Author: Hardnett, Nisha J

CRT Announces 2015-16 Season

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Connecticut Repertory Theatre under the leadership of Artistic Director Vincent J. Cardinal and Managing Director Matthew J. Pugliese announced the 2015-16 Season. The season features works that have been adapted from another medium. These stories range from contemporary classics, musical comedy and original premieres. Subscriptions are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling 860-486-2113. Single tickets go on sale on August 1.

The season begins with Cardinal directing The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theatre Project. In October 1998 Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming.  Five weeks later, members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town.  From these interviews they wrote The Laramie Project, a riveting chronicle of the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder.

Infused with the music and jollity of the Christmas season, the second show of the Main Stage Season will be William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night. Viola, the shipwrecked heroine, lands on the shore of Illyria, and disguised as a page, Cesario, searches for her lost brother. Countess Olivia mourns the loss of her own brother. When the lovely Countess meets the handsome young page (Viola in disguise), desire banishes grief in this intoxicating comedy of mistaken identity and contagious laughter.

The first two Main Stage productions of the 2015-16 season will take place in the Nafe Katter Theatre. Following Twelfth Night, CRT will take a break from the Katter Theatre for 18 months as construction begins on a new, state of the art production facility, adjacent to the Katter. The new building will house our scene shop, paint shop, light shop, and costume shop as well as a new public space for gatherings.

In February, a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility will take the stage. Following their father’s untimely death, Sense and Sensibility tells the story of the penniless Dashwood sisters pursue life and love in their own distinctive ways. Elinor is smart and down-to-earth. Marianne is wildly romantic. They each attract suitors whose startling secrets obstruct the path to happily ever after. Full of passion, wit, and soaring emotion, this new adaptation is co-written by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan, the same writing team behind CRT’s Pride & Prejudice in 2012.

The season will end in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre with the Tony-Award winning musical adaptation of the classic comic movie, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, in the form ofSpamalot: The Musical. The film’s plot remains largely intact, but its core songs and comic thrust have been expanded, satirically redirected and updated taking on popular culture, musical theatre clichés, and, well, stage adaptions.

The Studio Show season, which is available as a part of the six play subscription, begins in the fall with Anon(ymous). The show tackles one of the most polarizing political issues in our world today— immigration. Playwright Naomi Iizuka adapts a story whose roots are in the epic tradition of Ancient Greece and Homer’s Odyssey. Anon(ymous), challenges to define what “home” is for each of us and imagine what we might do to get there.

The second show of the Studio Season will consist of three new works from UConn’s MFA Puppet Arts graduate students. The MFA Puppet Arts students will tell personal stories through the plots and images of well know tales, such as Medea, Macbeth and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in the Studio Theatre production of The MFA Puppet Festival. This production will highlight the work of UConn Puppeteers, as the program begins its 50th year. The students and graduates of the Puppet Arts program have been reinventing the international theatrical landscape by innovating and expanding definitions of puppetry and “object performance.”

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Please call 860-486-2113 for information on subscribing and general ticket information. The CRT Box Office is located at the Nafe Katter Theatre, 820 Bolton Road, on the Storrs campus. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.

Performances are usually Wednesdays through Sundays. Wed. & Thu. evening performances start at 7:30 p.m., Fri. and Sat. evening performances start at 8 p.m., Sat. and Sun. matinee performances start at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $7 to $36, and subscribers receive a discount of up to 24 percent off regular ticket prices.

All plays, dates and times are subject to change.

Children must be at least 4 years old to attend CRT productions. For additional ticket information or to charge tickets by phone, call 860.486.2113. All sales are final; no refunds. Play selections and performance dates are subject to change. Single tickets will go on sale on April 20, 2014.

Review: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ invites audience into performance

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TDC-Logo-300x67The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ invites audience into performance

By Emily Lewson for the UConn Daily Campus

Think revisiting your adolescent awkwardness is a living nightmare? Think again. In the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s latest production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” sends audiences back to their younger years. But viewers are kept spellbound and laughing as they watch six spellers, four guest performers and three eccentric adults redefine the competition of a spelling bee.

At the beginning of the show, four guest spellers were called to the stage. The preview included noteworthy performances by UConn women’s softball coach, Jen McIntyre and owner of Sweet Emotions candy shop, Mike Young. Both were great additions to the stage and played along with the cast. Young was granted the epithet: “lost in his own backyard,” and spun around slightly to suggest that perhaps he was still lost on stage. Eventually, Young and the two other audience members were escorted from the stage, but McIntyre stunned the audience as she spelt some of the most difficult words. In all, the addition of audience members was an interesting treat and kept the show original.

Once all guest spellers had left the stage, it was time for the real competition to begin and for the cast to shine. Even in the preview night, every actor and actress astounded the audience. Onstage, every actor truly filled the role of his or her character; most notably, Leaf Coneybear, played by Gavin McNicholl, personified the geeky quirks in his every movement.

Coneybear’s entire family comes to watch him at the bee, despite his siblings endless taunts about his stupidity. He surprises everyone, including himself, when he spells a word correctly. The character’s orange graphic tee, jean jacket covered in pins, a cape with the face of Dexter from “Dexter’s Laboratory” and a helmet fit with McNicholl’s convulsive, and strange, spelling habits. Coneybear is obviously a little special, and McNicholl embodies his quirks to a cue. “Coneybear stepped into his role; I couldn’t stop laughing whenever he was on stage,” Liam King, a third semester economics major, said.

While Coneybear was stupidly funny, another character that shined was Chip Tolentino, played by Kent Coleman. The returning champion, Tolentino filled the alpha male role of the spelling bee while dealing with the changes of puberty. Audience members connected with him, as he seemed to be in every part of the show. “His voice was amazing, and he was so versatile around the stage. One minute he was here, then he was in the aisles, or flying somewhere. He filled his role during the entire play,” Michael Vagni, a third semester management and engineering for manufacturing major, said.

