-ensemble-2014-mad-forest-photos/

 

Caryl Churchill’s LOVE AND INFORMATION (11/14 -11/22 @ Bryn Mawr)

Love and Information poster

 

 

 

 

 

HOW DO WE MAINTAIN OUR REAL LIVES IN THE INTERNET AGE?

Make it a Caryl Churchill weekend and check out LOVE AND INFORMATION at Bryn Mawr and MAD FOREST at Swarthmore!

The Theater Program of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges (Mark Lord, Chair) presents Love and Information, directed by Catharine Slusar, a Barrymore Award-winning Philadelphia actor and director and a faculty member in the Bryn Mawr College Theater Program. Love and Information is Caryl Churchill’s newest play, was first produced in London at the Royal Court Theatre in 2012, and is heralded by The Guardian as the “play that everyone should see.” Love and Information explores what happens to our brains, our personal connections and our privacy as we are besieged with information. We are, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, bombarded with information from computers, phones, and texts. How do we keep our minds active, our feelings alive and our privacy intact while navigating the information superhighway? Caryl Churchill’s play asks us to question the role of technology in our lives by presenting over 50 scenes exploring these concepts of rapidly eroding privacy and memory, and our desperate thirst for knowledge (and cat videos).

Love and Information opens the Theater Programs 2014-2015 season, with six performances (November 14-16 and 20-22) at the Hepburn Teaching Theater (Goodhart Hall, Bryn Mawr College). Opening night is Friday, November 14.

Ticket Information and Performance Schedule:

Tickets for Love and Information are free and available to the public, while supplies last. Reservations are recommended.

Friday, November 14, 7:30 pm – Opening Night
Saturday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 16, 7:30 pm
Thursday, November 20, 7:30 pm
Friday, November 21, 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 22, 7:30 pm

Love and Information is presented in special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

To reserve by phone: (610) 526-5210
To reserve in person, visit the Office for the Arts in Goodhart Hall from
9:30 am – 1:30 pm or
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Hepburn Teaching TheaterBryn Mawr College’s Hepburn Teaching Theater is in Goodhart Hall at
150 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA.

THE CREATIVE TEAM
Catharine K. Slusar, Director
Maiko Matsushima, Scenic and Costume Designer
Alec MacLaughlin, Sound Designer
Jessica Wickes, Lighting Designer
Justin McDaniel, Technical Director
Amy Radbill, Production Manager and Props Designer
Joshua Samors, Sound Engineer
Maddie Brady (BMC ’15), Assistant Director
Marisa Arellano (BMC ’16), Dramaturg
Anu Goedhart (BMC ‘15), Stage Manager
Kristin Kury (BMC ’16), Assistant Costume Designer
Qi’er Luo (BMC ‘15) and Maya Neville (BMC ’16), Master Electricians
Paige Toft (BMC ‘15), Scenic Assistant / Bouncer
Julie Henrikson (BMC ’16), Running Crew
Stacey Horesh (BMC ’16), Running Crew

FEATURING

Marisa Arellano (BMC ’16)
Emma Basen-Engquist (BMC ’17)
Delia Bloom (BMC ’15)
Henry Bradford (HC ’15)
Maddie Brady (BMC ’15)
Anna Bullard (HC ’15)
Amelia Couderc (BMC ’16)
Camilla Dely (BMC ’15)
John Dominguez (HC ’15)
Sophie Karbjinski (BMC ’16)
Christabel Koomson (BMC ’17)
Saskia Levy-Sheon (BMC ’16)
Heather Liang (BMC ’18)
Qi’er Luo (BMC ‘15)
Sasha Mathrani (HC ’18)
Bridget Rose McJohn (BMC ’17)
Erica Rice (BMC ’17)
Christina Stella (BMC ’17)
Emma Wells (BMC ’17)
Margot Wisel (BMC ’18)

 

Honors Playwriting Thesis: DAUGHTERS OF GOD AND MAN (11/22 & 11/23)

Daughters of God and Man
Honors Playwriting Thesis, Patrick Ross ’15DAUGHTERS OF GOD AND MAN Poster

Directed by Jill Harrison
Written by Patrick Ross ’15
with
Stage Manager: Madeline Charne ’14

DAUGHTERS OF GOD AND MAN is the story of the three daughters of poet John Milton: Deborah, Mary, and Anne. Scenes from the poem are adapted within the play, which is otherwise a work of historical fiction. 1660s London life is intercut with sweeping scenes of Heaven and Hell, and we find ourselves facing the temptation of another Eve— or three.

6PM
November 22, 2014
LPAC Frear Ensemble Theater
5:30PM
November 23, 2014
Headlong Studios, 1170 S Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA

Production Ensemble 2014’s MAD FOREST (11/14 – 11/16)

Mad Forest PosterCaryl Churchill’s remarkable play, MAD FOREST takes place before and after the revolutionary events of December 1989 in Romania that marked the end of a Communist dictatorship. The title, which alludes to a Romania of the past, a Romania populated with forests and horseman warriors, simultaneously evokes the surreal nature, the euphoria, and the devastation of a revolution.. The play puts a human face on the turning point of a people and of a nation – two families under scrutiny from the secret police, one rich, one poor. Blending stark realism and uneasy fantasy, Churchill achieves a look into the belly of the revolutionary beast as the characters succumb to and rebel against the shifting realities of a world in transition.

With a stark and simple set by Matt Saunders, costumes by Laila Swanson and lighting by James P. Murphy, and sound by Liz Atkinson, director Alex Torra takes the ensemble cast of eleven (Sarah Branch, Rex Chang, Avni Fatehpuria, Makayla Portley, Htet Win, Nina Serbedzija, Kate Wiseman, Katy Montoya, Jaime Maseda, Thomas Butler and Oliva Jorgenson) on a supple journey into the tumultuous times of the late 80s in Bucharest.

Alex Torra is a Philadelphia-based director, performer, producer, and educator. He is a Company Member with Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he has worked as a Performer in Twelfth Night, Zero Cost House, Cankerblossom, Welcome to Yuba City, Pay Up, 365 Days/365 Plays, and Anodyne; as Director of Come to my Awesome Fiesta, it’s Going to be Awesome, Okay?; and as Creative Producer for PAY UP 2013 and I Promised Myself to Live Faster. He also serves as Co-Founder and Resident Director for Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, where he has directed Punchkapow and JapanAmerica Wonderwave, and the upcoming production ofThe Sincerity Project in December at FringeArts. Alex has received fellowships from the Independence Foundation, the Philadelphia Live Arts Brewery, the Princess Grace Foundation, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and NY’s Drama League, and last year was a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.F.A. in Directing from Brown University.

LPAC Pearson-Hall Theater (Mainstage)

November 14, 2014  – 8PM

November 15, 2014 – 2PM &  8PM

November 16, 2014 – 2PM

“Mad Forest” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

For more information about these and other events in the Theater Department contact lpacevents@swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8260.

https://www.facebook.com/events/314715605379534/