About the Director

Jonathan Carr

Jonathan Carr is an adjunct professor at Villanova, and received his M.F.A. in directing from Columbia University. He made his Philadelphia directing debut here with last season’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). More recently, Jonathan directed Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July at Ursinus College and Audience/Unveiling, two one acts by Vaclav Havel, at the Allens Lane Theater in Mt. Airy. His New York directing credits include Gombrowicz's Princess Ivona, Ibsen's When We Dead Awaken, and an original adaptation of Duras' The Malady of Death. Work with contemporary playwrights includes Timothy Braun's Angelina, Deirdre T. O'Connor's The Ladies, Caroline Prugh’s Terminal, and Heather MacDonald's Son of Nun in High Road in the N.Y. Intl. Fringe Festival. He also directed the Austin, TX premiere of Constance Congdon's Dog Opera, and has assistant directed at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Anne Bogart), Ma-Yi Theatre Company at The Public Theater/NYSF (Lisa Peterson), San Jose Repertory Theatre (Timothy Douglas, John McCluggage), and Williamstown Theatre Festival (Paul Weidner).

Press Release

VILLANOVA THEATRE PRESENTS THE VISIT

Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s Deliciously Dark Comedy About Love, Revenge, and Money

What happens when the richest woman in the world returns to her poor hometown to confront the man who spurned her many years ago? Villanova Theatre explores these themes of love, revenge, and money in Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s dark comedy The Visit.

Adapted by Maurice Valency and directed by adjunct theatre professor Jonathan Carr, The Visit runs November 9–21, 2004, at Vasey Hall on the Villanova University campus. Showtimes are 8:00pm Tuesday­Saturday and 2:00pm Sunday. Tickets are $18–$22 and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at (610) 519-7474. Additional information is available at http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/.

In The Visit, Claire Zachanassian returns to her poverty-stricken hometown of Güllen, intent on revenge. Claire confronts the popular town grocer, Alfred Ill, the man who turned his back on her when she was young, scared, and pregnant. Now fabulously wealthy, Claire offers to save the town from bankruptcy, but there is one small catch.

“There are two big stories in The Visit,” said director Carr. “There is the story of Güllen and what the townspeople do to survive. They are desperate and, after Claire’s arrival, the town has to deal with the opportunity to have money again if they turn on Ill.

“The other main story is an old and twisted love story about two childhood lovers who meet up again late in life,” he continued. “They challenge each other, it is a little war out there. And that’s what we come to the theatre to watch: two people battling it out for what they desperately want.“

Dürrenmatt’s unsettling mix of comedy and tragedy makes for compelling theatre, said Carr.

“Crazy things happen in The Visit and we don’t know what it all means or how to respond,” he said. “Ridiculous, often very funny things in the play have horrifying and all too real consequences. The tragedy comes from the history in the play - the story of a man shirking his responsibility and destroying a young girl’s life - and also from where The Visit is inevitably headed...toward justice and retribution.”

The Visit premiered as Der Besuch der Alten Dame in Zurich in 1956. The play was an instant hit for 35-year-old Dürrenmatt. Maurice Valency adapted the play in 1958, and The Visit opened the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City in a production directed by Peter Brook and starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.

Dürrenmatt was born on January 5, 1921, in Konolfingen, Switzerland, near Bern. His early work includes It Is Written (1946) and The Blind (1948). Dürrenmatt's first success on the post-World War II stage was Romulus the Great (1949), a comedy about the fall of the Roman Empire. With An Angel Comes to Babylon in 1953 and The Visit in 1956, Dürrenmatt's reputation was firmly established in Europe. During this time, he also wrote essays, radio scripts, detective stories, and novels. He continued writing until his death in 1990; his later plays include Play Strindberg (1969), The Appointed Time (1977), and his last major work, The Execution of Justice (1989).

In Villanova’s production of The Visit, the vengeful Claire Zachanassian is played by theatre professor Joanna Rotté. She last appeared on stage as the Catwoman in Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats... (2003). At Villanova, Rotté has directed Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Endgame, David Rabe’s In the Boom Boom Room, Tina Howe’s The Art of Dining, and Sam Shepard’s True West and The Tooth of Crime, as well as numerous works by Caryl Churchill. Her own plays, Prajna, Death of the Father, and Art Talk, have been featured presentations of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Rotté is the author of Scene Change (A Theatre Diary: Prague, Moscow, Leningrad) and Acting With Adler.