Other notable characters include William Barfée, played by Ryan Shea and Olive Ostrovsky, played by Whitney Abston. These two characters overcome pervious hardships and letdowns in order to achieve and create lasting friendships.

On the whole, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is undoubtedly the CRT’s best performance of the semester. It is impossible not to laugh. If you are looking for a way to break the mendacity of the finals’ crunch, head over to the Harriet Jorgensen Theatre for a performance that will reduce the stress of any overachievers, comfort the perfectionists and connect with the rest. Make sure to see the CRT’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” before its closing performance on Dec. 7.

UConn Today: Competition Helps Drive CRT Production Of SPELLING BEE

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The history of spelling competition goes back to Elizabethan times, when an English schoolmaster wrote a book that included an exercise in which two students squared off against each other to spell words correctly. In the United States, references to a spelling bee can be found as early as 1850, and over time, such competitions led in 1925 to the establishment of the National Spelling Bee.

Today the National Spelling Bee, which in 2014 had 281 spellers competing in the preliminary and final rounds, is televised by the international sports network ESPN. This view of a spelling bee as a competitive entertainment event is part of the success of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the award-winning musical being presented by the Connecticut Repertory Theatre at the Harriet Jorgensen Theatre from Nov. 20 to Dec. 7.

As the characters move through the backstory of their lives in flashbacks during the spelling bee, the theme of competition is ever-present in the setting – a school gymnasium, with its floor lined as a basketball court.

University faculty say that competition in the classroom and on the playing field can provide many lessons to students, although it may have a down side for some.

The positive side is that competition can enhance success, help us to perform better in some cases, where you may not realize you have the resources inside you,” says Adrienne Macki-Bracconi, assistant professor of dramatic arts in the School of Fine Arts. “The competitive spirit drives you to overcome those obstacles. On the other hand, it can provide anxiety, and cause you to underperform.”

Scott Brown, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and UConn’s NCAA faculty athletics representative, says competition surfaces in many parts of life – for grades, for jobs, for grant proposals, or for a starting position on an athletic team.

“Competition teaches us about motivation,” Brown says. “It drives us, develops a work ethic, because if you’re competing for something, you’re looking around seeing there are other people working toward that.”

He says learning how to cope with failure is as important a part of the competitive process as success. “As teachers we frequently get in front of students and show them the model problem solver. It’s also important for us to show students –whether undergraduates, K-12, or graduate students – what you do when you fail.”

Joseph Renzulli, director of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education, points to the role of individual choice in deciding to take part in a competition such as a spelling bee.

 

The Story Continues HERE

 

 

 

UConn Today: Pat McCorkle Perfectly Cast in Role as Teacher, Acting Talent Scout

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If you’ve attended plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, or at regional theaters such as Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre, Spoleto Festival in South Carolina, or Toronto Centre Stage in Canada; seen films such as “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” or “The Year of Living Dangerously;” or watched network or cable television shows such as “Sesame Street,” “The L Word,” or “Chappele’s Show,” you have seen the work of Pat McCorkle, adjunct professor of practice in casting and performance in the Department of Dramatic Arts.

You won’t have seen McCorkle herself; rather, it is the long list of notable and award-winning actors that she has cast in those productions on stage, film, and television.

McCorkle, who joined the UConn faculty in 2007, has taught courses in “Acting for the Camera” and “Audition Technique,” and has prepared students in the Department of Dramatic Arts for their “Showcase” performances, all while continuing to maintain a very active role at McCorkle Casting Ltd. in New York City, one of the leading casting firms in the nation.

To read the entire article, visit UConn Today.

For upcoming productions at CRT, visit the Connecticut Repertory Theater.

Robert McDonald Scholarship Sends BFA Actors To London

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As Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage… “ Lifetime theater artist and retired faculty member Bob McDonald has made a gift to the School of Fine Arts that will help introduce UConn Dramatic Arts students to the world stage.

McDonald’s gift establishes an endowed fund that supplements acting students’ financial aid so they can spend a semester of their junior year in London, studying at the Theatre Academy London and seeing productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

“Bob is a great example of passing on a legacy to the next generation of  artists,” says Vincent Cardinal, professor and head of the Department of Dramatic Arts.  “This gift will enrich the lives of our students and improve their ability to grow and share their talent with others.”

McDonald, an actor for several years in London, says “In a certain sense, I want the students to follow in my footsteps.”

“I believe their experience in a foreign city will prepare them for dealing with other cities. For three or four months, the students will be able to say, not only that they are out of Storrs but also that they are out of the country. They will be able to approach New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in a much different spirit for having been in London,” says McDonald. “I know London and I love the city. I feel like it has something valuable to share with our students.”

Details of the program, from housing to the curriculum and relationships with the London partners were worked out carefully over several years by Dale Rose, professor of dramatic arts and director of the acting programs. “Because of their work, there is little time for our students to go to New York and see significant actors,” says Rose.  “They study Shakespeare in the fall semester of their junior year.  Why not be where the work was created? They will be working on scenes from Richard the Third in the Tower of London.”

“The students will go to plays, talk to directors, and meet with actors. They will be able to watch a performance over and over again and really study the craft.  We believe this is where they will start to sense that this is what they are about as actors and where they will get the global perspective that is necessary to bring humanity to the stage,” says Rose.

“We are really excited,” says acting student Whitney Andrews, who, with the other acting students, will be living in the heart of London, right around the corner from the British Museum.  “I think it’s great that we get to leave UConn and see if we can do the work without our professors.  They help us reach that emotional point because they know us so well and we trust them.  In London, we shall see if we can do it on our own.”