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Press Releases
- A Dream Play
- The Arabian Nighs
- Good Woman of Setzuan
- The Oresteia
- Temptation
- Marriage of Figaro
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
A Dream Play
“I dream, therefore I am.” – Strindberg
August Strindberg’s spectacular masterpiece in a new version by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Press Opening: Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Previews June 14 & 15 at 8 pm. A Dream Play runs through July 8.
Constellation Theatre Company’s production of A Dream Play is the North American premiere of Caryl Churchill’s new version. This original adaptation reveals the love, anguish and wit at the heart of human existence. Follow a daughter of the gods through a captivating, mysterious and unique dream sequence. A vibrant ensemble of eleven performers brings to life forty-five compelling characters and infuses this piece with energy and insight.
Strindberg, one of the father’s of modern theatre, also wrote Miss Julie, The Father, The Dance of Death, and Ghost Sonata. Written by Strindberg in 1901, A Dream Play was a bold departure from his previously Naturalistic work and inspired the Expressionist Movement. Strindberg describes his imaginative and symbolic adventure, “Everything can happen, everything is possible and probable. Time and place do not exist… The characters split, double, multiply, evaporate, condense, dissolve and merge. But one consciousness rules them all: the dreamer's.”
Caryl Churchill, one of today’s most revered playwrights, created this new version that was first presented at The National Theatre in London in 2005. Churchill, the author of Cloud Nine, Far Away, A Number, Top Girls, Serious Money, and The Skriker among others, brings focus, brevity and wit to Strindberg’s tale. Of her experience working on the adaptation, Churchill writes, “I’d read the play several times over the years, admired the way it moved, but never, I realize, taken in the detail. I was surprised by its tenderness.” London’s Daily Times attests, “Caryl Churchill's take on Strindberg gives us a gloriously witty vision of the unconscious.” The Daily Telegraph calls the new version, “disconcerting theatrical brilliance… fresh, new and magical.”
Constellation Theatre Company is a brand new theatre company in Washington, DC dedicated to creating theatre that is epic, expansive and essential. Constellation’s plays and musicals share the characteristics of elevated language, expressive design and an acting style of heightened, archetypal action. A Dream Play is their debut production. Artistic Director Allison Arkell Stockman explains, “The same constellations we see today have inspired people across the world throughout time. This symbolizes our inclusive mission to select great scripts that celebrate presentational theatricality, drama and comedy, classic and contemporary, American and international alike.” Constellation Theatre Company plans to be a resident company at Source Theatre following Cultural Development Corporation’s renovation of the building.
In the DC area, Allison Stockman has directed for In Series: Fascinating Rhythm: The Roaring 20’s, Paper Moon: Remembering Harold Arlen, Maytime Cabaret: The Secret of the Rose; Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia: Nightingale, The Hatchery: The Disappearance of Janey Jones; Source Theatre: Silent Heroes, Traffic School; Phoenix Theatre DC: The Blue Room; and Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society: Patience. Allison has also directed shows at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Hangar Theatre and Duke University, in addition to venues in New York City: HERE, Expanded Arts, The Actors Studio, Center Stage NY and Soho Rep. Locally, Allison has been an Assistant Director at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, USA & Italy Alba Music Festival, Summer Opera Theatre Company and Washington Shakespeare Company. With an MFA from Carnegie Mellon, Allison is the recipient of a Drama League Directing Fellowship and a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.
Stockman has gathered a skilled artistic team to collaborate on this challenging play. Set and Lighting Designer A.J. Guban teams up with Costume Designer Jennifer Tardiff and Sound Designer Brendon Vierra. Their designs have been seen at the Kennedy Center, Washington Ballet, Washington Shakespeare Company, American Century Theatre, Imagination Stage, GALA, Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, The Hatchery, Scena Theatre, Adventure Theatre and Didactic Theatre Company.
The dynamic ensemble consists of Kevin Boggs, Katy Carkuff, Catherine Deadman, Misty Demory, Matthew Eisenberg, Keith Irby, Ashley Ivey, K. Clare Johnson, Callie Kimball, Craig Klein and Lisa Lias. These talented actors have been seen on many local stages including Studio Theatre, Folger Theatre, Synetic Theatre, Theater Alliance, Studio Theatre Secondstage, Washington Shakespeare Company, Solas Nua, Longacre Lea, Actors’ Theatre of Washington, Open Circle Theatre, Keegan Theatre and Imagination Stage.
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: A Dream Play by August Strindberg in a new version by Caryl Churchill
WHERE: Source Theatre 1835 14th St. NW
WHEN: June 14 – July 8, 2007. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: June 16 at 8 pm.
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN PREVIEWS: June 14 & 15 at 8 pm.
FOR TICKETS: Visit www.boxofficetickets.com/constellationtheatre or call 1-800-494-TIXS or 1-800-494-8497
FOR INFORMATION: Visit www.constellationtheatre.com or call 202-280-8101
TICKET INFORMATION: $15 Thursdays and Sundays, $18 Fridays and Saturdays. Students and Seniors $2 off. Groups of 8 and up $12 each.
A DREAM PLAY: FACT SHEET
Press Contact: Misty Demory
202-280-8101
Play: A DREAM PLAY
Playwrights: August Strindberg and Caryl Churchill
Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: Caryl Churchill reinvents August Strindberg's spectacular masterpiece A Dream Play in an original version that reveals the love, anguish and wit at the heart of human existence. Follow a daughter of the gods through a captivating, mysterious and unique dream sequence. A vibrant ensemble of eleven performers brings to life forty-five compelling characters and infuses this piece with energy and insight.