Stephen Patrick Smith appears as Alfred Ill. Smith, who received his M.A. in theatre from Villanova in 1999, was last seen at Villanova as Clov in Rotté's 2000 production of Endgame. Smith went on to receive his M.F.A in acting in 2003 from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program. He has since worked professionally in Philadelphia and regionally with such theatres as The Utah Shakespearean Festival. Recent roles include Henry Carr in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties and Jack Burden in the world premiere of All The King’s Men, adapted and directed by Adrian Hall.

The 25-member ensemble of The Visit is comprised of a mix of Villanova graduate theatre students, undergraduates, faculty members, and guest artists, including Karen H. Ames, Bob Bonocore, Carrie Bray, Leigh Ann Brienza, Deborah Crane, David Ethier, Nick Falco, Nancy M. Furey, Maria Gianfrancisco, Charles Helmetag, André N. Jones, Joe Leduc, Matthew Livingstone, Tonilyn Longo, Shaun Malleck, Brian Manelski, Rebecca McFadden, Elizabeth Pool, Justin Poole, Barbara Quinn, Joseph Quirk, Paul Recupero, Matthew Rohner, Thomas Sibley, and Taylor Williams.

Carr received his M.F.A. in directing from Columbia University. He made his Philadelphia directing debut last season with Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) at Villanova. Other area credits include Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July at Ursinus College and Audience/Unveiling, two one acts by Václav Havel, at Allen’s Lane Theater in Mt. Airy, PA. His New York directing credits include Witold Gombrowicz’s Princess Ivona, Henrik Ibsen’s When We Dead Awaken, and an original adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ The Malady of Death. He also directed the Austin, TX, premiere of Constance Congdon’s Dog Opera, and has assistant directed at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ma-Yi Theatre Company at The Public Theater/NYSF, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival.

The production team assembled for The Visit includes Scenic Designer Dirk Durossette, Costume Designer Janus Stefanowicz, Lighting Designer Jerold R. Forsyth, Properties Designer cdavid hall-cottrill, Sound Designer Bill Moriarty, and Dramaturg Susannah Henderson.

The Visit performs November 9–21, 2004. Press Opening is Wednesday, November 10, at 8:00pm. Performances are held in Vasey Hall, located at Lancaster & Ithan Avenues, on the Villanova University campus. Showtimes are 8:00pm Tuesday-Saturday and 2:00pm Sunday. Tickets are $18-$22, with discounts for seniors, groups, and students.

Villanova Theatre continues the 2004-2005 season with William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, February 15–27, 2005, and the Tony Award-winning musical Big River, based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, April 5–24, 2005.

For tickets and information, please call the Villanova Theatre Box Office at 610-519-7474 or log on to http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/productions/tickets.htm.

Press Release

Production Photos

/artsci/theatre/productions/tickets.htm	The Güllen Mixed Choir Welcomes Their Visitor
Madame Zachanassian (Joanna Rotté), along with one of her Husbands (David Ethier) confront an enraged Ticket Inspector (Shaun Malleck)	Madame Zachanassian's "Weird Blind Little Men" (Matt Livingstone and Shaun Malleck)

Cast of Characters

About the Director

James J. Christy

For 38 years, Dr. Christy has been a professor and director with Villanova University’s theatre department, serving as chairperson of the department for 13 years. Last year, he directed Don Juan at Villanova Theatre and Proof at Arden Theatre Company locally, and had the pleasure of directing a new play, Never Tell, written by his son, Jimmy, for the New York International Fringe Festival. In 2003, he directed fellow faculty member Michael Hollinger’s Red Herring for Actor’s Theatre of Louisville and received his sixth Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Merchant of Venice at The People’s Light & Theatre Company. Other recent credits include The Trojan Women, Arcadia, and The Passion of Christ at Villanova Theatre and The Laramie Project at Philadelphia Theatre Company, which received 2001 Barrymore Awards for Overall Production of a Play, Direction of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble. This spring Dr. Christy will direct the Philadelphia Premiere of Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning play Take Me Out at Philadelphia Theatre Company.

