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.
The Illusion to Cast A Spell Over Villanova Theatre Audiences
Tony Kushner’s Spellbinding Adaptation Completes 2007-2008 Season
As the finale to its 2007-2008 season, Villanova Theatre will mount a magical
production of The Illusion by Pierre Corneille, freely adapted by Tony Kushner.
Barrymore Award-winning director Harriet Power leads an exceptional artistic team
including Barrymore winners Jorge Cousineau (sound) and Jerold Forsyth (lighting),
Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind (costumes), and Frank McCullough (set), who was a key member
of the 2007 Tony Award-winning set design team for Broadway’s The Coast of Utopia.
The Illusion will be on stage April 15-27, 2008.
Villanova Theatre is located in Vasey Hall on the Villanova University campus.
Performances will be held at 8:00pm on Tuesday – Saturday and at 2:00pm on Sundays
and Saturdays (no Saturday matinee during the first week). Tickets cost $20-$24,
with discounts available for seniors, students, and groups, and may be ordered by
calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at (610) 519-7474 or online at
www.theatre.villanova.edu.
Blurring the boundary between truth and fantasy, The Illusion is a moving testament
to the mysteries of love and the transformative power of the theatre. When a desperate
lawyer consults a magician to discover the whereabouts of his estranged son, the
sorcerer obliges – but the vivid scenes he conjures are baffling. Reality seems
fluid, time is capricious, and facts are impossible to pin down. Variety called
Kushner’s adaptation of The Illusion “laugh-out-loud funny, a bright and buoyant
blend of 17th century attitudes and contemporary farce.”
Power’s 1997 production
of Kushner’s Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, co-directed with James J.
Christy, garnered her the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play. She
has a special affinity for Kushner’s writing, and relishes the playfulness and accessibility
of The Illusion. Says Power: “Audiences who have previously encountered Tony Kushner’s
work are in for a wonderful surprise. His adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s 17th
century comedy unfolds with humor, a richness of language that rivals Shakespeare’s,
and his usual uncanny insight into what makes us human. I must admit, I laugh and
weep every single time I read the script. I hope audiences will delight in the strange,
wonderful, and ultimately familiar journey of the play, and recognize the lengths
we’ll go to for love.”
During his long association with Parisian theatres, French
dramatist and poet Pierre Corneille (1606-84) wrote more than 30 tragedies and comedies.
In 1637, the production of his most celebrated play, the tragicomic Le Cid, marked
the beginning of a resurgence in French drama. The Illusion was originally titled
L'Illusion comique and was first performed 1636. Corneille was elected to the Académie-Française
in 1647.
Tony Kushner is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America,Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika, both of which also received
the Tony Award for best play. His works, which include Caroline or Change,
Homebody/Kabul,
and A Bright Room Called Day, have been produced throughout the country and abroad.
Harriet Power is an award-winning director and associate professor in the Villanova
University Theatre Department. Her recent directing credits include the world premiere
of Jeff Baron’s Brothers-in-Law, currently at Act II Playhouse; Chekhov’s
Three
Sisters, Michael Hollinger’s Incorruptible, and the American premiere of Sebastian
Barry’s Fred and Jane at Villanova Theatre; the world premieres of Seth Rozin’s
Reinventing Eden and Missing Link (which received the Theatre Alliance of Greater
Philadelphia’s Barrymore nomination for Outstanding New Play) at InterAct Theatre;
and Measure for Measure at Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, which received a Barrymore
nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play.
The Illusion will be on stage April
15-27, 2008. Show times are 8:00pm Tuesday – Saturday and 2:00pm Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets cost $20-$24 and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office
at (610) 519-7474 or online at www.theatre.villanova.edu .
The Illusion to Cast A Spell Over Villanova Theatre Audiences
Tony Kushner’s Spellbinding Adaptation Completes 2007-2008 Season
As the finale to its 2007-2008 season, Villanova Theatre will mount a magical
production of The Illusion by Pierre Corneille, freely adapted by Tony Kushner.
Barrymore Award-winning director Harriet Power leads an exceptional artistic team
including Barrymore winners Jorge Cousineau (sound) and Jerold Forsyth (lighting),
Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind (costumes), and Frank McCullough (set), who was a key member
of the 2007 Tony Award-winning set design team for Broadway’s The Coast of Utopia.
The Illusion will be on stage April 15-27, 2008.
Villanova Theatre is located in Vasey Hall on the Villanova University campus.
Performances will be held at 8:00pm on Tuesday – Saturday and at 2:00pm on Sundays
and Saturdays (no Saturday matinee during the first week). Tickets cost $20-$24,
with discounts available for seniors, students, and groups, and may be ordered by
calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at (610) 519-7474 or online at
www.theatre.villanova.edu.
Blurring the boundary between truth and fantasy, The Illusion is a moving testament
to the mysteries of love and the transformative power of the theatre. When a desperate
lawyer consults a magician to discover the whereabouts of his estranged son, the
sorcerer obliges – but the vivid scenes he conjures are baffling. Reality seems
fluid, time is capricious, and facts are impossible to pin down. Variety called
Kushner’s adaptation of The Illusion “laugh-out-loud funny, a bright and buoyant
blend of 17th century attitudes and contemporary farce.”
Power’s 1997 production
of Kushner’s Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, co-directed with James J.
Christy, garnered her the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play. She
has a special affinity for Kushner’s writing, and relishes the playfulness and accessibility
of The Illusion. Says Power: “Audiences who have previously encountered Tony Kushner’s
work are in for a wonderful surprise. His adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s 17th
century comedy unfolds with humor, a richness of language that rivals Shakespeare’s,
and his usual uncanny insight into what makes us human. I must admit, I laugh and
weep every single time I read the script. I hope audiences will delight in the strange,
wonderful, and ultimately familiar journey of the play, and recognize the lengths
we’ll go to for love.”
During his long association with Parisian theatres, French
dramatist and poet Pierre Corneille (1606-84) wrote more than 30 tragedies and comedies.
In 1637, the production of his most celebrated play, the tragicomic Le Cid, marked
the beginning of a resurgence in French drama. The Illusion was originally titled
L'Illusion comique and was first performed 1636. Corneille was elected to the Académie-Française
in 1647.
Tony Kushner is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels in America,Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika, both of which also received
the Tony Award for best play. His works, which include Caroline or Change,
Homebody/Kabul,
and A Bright Room Called Day, have been produced throughout the country and abroad.
Harriet Power is an award-winning director and associate professor in the Villanova
University Theatre Department. Her recent directing credits include the world premiere
of Jeff Baron’s Brothers-in-Law, currently at Act II Playhouse; Chekhov’s
Three
Sisters, Michael Hollinger’s Incorruptible, and the American premiere of Sebastian
Barry’s Fred and Jane at Villanova Theatre; the world premieres of Seth Rozin’s
Reinventing Eden and Missing Link (which received the Theatre Alliance of Greater
Philadelphia’s Barrymore nomination for Outstanding New Play) at InterAct Theatre;
and Measure for Measure at Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, which received a Barrymore
nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play.
The Illusion will be on stage April
15-27, 2008. Show times are 8:00pm Tuesday – Saturday and 2:00pm Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets cost $20-$24 and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office
at (610) 519-7474 or online at www.theatre.villanova.edu .