Cast: Kevin Boggs, Katy Carkuff, Catherine Deadman, Misty Demory, Matthew Eisenberg, Keith Irby, Ashley Ivey, K. Clare Johnson, Callie Kimball, Craig Klein, Lisa Lias.
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Jennifer Tardiff (Costumes), Brendon Vierra (Sound), Ashley Ivey (Props), Rachel Miller (Dramaturgy), Angelisa Gillyard (Assistant Director & Stage Manager)
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (2): June 14 and June 15 at 8pm
Press Night: Saturday, June 16 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: June 14 – July 8 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission Statement: Constellation Theatre Company is dedicated to creating theatre that is epic, expansive and essential. Constellation’s plays and musicals share the characteristics of elevated language, expressive design and an acting style of heightened, archetypal action. Like bright lights in the dark sky, our shows will seek to illuminate the human experience in ways that are powerful, dynamic and relevant today.
For Tickets: 1-800-494-8497, www.boxofficetickets.com/constellationtheatre
For Information: 202-280-8101, www.constellationtheatre.com
Ticket Prices: $12-$18 $15 Thursdays and Sundays, $18 Fridays and Saturdays.
Students and Seniors $2 off. Groups of 8 and up $12 each.
Location: Source Theatre at 1835 14th St. NW on the corner of T St. 2 blocks from the U St./ Cardozo Metro.
On-street Parking.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
The Arabian Nights
The ancient book of 1001 Nights adapted by brilliant theatre director Mary Zimmerman
with live music performed by Tom Teasley
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Press Opening: Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Previews September 27 & 28 at 8 pm.
The Arabian Nights runs through October 21.
Constellation Theatre Company’s production of The Arabian Nights is the Washington, DC premiere of Mary Zimmerman’s acclaimed adaptation of the ancient Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. Each night King Shahryar marries and murders a young woman until the brilliant Scheherezade is brought to his bed. She delays her death by entrancing the king with tales of romance, lust, comedy, mystery, sensuality and sorrow. An ensemble of twelve actors celebrates the transformational power of storytelling as a cold and violent heart becomes free to laugh, cry and love again.
Mary Zimmerman is one of our nation’s leading directors, specializing in magical theatre that combines heightened physicality with spectacular visual design. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Tony Award for Directing her 2002 Broadway production of Metamorphoses which she adapted from Ovid’s myths and set in an onstage swimming pool. Zimmerman’s credits as an adapter and director also include The Odyssey, Journey to the West, Eleven Rooms of Proust and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Based out of Chicago, her work has been produced at the Lookingglass Theatre and the Goodman Theatre as well as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Mark Taper Forum and McCarter Theater. Washington, DC audiences enjoyed her captivating vision of Pericles at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in 2004 and look forward to their upcoming production of her newest adaptation Argonautika this winter.
The world premiere of Zimmerman’s version of The Arabian Nights was presented by the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago in 1992 and a New York City production at the Manhattan Theatre Club followed in 1994. The New York Times reported, “The Arabian Nights is a celebration of the salutary powers of storytelling… of the rich, inexhaustible multiplicity of a narrative tradition.” The New York Post described the play as “Funny, sexy (erotic would be an apter description), romantic, enchanted and enchanting” while New York magazine imagines that “Mary Zimmerman held in one hand a giant kaleidoscope and in the other hand the horn of plenty.”
Constellation has recruited a master percussionist, Tom Teasley, to compose and perform music during the performances. With a background in jazz and world music from Africa, India, Brazil and the Middle East, Tom describes that he “taps into the power of the world’s rhythms, both secular and sacred, and tries to integrate them in an intuitive way.” In addition to familiar percussion instruments, Tom incorporates djembé, cajón, riq, surdo, doumbek, tabla, gemelan and caxixi. Joan Reinthaler of The Washington Post described Teasley as “a percussionist in the widest and most exuberant sense.” As an artist in residence, Teasley has played at the Kennedy Center nine times; he has collaborated with the National Symphony Orchestra and was featured by PASIC, the world’s largest percussion convention, three times. The vibrant and diverse tones, textures and colors of Teasley’s percussive tapestry will greatly enrich the individual stories and overall experience of The Arabian Nights.
Constellation Theatre Company presented its first show, A Dream Play by August Strindberg in a new version by Caryl Chuchill, this past June at Source Theatre. Celia Wren of The Washington Post called the production “brisk, accessible and surprisingly humorous” and “a promising debut for a company that seems determined to dream big.” DC Theatre Scene’s Tim Treanor attested that the “genuinely powerful and excellent ensemble” moved with “atomic-clock timing and laserlike precision… placing Constellation firmly on the map of serious professional theaters in Washington.” Many of the key talents from A Dream Play have come together again to collaborate on The Arabian Nights, notably director Allison Arkell Stockman, Scenic and Lighting Designer A.J. Guban, Choreographer Ashley Ivey and performers Katy Carkuff, Misty Demory, Keith Irby, Craig Klein and Lisa Lias.
Stockman has also hired Yvette M. Ryan as a costume designer. Ryan’s costumes have been seen most recently in Reefer Madness at Studio Theatre 2ndStage where she also designed Dog Sees God and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. Locally Ryan has designed for Shakespeare Theatre’s Academy of Classical Acting, Rorschach Theatre, Imagination Stage, Journeymen Theatre and Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre. Ryan earned her MFA at University of Maryland at College Park as did Designer A.J. Guban, who has worked for The Kennedy Center, Washington National Opera, The Washington Ballet, The Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia, Washington Shakespeare Company, SCENA Theatre and Didactic Theatre Company.