Press Release

VILLANOVA THEATRE PRESENTS TWELFTH NIGHT

James J. Christy Directs William Shakespeare’s Popular Romantic Comedy February 15–27, 2005

Villanova Theatre is pleased to present one of William Shakespeare’s most enduring and endearing comedies, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, directed by Barrymore Award-winning director and theatre professor James J. Christy. Twelfth Night runs February 15–27, 2005, at Vasey Hall on the Villanova University campus. Showtimes are 8:00pm Tuesday–Saturday and 2:00pm Sunday. Tickets are $18–$22 and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at (610) 519-7474. Additional information is available online at http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/.

In Twelfth Night, a young woman, Viola, is separated at sea from her beloved twin brother and tossed upon the shores of the magical kingdom of Illyria. She disguises herself as a man and is drafted by Duke Orsino to woo the stubborn Lady Olivia. Romantic havoc insues when Olivia becomes smitten with Viola (dressed as a man) and Viola, in turn, falls for Orsino. A hilarious subplot involving Olivia’s hapless household makes Twelfth Night an enthralling comedy about illusion, deception, and the extraordinary things people do for love.“I adore Twelfth Night and the fun, joyous, lyrical beauty of its language,” said Christy. “The play is so well put together and features one good scene after another. It is a wonderful ensemble piece – it works well for our students at Villanova. There are great comic roles and terrific romantic characters. ”The “Twelfth Night” of the title refers to the Epiphany or the twelfth night of Christmas, celebrated throughout Europe on January 6. In Shakespeare’s time, “Twelfth Night” was an occasion for great feasting, dancing, disguises, and high sprits. Christy’s cast has embraced the history of “Twelfth Night;” they are working from the First Folio, the first publishing of Shakespeare’s text in 1623, and celebrated their own “Twelfth Night” revels. Villanova Theatre has a rich Shakespearean tradition. In the 1970’s Villanova founded a summer Shakespeare festival and collaborated with the fledgling Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) to produce Twelfth Night in 1975 under the direction of Robert Hedley (at that time Artistic Director of PTC and former chair of the Villanova theatre department). Christy, then chair of the Villanova theatre department, played Sir Andrew Aguecheek. “The production was quite memorable,” recalled Hedley. “It was a talented cast and it played for a long time: at Villanova and in Philadelphia, then we toured it to various venues.”

Christy, who frequently directs at major Shakespeare Festivals across the U.S., is staging Twelfth Night for the first time. “I’ve always loved Twelfth Night, but one reason I stayed away from it for so long was that I felt I couldn’t improve on Bob’s production, which I was so close to.”

Christy has not set Twelfth Night in a specific time and place. “We’re generating our own fantasyland made up of different bits and pieces; we’re working on an eclectic design that features a modern sensibility with hints of period,” said Christy. “I am deliberately avoiding a big concept and am working organically, centering the production on what is available and a part of our fantasy."

"Composer Robert Maggio has created beautiful, classical sounds that complement the sentimental and romantic feelings in the play,” Christy continued. “But this music is mixed with popular styles from the 20th century, including Cole Porter, blues, and folk rock to give it irony and wit. Among the cast we happen to have four guitarists and a violinist, so the music is composed around these instruments.”

The 20-member ensemble of Twelfth Night features a mix of Villanova graduate theatre students, undergraduates, faculty members, and guest artists, including Michael Barr (Attendant), David Binanay (Valentino), Bob Bonocore (Sir Toby Belch), Carrie Bray (Servant), Leigh Ann Brienza (Maria), Joseph Cutalo (Antonio), Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. (Feste), Laura Egan (Servant), Nick Falco (Orsino), Baird Kistner (Attendant), Matthew Livingstone (Officer), Brian Manelski (Captain), Corinne May (Viola), Jason J. Michael (Malvolio), Drew Peterson (Fabian), Elizabeth Pool (Olivia), Justin Poole (Sebastian), Luc Radu (Curio), Matthew Rohner (Priest), Joshua Sauerman (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), and Thomas Sibley (Officer).

