Author Archives: twebb1

Theater Alumni in the News

Charles Coes ’06, Visiting Professor of Sound Design in Spring 2012, is thanked by sound designer Darron West at the Tony Awards for their work together on PETER AND THE STARCATCHER on Broadway (Charles was Associate Sound Designer for the production).  Read the article about Darron here:
http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/artists/3EF60DD6-19D1-9EF1-56D16D104428CA73.html

 

In a related story, the design work of Jeff Sugg ’95, has also been represented on Broadway in two shows this year: MAGIC/BIRD (“the basketball musical”, recently closed on May 12) and the soon-to-open BRING IT ON (“the cheerleaders musical”, opening in July).  For both productions, Jeff is credited as the Video or Projection Designer, with his name on posters, press releases, etc., in addition to the programs.  His work has been frequently mentioned in reviews of these productions. For Broadway, Jeff has previously designed 33 VARIATIONS, by Moises Kaufmann, and CHINGLISH, by David Henry Hwang.  He has been involved in the creation of these shows, their pre-Broadway try-out productions, and national and international touring versions of these shows.  Jeff taught the first class Integrated Media Design offered by the Department of Theater in 2005, and was a founding member of Pig Iron Theater Company.  So he now has a total of four Broadway credits.  He remains dedicated, however, to his origins in downtown/off-off-Broadway work, through his ongoing collaborations with his wife, Cynthia Hopkins, a noted performer/composer/writer in her own right.

Congratulations class of 2012!

And best wishes as you venture forth into the world outside of Swarthmore and the beyonds.

Looking forward to hearing more about your future endeavors.
–The faculty and staff of LPAC, the Dance Program, and the Department of Theater

Join us for Jessica Cannizzaro’s Honors Thesis in Dramaturgy (May 1st and 2nd at 7PM)!

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.

WILDE/CINDERELLA in the Frear!

The Department of Theater presents

 

WILDE/CINDERELLA: Two Projects From the Advanced Directing Workshop (THEA 055)

 

 

The Importance of Being Earnest (excerpt), by Oscar Wilde

Directed by Regina Noto ‘12

 

 

Cinderella Project(ion)

A new performance piece directed by Meryl Sands ‘13

 

 

Saturday & Sunday, April 28 & 29, 2012 at 8PM

Frear Ensemble Theater (Room 1 LPAC)

Free and open to the public without advance reservation

 

New offerings in Theater for Fall 2012!

Acting I with Richard Hamburger.  (THEA 02A, M 4:15-6:15pM and 7:15-9:15PM, Kohlberg 115) Open to all students without audition or prerequisite. Six hours per week. Fulfills a general requirement for all theater majors and minors. 1 Credit.

This course is designed as a practical introduction to some of the principles, techniques, and tools of acting. This class is a prerequisite for auditioning for Production Ensemble (THEA 022) in Spring 2013.  Production Ensemble is the Department of Theater’s annual faculty-staff show on the LPAC Main Stage, and will be directed by Richard Hamburger next year.  Production Ensemble also fulfills a general requirement for all Theater majors and minors, and may be repeated for credit.

Richard Hamburger was the Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center from 1992-2007, where he also directed dozens of productions of every sort, including Shakespeare, modern classics, and a wide of American plays, including the world premieres of several new plays.  He has directed extensively at theaters around the country, including Portland Stage Company, Great Lakes Theater Festival (Cleveland), the Wilma Theatre (Philadelphia), the Pasadena Playhouse, Center Stage (Baltimore), the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, the California Shakespeare Festival, and the Williamstown Festival.  In New York City, he has directed at American Place Theatre, South Street Theater, and The Acting Company.  He has also served as a resident director at the Juilliard Theater Center in New York City, among other work in major drama schools around the country.  He also has extensive experience as a professional actor in New York and in regional theaters.

Acting II with Elizabeth Webster Duke ’96. (THEA 012, W 1-4P and 4:15-6:15PM, SciLab26) Prerequisite: Acting I (THEA 002A) or consent of instructor.  1 credit.

In this course students will explore and develop the skills necessary to perform Shakespeare with specificity and confidence. In addition to vocal and physical exercises intended to strengthen and free the actor’s body and voice, students will delve into Shakespearean scene study.  The course provides a strong foundation in basic acting technique that can be applied to multiple dramatic genres.  In addition students will explore Shakespearean scenes using rigorous textual analysis, learning to use the clues in Shakespeare’s text to make smart, useful acting choices.  While working on scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, students will learn how to rehearse, how to develop a character and how to increase their vocal, physical and emotional flexibility. 5 hours per week.

Elizabeth Webster Duke ‘96 is a member of the resident acting company at The Peoples Light and Theatre Company where she has performed in over forty productions. In the Philadelphia area she has also performed with The Wilma Theatre, The Walnut Street Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, The Eureka Theatre, Play Penn’s New Play Festival and The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.  In Washington DC, she has performed with Ford’s Theatre, The Bay Theatre, Taffety Punk Theatre Company in their critically acclaimed all-female production of Romeo and Juliet, and The Kennedy Center.   She is a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Emerging Theatre Artist Award, and holds an MFA in Classical Acting from the Academy for Classical Acting at The Shakespeare Theatre.  In addition to leading Shakespearean Text workshops at The George Washington University and in schools throughout The Washington DC area, she has also partnered with The National Opera and The Philadelphia Museum of Art in their professional development initiatives towards arts integration in the classroom.  She has taught at Temple University, The George Washington University, and Swarthmore College.   She graduated from Swarthmore with distinction in Theater and English Literature.

 

Join us for the Honors Acting Thesis: David Mamet’s 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 21st and 22nd 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.