In addition to Carkuff, Demory, Irby, Klein, and Lias, this dynamic ensemble consists of Katie Atkinson as Scheherzade, John Tweel as Shahryar, Steve Beall, Kevin Finkelstein, John Geoffrion, Gwen Grastorf and Anastasia Wilson. These talented actors have performed at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre 2ndStage, Rorschach Theatre, Catalyst Theatre Company, Washington Shakespeare Company, Longacre Lea, Solas Nua, Synetic Theater, Forum Theatre Dance, Imagination Stage, American Century Theater, SCENA Theatre, The Hatchery, Journeymen Theatre, Open Circle Theatre, Phoenix Theatre DC and many others.
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman
WHERE: Source Theatre 1835 14th St. NW
WHEN: Sept. 27 – Oct. 21, 2007. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: September 29 at 8 pm.
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THE ARABIAN NIGHTS: FACT SHEET Press Contact: Misty Demory
Play: The Arabian Nights 202-280-8101
Playwright: Mary Zimmerman
Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: Mary Zimmerman’s acclaimed adaptation weaves ancient tales of wonder into a rich and poetic testament to the transformational power of storytelling. Each night King Shahryar marries and murders a young woman until the brilliant Scheherezade is brought to his bed. She delays her death by entrancing the king with tales of romance, lust, comedy, mystery, sensuality and sorrow.
Cast: Katie Atkinson, Steve Beall, Katy Carkuff, Misty Demory, Kevin Finkelstein, John Geoffrion, Gwen Grastorf, Keith Irby, Craig Klein, Lisa Lias, John Tweel, Anastasia Wilson.
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Tom Teasley (Composer/ Musician), Yvette M. Ryan (Costumes), Ashley Ivey (Choreography), Tonya Beckman Ross (Assistant Director), Robert Barossi (Stage Manager), Danielle Martin (Dramaturgy).
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (2): Thursday, Sept. 27 & Friday, Sept. 28 at 8pm
Press Night: Saturday, September 29 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: Sept. 27 – Oct. 21 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Special Performance Monday, October 15 at 8 pm.
Sign Interpreted Performances: Thursday, October 4 at 8 pm and Sunday, October 7 at 3pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission Statement: Constellation Theatre Company is dedicated to creating theatre that is epic, expansive and essential. We adventure outside the staid, predictable realm of our everyday lives into an arena that is startling, magical and symbolic. Constellation combines visionary, expressive design with heightened physical movement and elevated language. Like bright lights in the dark sky, our shows will seek to illuminate the human experience in ways that are powerful, dynamic and relevant today.
For Tickets: 1-800-494-8497, www.boxofficetickets.com/constellationtheatre
For Information: 202-280-8101, www.constellationtheatre.org
Ticket Prices: $12-$18 $15 Thursdays and Sundays, $18 Fridays and Saturdays.
Students and Seniors $2 off. Groups of 8 and up $12 each.
Location: Source Theatre at 1835 14th St. NW on the corner of T St.
Two blocks from the U St./ Cardozo Metro. On-street parking.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
The Good Woman of Setzuan
An exotic comedy from revolutionary playwright Bertolt Brecht
A cast of 20 bring this epic drama to life in the expansive Clark Street Playhouse.
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Press Opening: Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Previews March 27 & 28 at 8 pm.
The Good Woman of Setzuan runs through April 20.
Three gods descend to earth in search of one good person and discover that kindness and compassion don’t pay the rent. Shen Te, a kind and generous prostitute, is driven to disguise herself as the shrewd and unethical male businessman Shui Ta in order to navigate the demands of love, family and hungry neighbors. Bertolt Brecht, the avant-garde father of epic drama, mixes comedy and fantasy to create an exotic world that turns out to be very close to home. Constellation Theatre Company’s presentation of The Good Woman of Setzuan is the first professional production of this play in Washington, DC since Garland Wright directed a translation by Ralph Manheim at Arena Stage in 1985.
Bertolt Brecht was a provocative and daring visionary who created an original style of theatre designed to challenge and enlighten the audience, while engaging them to think about the dilemmas inherent in modern society. He asks how we can remain virtuous in a world that revolves around money and power. An active critic of war and capitalism, Brecht was perceived as dangerous by Germany’s government and he was forced to travel as a refugee from 1933 until he came to California in 1941. An internationally renowned playwright and poet, Brecht founded the Berliner Ensemble in 1949 after he returned to Germany. The company toured throughout Europe, spreading Brecht’s influence far and wide. The Good Woman of Setzuan, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Life of Galileo, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle are the most celebrated of Brecht’s plays in addition to the musical The Threepenny Opera that he created with composer Kurt Weill.
Brecht’s brilliance lies in his humor and his ability to inspire while amusing. “Clothing his didactic purpose in dazzling wit and fable-like enchantment, Brecht succeeds magnificently in achieving his distinctive alchemy of entertainment and instruction, art and life.” Eric Bentley is a widely recognized playwright, critic and scholar, one of the foremost authorities on the modern theater, and a longtime intimate of Brecht’s. He has created a version of the play that is not a literal translation, but captures the spirit of the work and, in Bentley’s words, is “more plausible, has more character, more charm, vivacity, edge.”