Christy has been a professor and director with Villanova's theatre department for 38 years. Last season he directed Don Juan at Villanova Theatre and Proof at Arden Theatre Company, as well as a new play, Never Tell, written by his son, Jimmy, for the New York International Fringe Festival. In 2003, Christy directed fellow faculty member Michael Hollinger's Red Herring at Actor's Theatre of Louisville and received his sixth Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Merchant of Venice at The People's Light & Theatre Company. Other recent credits include The Trojan Women, Arcadia, and The Passion of Christ at Villanova Theatre and The Laramie Project at Philadelphia Theatre Company, which received 2001 Barrymore Awards for Overall Production of a Play, Direction of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble. This spring Christy will direct the Philadelphia Premiere of Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning play Take Me Out at Philadelphia Theatre Company.

The production team assembled for Twelfth Night includes Scenic Designer Gina Pisasale, Costume Designer Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind, Lighting Designer Jerold R. Forsyth, Properties Designer cdavid hall-cottrill, Dramaturg Taylor Williams, and Composer Robert Maggio, professor and chairman of the Department of Music Theory and Composition in the School of Music at West Chester University.

Twelfth Night performs February 15–27, 2005. Press Opening is Wednesday, February 16, at 8:00pm. Performances are held in Vasey Hall, located at Lancaster & Ithan Avenues, on the Villanova University campus. Showtimes are 8:00pm Tuesday-Saturday and 2:00pm Sunday. Tickets are $18–$22, with discounts for seniors, groups, and students. On Thursday, February 24, 2005, Villanova will host a “Speaker’s Night” featuring noted Shakespearean actor and director David Howey. An audience Q & A will immediately follow the 8:00pm performance of Twelfth Night.

Villanova Theatre ends the 2004–2005 season with the Tony Award-winning musical Big River, based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Barrymore Award-winner Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., directs Big River April 5–24, 2005.

For tickets and information, please call the Villanova Theatre Box Office at 610-519-7474 or log on to http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/productions/tickets.htm.

Production Photos

Sir Toby Belch (Bob Bonocore), Maria (Leigh Anna Brienza), Fabian (Drew Petersen), and Sir Andrew Augecheek (Josh Sauerman)	Sir Toby Belch (Bob Bonacore), Feste (Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A.), and Sir Andrew Augecheek (Josh Sauerman)
Viola (Corinne May) and Sebastian (Justin Poole)	Fabian (Drew Petersen), Sir Toby Belch (Bob Bonocore), Sir Andrew Augecheek (Josh Sauerman), and Malvolio (Jason J. Michael)

Cast of Characters

About the Director

Fr. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A.

Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. (Director) is chairperson of the Villanova University theatre department and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in dramaturgy, musical theatre, and theatrical experience. He has received five Barrymore nominations for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Parade, Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Evita, and Chicago, which received nine nominations and three 2002 Barrymore Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Other directing credits at Villanova include City of Angels, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, West Side Story, Candide, and Once on This Island. His recent appearances on the Vasey stage include Twelfth Night, Don Juan, The Trojan Women, and The Passion of Christ.

Press Release

VILLANOVA THEATRE PRESENTS THE HIT MUSICAL "BIG RIVER"

Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. Stages the Tony Award-winning Musical April 5-24, 2005

Villanova Theatre ends the 2004-2005 season with the Tony Award-winning musical Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, based on the classic 19th-century American novel by Mark Twain. Big River is directed by Villanova theatre department chairperson Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., a five-time Barrymore nominee and winner of the 2002 Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Performances are April 5–24, 2005, at Vasey Hall on the Villanova University campus. Showtimes are 8:00pm Tuesday–Saturday and 2:00pm Sunday. Tickets are $18–$22, with discounts for seniors, students, and groups, and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at (610) 519-7474. Additional information is available online at http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/.

Big River follows the adventures of the rebellious Huck Finn and the runaway slave Jim as the two board a raft and set sail down the mighty Mississippi River searching for freedom and discovering the value of true friendship. This classic tale of adventure and self-discovery is a heartwarming piece of Americana and the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score for its homespun mix of country, jazz, and gospel music. Musical numbers include, "Do You Wanna Go To Heaven?," "Waiting for the Light to Shine," "Muddy Water," and "Worlds Apart."

