September 22 – October
4, 2009
Written by Edward Albee
Directed by Joanna Rotté
An everyday park bench encounter turns into a
date with destiny in this gripping drama that
introduced playwright Edward Albee to the
world. When Jerry, a “downtown” bohemian seeker
comes upon Peter, an “uptown” publishing
executive, in Central Park, the two find
themselves inextricably linked, as Jerry
penetrates Peter’s complacency and each man’s
life is forever altered.
JERRY: “Sometimes a person has to go a very long
distance out of his way to come back a short
distance correctly…”
November 10 – 22, 2009
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Harriet Power
Banished from her devious uncle’s
court, and newly infatuated with the dashing Orlando,
Rosalind disguises herself as a boy and flees to the
Forest of Arden in search of her father, the rightful
Duke. There she runs smack into the object of her
affections, spars with clowns, and counsels the
lovelorn, making As You Like It one of
Shakespeare’s most glorious comedies.
CELIA: “O wonderful, wonderful, and most wonderful
wonderful, and yet again wonderful, and after that out
of all hooping!”
February 2 – 14, 2010
By Euripides
Directed by Shawn Kairschner
A scorching tale of passion, love,
and vengeance. When her husband is granted permission
to marry another woman, Medea is banished from her home
and sent away from her young children. Unhinged by
grief, she lays plans for swift and terrible
retribution, leaving catastrophe in her wake. A
towering figure in Greek tragedy, Medea remains an
enthralling character centuries after her creation.
MEDEA: "Let no one think me a weak
one, feeble-spirited,
A stay at home, but rather just the
opposite,
One who can hurt my enemies and
help my friends;
For the lives of such persons are
most remembered."
March 23 –
28 &
April 6 – 18, 2010
Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by Herbert & Dorothy Fields
Directed by Valerie Joyce
Wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley comes to
life in brash, bold colors in this golden-age
American musical. A plucky backwoods gal,
Annie’s astonishing shooting skills earn her a
spot in Buffalo Bill’s traveling show, and spark
a competition with the show’s handsome hotshot,
Frank Butler. The two soon fall for each other,
but when Annie’s act outshines her beau’s, she
discovers that what’s good for business can be
bad for romance. Packed with sure-fire Irving
Berlin hits, Annie Get Your Gun is a
testament to female ingenuity and plain,
old-fashioned fun.
Written
by Joanna Rotté
Susanna Lack Producing Director
All-Victorious Ocean: The Noble Life of Yeshe
Tsogyal, Tantric Yogini is a new theatre
work depicting momentous events in the
extraordinary life of Yeshe Tsoygal, as she
unstintingly pursues spiritual liberation.
The
75-minute play will premiere on October 30th
2009 as the feature cultural event of the 38th
Annual Conference (Mid-Atlantic Region) of the
Association for Asian Studies, hosted by
Villanova University.
Joanna Rotté, PhD, Professor of Theatre and
Resident Actor at Villanova University, wrote
the play, based on three translations of an 18th
century Tibetan literary-biography entitled (in
translation) The Secret Life and Songs of the
Tibetan Lady Yeshe Tsogyal. The biography is
considered a masterpiece.Ms. Rotté
performs the role of Yeshe Tsogyal.
All-Victorious Ocean: The
Noble Life of Yeshe Tsogyal, Tantric Yogini is a 75-minute theatre work
depicting momentous events in the extraordinary life of Yeshe Tsoygal, as she
unstintingly pursues spiritual liberation.
A
25-minute version of the script was first performed as a solo reading in
November 2008, at the Shambhala Meditation Center in Philadelphia in honor of
the Feminine Principle, which in Buddhism is viewed as the embodiment of
pristine wisdom, or the quality of fundamental wakefulness, that is inherent in
human beings. The occasion marked the installation of a banner depicting Yeshe
Tsogyal as the symbolic representation of the Feminine Principle. A 40-minute
version of the script was performed as a solo reading in December of 2008
at the Won Institute for Applied Meditation Studies in Philadelphia. The current
75-minute play will premiere on October 30th
2009 as the feature cultural event of the 38th Annual Conference
(Mid-Atlantic Region) of the Association for Asian Studies, hosted by Villanova
University.
The cast includes:
Yeshe Tsogyal - a 211 year old woman who appears ageless;
Disciple - a young woman with all the marks of a dakini,
who sings and maintains a purification ritual throughout the performance;
Chorus - two men and a woman, chanters and singers, who
emerge as characters in Yeshe Tsogyal’s story;
Guru Padmasambhava - fully realized Meditation Master is
played by an actor and is realized through myriad images and recorded voice. He
speaks in a gentle, warm, high-pitch voice with a distinctive accent, matching
in musicality, enunciation and rhythm to the voice of the renowned meditation
master Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.
The production includes an original music score inspired by traditional Tibetan
sacred sound.
Evocative of Tibet, the stage setting will co-mingle ancient and modern design
with rich imagery, striking color and contemplative movement.
Joanna Rotté, PhD, Professor of Theatre and Resident Actor at Villanova
University, wrote the play, based on three translations of an 18th
century Tibetan literary-biography entitled (in translation) The Secret Life
and Songs of the Tibetan Lady Yeshe Tsogyal. The biography is considered a
masterpiece.Ms. Rotté performs the role of Yeshe Tsogyal.