Constellation Theatre Company will be a resident company at Source following the renovation. This spring Constellation has arranged to have a temporary home at Clark Street Playhouse. The large warehouse space offered a rare opportunity and Constellation has chosen to follow The Good Woman of Setzuan with The Oresteia this spring. Allison Arkell Stockman’s original adaptation of Robert Fagles’ translation of the archetypal Greek trilogy will tell the ultimate story of love, sacrifice, justice and revenge in one dynamic evening of theatre. Stockman says, “The expansive space at Clark Street is perfectly suited to Constellation’s mission to create epic, magical worlds with striking visual imagery and the integration of music and dance. We embraced the chance to tell stories with large ensembles of actors, elevated language and heightened physicality.”
Constellation Theatre Company presented its first show, A Dream Play by August Strindberg in a new version by Caryl Chuchill, in June 2007 at Source. Celia Wren of The Washington Post called the production “brisk, accessible and surprisingly humorous” and “a promising debut for a company that seems determined to dream big.” DC Theatre Scene’s Tim Treanor attested that the show was successful at “placing Constellation firmly on the map of serious professional theaters in Washington.”
This past October, Constellation brought The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman to Source Theatre. Nelson Pressley of The Washington Post wrote, “With its cool, confident staging of Mary Zimmerman's user-friendly ‘Arabian Nights,’ Constellation Theatre Company undulates into view as a young troupe to watch” and noted that the production “offers something to admire at every turn.” Doug Krentzlin of DC’s Examiner called it, “an infectious ode to the primal power and appeal of storytelling.”
Many of the central talents to A Dream Play and The Arabian Nights have come together again to create The Good Woman of Setzuan. Director Allison Arkell Stockman collaborates with Scenic and Lighting Designer A.J. Guban, Costume Designer Yvette M. Ryan and Choreographer Ashley Ivey. Stockman, Guban and Ryan most recently worked together on Combat and Redemption: An Opera Triptych, an In Series presentation of three one act operas by Monteverdi, Mozart and Holst, performed at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Tom Teasley, a master percussionist who played live during The Arabian Nights, has composed and recorded an original score for The Good Woman of Setzuan.
Katie Atkinson who played the bewitching Scheherazade in The Arabian Nights will star as Shen Te, and her alter ego Shui Ta. Also returning to the acting company are Katy Carkuff, Catherine Deadman, Kevin Finkelstein, John Geoffrion, Keith Irby, Ashley Ivey, and Lisa Lias. Twelve other skilled actors, Molly Cahill, John Feist, Lewis Freeman, Hilary Kacser, Jenny Leopold, Kenny Littlejohn, Beckett Martin, Francisco Reinoso, Joe Thornhill, Meghan Tolmie, Yasmin Tuazon and Ron Ward, complete the twenty-person ensemble that will populate the exotic town of Setzuan.
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Eric Bentley
WHERE: Clark Street Playhouse, 601 South Clark Street Arlington, VA 22202
WHEN: March 27 – April 20, 2008. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm & Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: Saturday, March 29 at 8 pm.
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THE GOOD WOMAN OF SETZUAN: FACT SHEET Press Contact: Misty Demory
Play: The Good Woman of Setzuan 202-280-8101
Playwright: Bertolt Brecht, translated by Eric Bentley
Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: Three gods descend to earth in search of one good person and discover that kindness and compassion don’t pay the rent. Shen Te, a kind and generous prostitute, is driven to disguise herself as the shrewd and unethical male businessman Shui Ta in order to navigate the demands of love, family and hungry neighbors. Bertolt Brecht, the avant-garde father of epic drama, mixes comedy and fantasy to create an exotic world that turns out to be very close to home.
Cast: Katie Atkinson, Molly Cahill, Katy Carkuff, Catherine Deadman, John Feist, Kevin Finkelstein, Lewis Freeman, John Geoffrion, Keith Irby, Ashley Ivey, Hilary Kacser, Jenny Leopold, Lisa Lias, Kenny Littlejohn, Beckett Martin, Francisco Reinoso, Joe Thornhill, Meghan Tolmie, Yasmin Tuazon, Ron Ward.
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Tom Teasley (Composer), Yvette M. Ryan (Costumes), Chris Baine (Sound Design), Ashley Ivey (Choreography), Kevin Finkelstein (Assistant Director), Françoise Bastien (Stage Manager), Brett Abelman (Assistant Stage Manager), Meghan Nesmith (Dramaturgy), Michael Roike (Technical Director), Angelo Merenda (Props Design), Nick Lopatta (Master Electrician).
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (2): Thursday, March 27 & Friday, March 28 at 8pm
Press Night: Saturday, March 29 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: Mar. 27 – April 20 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Special Performance Monday, April 14 at 8 pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission Statement: Constellation Theatre Company is dedicated to creating theatre that is epic, expansive and essential. We adventure outside the staid, predictable realm of our everyday lives into an arena that is startling, magical and symbolic. Constellation combines visionary, expressive design with heightened physical movement and elevated language. Like bright lights in the dark sky, our shows will seek to illuminate the human experience in ways that are powerful, dynamic and relevant today.
For Tickets: 1-800-494-8497, www.boxofficetickets.com/constellationtheatre
For Information: 202-280-8101, www.constellationtheatre.org
Ticket Prices: $12 - $20 $20 All performances. $15 for Students & Seniors.
$12 Tickets for Groups of 5 and up.
Location: Clark Street Playhouse, 601 South Clark Street, Arlington, VA 22202
Metro to Crystal City or Take the Clark Street Exit Just Over the 14th Street Bridge.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
The Oresteia
An epic Greek tragedy by Aeschylus, translated by the brilliant Robert Fagles.