The original production of Big River opened on Broadway in April 1985 and ran for 1,005 performances. The show features music and lyrics by Roger Miller, one of the great country singer-songwriters of the 1960’s. Miller’s hit records include “Invitation to the Blues,” “King of the Road,” and “Dang Me.” He received an unprecedented 11 Grammy Awards and held that record for 20 years. Big River was Miller’s last major work; he died in 1992 at the age of 56.

“There is a nice corollary between the music and the novel,” said Donohue. “In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain was drawing from his experiences growing up in Hannibal, Missouri. When Miller wrote Big River he was using the musical styles and language he heard as a child in Oklahoma.”

William Hauptman, whose plays include Heat, Domino Courts (Obie Award), and Gillette (Drama-Logue Award), wrote the book for Big River, keeping much of Twain’s narrative and dialogue intact.“The book for Big River is very faithful to Twain’s novel,” said Donohue. “Whole passages have been lifted verbatim and there are many scenes that audiences will immediately recognize from the novel.”

Since its publication in America in 1885, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been one of the most celebrated – and condemned – novels in modern fiction. It has been banned from libraries and schools because of its coarse language, racism, and satirization of American morality and acclaimed for its honest portrayal of life in the South at the end of the 19th century. Ernest Hemingway declared that “all modern American literature comes from one book...Huckleberry Finn.”

While this controversial novel would seem to be a peculiar choice to adapt into a musical, Donohue points out that it is an “uplifting and ultimately positive story about a young man’s journey to look beyond the surface and learn to value the inspiration he receives from unlikely sources.“

Big River features many strong performances from the graduate theatre department’s male students, including Larry Cox, Jr. as Huck Finn, Nick Falco as Tom Sawyer, Brian Manelski as Judge Thatcher, Harvey Wilkes, and Silas Phelps, Jason J. Michael as The King, and Josh Sauerman as The Duke. Guest actor Michael Hogan portrays the runaway slave Jim. Rounding out the 21-member cast are Michael Barr, Leigh Ann Brienza, Jennifer Brown, Deborah Crane, Joseph Cutalo, Justin Damm, Tricia Elms, Lizzie Hetzer, Andy Joos, Tonilyn Longo, Francine Marchelle, Elizabeth Pool, Luc Radu, Brian Stike, and Kimberly Carol Townsend.

The Big River production team includes Scenic Designer Dirk Durossette, Costume Designer Janus Stefanowicz, Lighting Designer Jerold R. Forsyth, Properties Designer cdavid hall-cottrill, Sound Designer John Stovicek, Choreographer Barby Hobyak-Roche, and Dramaturg Leah MacKenzie. Music Director Jim Ryan will lead a seven-member orchestra.

Big River performs April 5–24, 2005. Press Opening is Wednesday, April 6, at 8:00pm. Tickets are $18–$22, with discounts for seniors, groups, and students. For tickets and information, please call the Villanova Theatre Box Office at 610-519-7474 or log on to http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/productions/tickets.htm.

Production Photos

Ensemble in "Do Ya Wanna Go To Heaven?	Miss Watson (Elizabeth Pool), Widow Douglas (Deborah Crane), Pap Finn (Andy Joos), Huckleberry Fin (Larry Cox, Jr.), and Judge Thatcher (Brian Maneklsi)
Huck (Larry Cox, Jr.) and the Gang (Justin Damm, Tricia Elms, Nick Falco, Joseph Cutalo, and Michael Barr)	Jim (Michael Hogan), The King (Jason J. Michael), Huck (Larry Cox, Jr.), and The Duke (Josh Sauerman)
Lafe (Justin Damm), Hank (Michael Barr), and Andy (Joseph Cutalo)	Huck (Larry Cox, Jr.) and Mary Jane Wilkes (Tonilyn Longo)
Huck (Larry Cox, Jr.) and Jim (Michael Hogan)	Huck (Larry Cox, Jr.)

Cast of Characters