Powerful visual imagery, live music and a cast of 29 in one dynamic evening of theatre.
Adapted and Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Press Opening: Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Preview May 9 at 8 pm.
The Oresteia runs through June 1.
The only surviving Greek trilogy brings us Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Orestes, Electra and The Furies in the ultimate story of war, love, vengeance and mercy. The tragic chain of murder and blood sacrifice culminates in the birth of a justice system and the triumph of compassion. The three plays, Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and The Eumenides have been streamlined into a single, epic evening of theatre complete with live music and dance.
This original adaptation begins with an opening sequence that brings to light the given circumstances of the play, the theft of Helen of Troy and the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Returning victorious from the Trojan War, Agamemnon is seduced by his stealthy wife Clytemnestra, who is determined to seek revenge for their daughter whom Agamemnon was forced to kill in order to appease the gods. Years later, their son Orestes returns home from exile and finds his sister Electra imprisoned as a slave. Together they mourn their father’s death and vow to slay their mother and her lover Aegisthus in return. As soon as his mother’s blood wets the ground, Orestes discovers that The Furies, ancient goddesses of revenge, are hot on his trail to punish him for his crime. Apollo, the god of Prophecy and Light, rescues Orestes. They travel to the temple of Athena and there the goddess of Justice sets into motion history’s first murder trial.
Aeschylus, the father of Greek tragedy, is the oldest of the Greek playwrights whose scripts have survived. A veteran of the Persian Wars, Aeschylus conveys the horror of violence and celebrates the potential of a civilization that settles its conflicts through debate and democracy. The Oresteia won first prize at the Dionysia festival in Athens when it was first performed in 458 BC. In ancient Greece, a day at the amphitheatre included three tragedies, followed by a comedic satyr play, and The Oresteia is the only trilogy that remains intact today. This is the first time all three plays have been presented in a single two and a half hour performance by a professional theatre in Washington, DC. The American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA presented a critically acclaimed one-evening version of the trilogy in 1995 and the Royal National Theatre of London produced an original translation of the tale told through two plays performed in repertory in 2000.
When embarking on this adventure Constellation Theatre Company chose the translation of famous translator Robert Fagles, one of the very few writers to tackle all three of the major epic poems of Homer and Virgil: The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Aeneid. Sadly, Robert Fagles died of cancer on Wednesday, March 26 of this year. Charles McGrath of The New York Times described the talent of this esteemed writer, “While faithful to the spirit and intent of the original, his translations were remarkable for their narrative energy and verve.” Director Allison Arkell Stockman, an alumna of Princeton where Robert Fagles was a popular professor, was first attracted to Fagles work when she read his translation of Antigone. She attests, “Professor Fagles had a rare gift for combining action and poetry in a way that is accessible to modern audiences and actors. The passion and emotional depth of his words are sprinkled with bright moments of humor that, while sorely needed, are often neglected in translations of Greek tragedy.” Stockman approached Fagles with a proposal for this production and he generously granted permission for her to adapt the three plays into a single evening, using about one third of the original text.
Before returning to the renovated Source Theatre as a resident company, Constellation Theatre Company has found a home at Clark Street Playhouse this spring. They just closed their production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan, described by Celia Wren of The Washington Post, “Under the smart direction of Allison Arkell Stockman and aided by costumer Yvette M. Ryan and other canny creatives, a 20-person cast is rollicking through Brecht's single-minded parable, making it colorful and stylized.” Doug Krentzlin of DC Examiner complimented the company’s “enthusiasm, imagination and just plain raw talent.” Designers A.J. Guban and Yvette M. Ryan finished their work on Good Woman and immediately began creating the world for The Oresteia.
Internationally acclaimed musician Tom Teasley is composing music that he will perform live during The Oresteia. Teasley composed and recorded music for The Good Woman of Setzuan and was seen onstage in The Arabian Nights last fall. Nelson Pressley of The Washington Post wrote of Teasley’s performance in The Arabian Nights, “With his unusual array of instruments, his propulsive beats and near-dervish presence, Teasley is practically a show unto himself.” Teasley has collected a large and diverse range of instruments to underscore The Oresteia. With a background in jazz and world music from Africa, India, Brazil and the Middle East, Tom describes that he “taps into the power of the world’s rhythms, both secular and sacred, and tries to integrate them in an intuitive way.”
Helen Hayes award winner Nanna Ingvarsson will star in The Oresteia as Clytemnestra opposite Brian Hemmingsen’s Agamemnon. Returning to the Constellation acting company are Katy Carkuff, Misty Demory, Kevin Finkelstein, Gwen Grastorf, Keith Irby, Choreographer Ashley Ivey, Hilary Kacser, Lisa Lias, Kenny Littlejohn, Beckett Martin, Joe Thornhill and Ron Ward. Fifteen other skilled actors, Joe Brack, Jennifer Crooks, Nick DePinto*, Theo Hadjimichael, Elizabeth Jernigan, Meghan Nesmith, Anne Nottage, Kevin O’Reilly, Rachel Lee Poole, Julia Proctor, James Radack, Julie Roundtree, Amy Quiggins, Jjana Valentiner, Lindsay Kit Wiebe complete the twenty-nine person ensemble. * AEA Member
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: The Oresteia by Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles
WHERE: Clark Street Playhouse, 601 South Clark Street Arlington, VA 22202
WHEN: May 9 – June 1, 2008. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm & Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: Saturday, May 10 at 8 pm.
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THE ORESTEIA: FACT SHEET Press Contact: Misty Demory
Play: The Oresteia 202-280-8101
Playwright: Aeschylus, translated by Robert Fagles
Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: The only surviving Greek trilogy brings us Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Orestes, Electra and The Furies in the ultimate story of war, love, vengeance and mercy. The tragic chain of murder and blood sacrifice culminates in the birth of a justice system and the triumph of compassion. Powerful visual imagery, live music and a cast of 29 bring this original adaptation of the archetypal Greek trilogy to life in one epic evening of theatre.
Cast: Joe Brack, Katy Carkuff, Jennifer Crooks, Misty Demory, Nick DePinto*, Kevin Finkelstein, Gwen Grastorf, Theo Hadjimichael, Brian Hemmingsen, Keith Irby, Nanna Ingvarsson, Ashley Ivey, Elizabeth Jernigan, Hilary Kacser, Lisa Lias, Kenny Littlejohn, Beckett Martin, Meghan Nesmith, Anne Nottage, Kevin O’Reilly, Rachel Lee Poole, Julia Proctor, James Radack, Julie Roundtree, Joe Thornhill, Amy Quiggins, Jjana Valentiner, Ron Ward, Lindsay Kit Wiebe. *AEA Member
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Tom Teasley (Composer/ Performer), Yvette M. Ryan (Costumes), Ashley Ivey (Choreographer), Cliff Williams (Fight Choreographer), John Michael MacDonald, C.Smith (Assistant Directors), Alicia Oliver-Krueger (Stage Manager), Rachel Miller (Dramaturgy), Meghan Nesmith, Cheryl Gnerlich (Assistant Stage Managers), Michael Roike (Technical Director), Erica Yeager (Props Design), Angelo Merenda (Master Carpenter), Christopher Kelly (Master Electrician).
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (1): Friday, May 9 at 8pm
Press Night: Saturday, May 10 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: May 9 – June 1 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission Statement: Constellation Theatre Company is dedicated to creating theatre that is epic, expansive and essential. We adventure outside the staid, predictable realm of our everyday lives into an arena that is startling, magical and symbolic. Constellation combines visionary, expressive design with heightened physical movement and elevated language. Like bright lights in the dark sky, our shows will seek to illuminate the human experience in ways that are powerful, dynamic and relevant today.
For Tickets:1-800-494-8497, www.boxofficetickets.com/constellationtheatre
For Information: 202-280-8101, www.constellationtheatre.org
Ticket Prices: $12 - $20 $20 All performances. $15 for Students & Seniors.
$12 Tickets for Groups of 5 and up.
Location: Clark Street Playhouse, 601 South Clark Street, Arlington, VA 22202
Metro to Pentagon City or Take the Clark Street Exit Just Over the 14th St. Bridge/ I-395.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
Temptation
A Political Satire by Former Czech Republic President Václav Havel
A Provocative Retelling of the Faust Story
With Original Music by Tom Teasley
Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman
Press Opening: Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Previews October 9 & 10 at 8 pm.
Temptation runs through November 9.
Science & Magic. Ambition & Desire. A Secret Messenger & A Double Agent.
Black magic seeps into a conservative science institute in this provocative retelling of the Faust story by revolutionary and first Czech Republic President Václav Havel. This dark comedy exposes ambition, desire and political deception in a world populated by a demon, a dancer, a secret messenger and a team of seductive scientists. Constellation Theatre Company’s production of Temptation is the Washington, DC premiere of this absurdist political satire, which will feel especially relevant in an election year.
Few men have had the combination of international political and cultural influence as Václav Havel. He came to age in Prague, in a Czechoslovakia suffering under Communist Rule. Havel exercised his outspoken, rebellious voice first in 1956 when he wrote a letter in the magazine Kveten challenging the idea that art had to conform to Socialist Realism. In 1963 Havel’s first play The Garden Party received its debut production as part of a season of Theater of the Absurd at the Balustrade and it immediately garnered him international acclaim. After the Prague Spring in 1968, Havel’s plays were banned; he became the political leader of the opposition and penned the human rights manifesto Charter 77. The same year The Public Theater in New York produced The Memorandum, which established Havel’s reputation in the United States; that play had a successful DC production by Forum Theatre and Dance in 2006. After a four year stay in prison, Havel wrote Temptation in 1985. A leader of the peaceful Velvet Revolution that put an end to communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, Havel was the first democratically elected President of the country and he served as President of the Czech Republic from after the secession of Slovakia in 1993 until 2003.
The classical Faust story began as a German legend in the 16th century and centers on the tale of a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus premiered in London in 1952 and the story has inspired many artists, writers and composes for years since. The most famous adaptation is the epic closet drama written by Goethe in the 19th century. Havel’s interpretation of the Faust legend features a curious scientist at a rigid Science Institute with a mission of limiting all thought and study to pre-approved scientific theories. Tempted by ambition, seduced by the promise of romantic passion and plagued with jealousy, Havel’s Doctor Foustka experiments with the dark arts under the direction of a strange Mephistopheles character. In addition to the traditional Faustian themes, Havel satirizes the doublespeak and purposefully ambiguous language of an authoritarian bureaucracy. Director Allison Arkell Stockman says, “Doctor Foustka deftly plays both sides against the middle, and claims to hold different points of view depending on his audience. The dark comedy of his manipulation feels especially relevant during an election year in DC.”
Constellation Theatre Company is presenting Temptation at Source where it is now a resident company. Their 2007 production of Caryl Churchill’s new adaptation of Strindberg’s A Dream Play at Source was “a promising debut for a company that seems determined to dream big,” according to Celia Wren of The Washington Post. Nelson Pressley confirmed that “Constellation Theatre Company undulates into view as a young troupe to watch,” with its second show, Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights. While Source was under renovation, Constellation found a temporary home at the Clark Street Playhouse where it performed Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan and an original adaptation of Aeschylus’ Greek trilogy The Oresteia this past spring. Constellation is thrilled to be back at home on 14th St. for its second season.
The creative team for Temptation includes Associate Artists, Scenic and Lighting Designer, A.J. Guban and Costume Designer Yvette M. Ryan, as well as Sound Designer Brendon Vierra. Tom Teasley, who performed live for The Arabian Nights and The Oresteia, has composed and recorded original music for this production. Havel was a great admirer of Frank Zappa and Teasley is using Havel’s favorite music as inspiration for an original soundscape of electronic jazz/ rock, a strong departure from the world music he has created for Constellation shows in the past. Constellation is proud to welcome choreographer and CityDance company member Giselle Alvarez to the creative team, as well as past collaborator and fight choreographer Cliff Williams III.
The cast includes Constellation favorites: Katie Atkinson, Jennifer Crooks, Nick DePinto, Gwen Grastorf, Ashley Ivey, Lisa Lias, John Tweel and Ron Ward. Talented local actors Frank Britton, Heather Haney, Jesse Terrill and Scott Zeigler round out the excellent cast.
The Constellation 2008-2009 Season also includes the classic farce The Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais playing from January 22 – February 22 and the epic adventure Crazyface by horror novelist Clive Barker showing from May 21 – June 14. Constellation’s Subscription Series is on sale now.
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: Temptation by Václav Havel
WHERE: Source Theatre 1835 14th St. NW
WHEN: Oct. 9 – Nov. 9, 2008. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: October 11 at 8 pm.
CONTACT: 202-204-7741 or constellationtheatre@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.constellationtheatre.org
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TEMPTATION: FACT SHEET Press Contact: Misty Demory
Play: Temptation 202-204-7741
constellationtheatre@gmail.com
Playwright: Václav Havel
Director: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: Black magic seeps into a conservative science institute in this provocative retelling of the Faust story by revolutionary and first Czech Republic President Václav Havel. This dark comedy exposes ambition, desire and political deception in a world populated by a demon, a dancer, a secret messenger and a team of seductive scientists.
Cast: Katie Atkinson, Frank Britton, Jennifer Crooks, Nick DePinto, Gwen Grastorf, Heather Haney, Ashley Ivey, Lisa Lias, Jesse Terrill, John Tweel, Ron Ward and Scott Zeigler.
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Tom Teasley (Composer), Yvette M. Ryan (Costumes), Brendon Vierra (Sound Design), Giselle Alvarez (Choreography), Cliff Williams III (Fight Choreography), Francoise Nelson (Stage Manager), Christy Denny (Assistant Director), Kate Loverick (Props Design), Michael Roike (Technical Director), Jeny Hall (Master Electrician), Jose Abraham (Assistant Stage Manager), and Lynette Winslow (Sound Board Operator).
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (2): Thursday, Oct. 9 & Friday, Oct. 10 at 8 pm
Press Night: Saturday, October 11 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: October 9 – November 9 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Special Performance on Monday, November 3 at 8 pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission:
Visionary Design. Heightened Physicality. Epic, Ensemble Theatre.
For Tickets: 1-800-494-8497, www.constellationtheatre.org
For Information: 202-204-7741, www.constellationtheatre.org
Ticket Prices: $15-20 $20 Adult General Admission
Students and Seniors $15. Groups of 8 and up $17 each.
Location: Source Theatre at 1835 14th St. NW on the corner of T St.
Two blocks from the U St./ Cardozo Metro. On-street parking.
Post-Show Discussions with the Artists: Sunday, Oct. 19, Saturday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 2.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
For Immediate Release
The Marriage of Figaro
The Play by Beaumarchais
A Physical Comedy About Class
A new adaptation by Director Allison Arkell Stockman
With Original Music by Jesse Terrill
Press Opening: Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 8 pm.
Pay-What-You-Can Previews January 22 & 23 at 8 pm.
The Marriage of Figaro runs through February 22.
Love Letters. Locked Doors. Lustful Liaisons.
Constellation Theatre Company is presenting an original adaptation of Beaumarchais’ celebrated work, infused with heightened physicality inspired by commedia dell’arte. Figaro must outwit his master, the Count, in order to preserve the honor of his bride, Suzanne, who the Count plans to bed on her wedding night. While nobles and servants plot and scheme, mistaken identity, sexual intrigue and class conflict prevail. This epic farce inspired Mozart to write the opera and foreshadowed the French Revolution.
Beaumarchais was born Pierre-Augustin Caron, the son of a watch-maker who married into money and land, assuming the additional name “de Beaumarchais.” The complex and perfectly timed plotting that has made The Marriage of Figaro one of the classic examples of French farce seems fitting to Beaumarchais’ original profession as an expert of creating watches dependent on many small, intersecting parts that must move together in rhythm. Over his lifetime Beaumarchais played a wide variety of roles. In addition to being a playwright, he was an inventor, musician, politician, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms-dealer, diplomat, litigant, judge and revolutionary. As a man who worked his way up the social ladder through marriage, political writings and public scandal, Beaumarchais was always critical of the ruling class and empathetic with under dog causes. He was especially sympathetic with the American colonies and their rebellion against England; he personally trafficked weapons and employed forty vessels to aid the revolutionaries. It is ironic that despite his full support of the French Revolution of 1789, he found himself jailed for treason and then exiled during the aftermath, only to return to Paris before his death.
The original The Marriage of Figarowas written by Beaumarchais as the second part of a trilogy. The Barber of Seville was the first of Beaumarchais’ successful plays and requests for a sequel resulted in The Marriage of Figaro, followed by the final installment, The Guilty Mother. The Marriage of Figaro, or La Folle Journée (The Crazy Day), was written in 1778, eleven years before the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette loved the story, her husband Louis XVI saw the central critique of the nobility as insulting and dangerous, and he banned the play until 1784. At the first public performance the house was so packed that the opening night crowd crushed three people to death. After the smash success of the play, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was inspired to compose the comic opera by the same name which debuted in Vienna only two years later.
Allison Arkell Stockman, Founding Artistic Director of Constellation Theatre Company, chose to do an original adaptation of the play for the upcoming production. “This brilliant work, written by a French playwright, is set in Spain, with a story best known from the Italian opera written by an Austrian composer, now presented in the United States. I wanted to explore the archetypal characters and clarify the major events with dialogue that would be fast, funny and accessible to a modern American audience. The central struggles of social class conflict and the battle of the sexes lie at the heart of the story and those themes still ring true today.” This classic French farce is heavily influenced by the commedia dell’arte tradition and so Stockman sought out physical comedy masters Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell of Happenstance Theater (Creators and performers of the sold-out and extended The Seven Ages of Mime at Round House Theatre) to conduct movement workshops with the cast. This production embraces the heightened physicality of commedia and the way that style communicates ideas about character, status and gender.
Constellation Associate Artists A.J. Guban (Scenic & Lighting Design), Yvette M. Ryan (Costume Design) and Ashley Ivey (Choreography) return to create a show that is rooted in its historical context and yet “period light” in its representation of class and sexuality. Spanish visual artists Goya and Gaudi inspired a design that is fantastical, imaginative and supportive of a theatrical world that includes asides, song, dance and lots of music. Jesse Terrill, who performed as an actor in Constellation’s most recent production of Havel’s Temptation, completes the design team. Terrill has composed original orchestral music that underscores and accents moments during the show.
The Marriage of Figaro has a terrific cast including Constellation favorites: Katy Carkuff, Misty Demory, Ashley Ivey and Joseph Thornhill. Joe Brack (most recently seen in the one man show Santaland Diaries) portrays Figaro and is once again playing opposite Helen Hayes Award Winner Nanna Ingvarsson; the two talented actors were Orestes and Clytaemnestra in last spring’s Oresteia. Jonathon Church is making his debut with Constellation in the role of the Count. Church has twice been nominated for Helen Hayes Awards and has done excellent work with many area companies including: Longacre Lea, Catalyst Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Solas Nua and Forum Theatre. Steve Beall, Lewis Freeman, Lee Liebeskind and Rachel Lee Poole round out the strong ensemble.
The Marriage of Figaro will be performed at SOURCE where Constellation is a resident company,
WHO: Constellation Theatre Company
WHAT: The Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais
WHERE: Source Theatre 1835 14th St. NW
WHEN: Jan. 22 – Feb. 22, 2009. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.
PRESS OPENING: Saturday, January 24 at 8 pm.
CONTACT: 202-204-7741 or constellationtheatre@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.ConstellationTheatre.org
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THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO: FACT SHEET Press Contact: Misty Demory
Play: The Marriage of Figaro 202-204-7741
constellationtheatre@gmail.com
Playwright: Beaumarchais
Director & Adapter: Allison Arkell Stockman
Blurb: Figaro must outwit his master, the Count, in order to preserve the honor of his bride, Suzanne, who the Count plans to bed on her wedding night. While nobles and servants plot and scheme, mistaken identity, sexual intrigue and class conflict prevail. This epic farce inspired Mozart to write the opera and foreshadowed the French Revolution.
Cast: Steve Beall, Joe Brack, Katy Carkuff, Jonathon Church, Misty Demory, Lewis Freeman, Nanna Ingvarsson, Ashley Ivey, Lee Liebeskind, Rachel Lee Poole, Joseph Thornhill.
Design and Production: A.J. Guban (Set and Lights), Jesse Terrill (Composer), Yvette M. Ryan (Costumes), Ashley Ivey (Choreography), Françoise Nelson (Stage Manager), Christy Denny (Dramaturg), Meghan Tolmie (Assistant Director), Erica Yeager (Props Design), Michael Roike (Technical Director), Jeny Hall (Master Electrician), Lynette Winslow (Assistant Sound Design), Julia Cain (Assistant Stage Manager).
Pay-What-You-Can Previews (2): Thursday, Jan. 22 & Friday, Jan. 23 at 8 pm
Press Night: Saturday, January 24 at 8pm
Performance Schedule: January 22 – February 22 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Special Performance on Monday, February 16 at 8 pm.
Constellation Theatre Company Mission:
Visionary Design. Heightened Physicality. Epic, Ensemble Theatre.
For Tickets: 1-800-494-8497, www.ConstellationTheatre.org
For Information: 202-204-7741, www.ConstellationTheatre.org
Ticket Prices: $15-20 $20 Adult General Admission
Students and Seniors $15. Groups of 8 and up $17 each.
Location: Source Theatre at 1835 14th St. NW on the corner of T St.
Two blocks from the U St./ Cardozo Metro. On-street parking.
Post-Show Discussions with the Artists: Saturday, Feb. 7; Sunday, Feb. 15; Friday, Feb. 20.
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