November 8, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Lara Hoyt, Coordinator for Public Relations and Alumni Affairs
RTC ends fall season with "The House of Bernarda Alba" New Brunswick, NJ – Brief interjections of modern dance may not be the norm for a production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba,” but Will Pellegrini, who directs the Rutgers Theater Company production opening December 1, says it makes perfect sense.
“There’s something about this play that’s not totally realistic. It’s lyrical; it’s magical. Stopping time and doing a dance makes total sense in this world.”
That’s not to say the Rutgers Theater Company production will be a musical incarnation of the classic play. The dances, choreographed by Avianna Perez, are more like expressive movements that communicate unspoken feelings in a culture of oppression.
“The House of Bernarda Alba” is a classic story of repressed love and violence set in rural 1930s Spain. Upon returning from her husband’s funeral, Bernarda Alba informs her five daughters that they will spend the next eight years mourning at home. They are held hostage with the memory of their dead father until one revolts, and lust, revenge and anger all explode at once.
Pellegrini is a Rutgers Emerging Artist—an exceptional graduate student in his final year of the master of fine arts program at Mason Gross who is designated among the “ones to watch” in the future of directing. He chose “Bernarda Alba” for its universal message about the damage an oppressive society can do. To emphasize that universality, the set and costumes will steer clear of a specific time and place.
“Every production of this play I’ve ever seen has been very historically accurate,” says Pellegrini. “I think the play is so much more than a museum piece. This story could be anywhere; it could be anytime. Lorca is a lot more exciting and immediate than people give him credit for.”
Performances are at Philip J. Levin Theater on December 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and December 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for Rutgers alumni and employees and seniors and only $15 for students with valid ID. Philip J. Levin Theater is in the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center, 85 George Street (between Route 18 and Ryders Lane), on the Douglass campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
For more information on any Mason Gross event, visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu or call the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center ticket office at 732-932-7511.
About Rutgers Theater Company
Julie Cotton (Magdalena – MFA III) is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and holds a BA in theater from Grand Canyon University. Rutgers Theater Company credits include Dana Sue Kaye (Imagining Brad), Sonia (Our Lady of 121st Street), Maria (As You Like It), and Elsa (False Start). Favorite roles: Baker's Wife (Into the Woods), Tracy Lord (Philadelphia Story).
Alana Dauter (Bernarda – MFA II) is from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She received her BS in communication/theater arts from Eastern Michigan University. Mason Gross Credits include My Sister in This House, Hoops, and Proof. Other credits include Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Mrs. Kendal in Elephant Man, Holly Anton in Show Business, and Bonnie in Hurly Burly.
Kristen Hansen (Maria Josefa – MFA II) is from Los Angeles where she received her BA in theater from California State University Northridge. Favorite roles include: Mouth in Not I, Clytemnestra in The Greeks, Bella in Lost in Yonkers, and Yrette in Mother Courage. Rutgers credits include My Sister in This House and Hoops.
Kate Geller (Angustius – MFA III) hails from Harrison, New York. She graduated with honors in theater arts from Goucher College. Rutgers credits include Two Fools and Much Ado About Nothing. She recently appeared at the 2006 NYC Fringe Festival in Imminent Indeed. She is a founding member of the Sketch/Improv Group, Monkeys in the Atrium.
Jessica McKee (Adela – BFA IV) hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has just completed her third year abroad at Shakespeare's Globe in London. Mason Gross credits include Brie in Visions and Scars, the Girl/Junkie in I'd Rather be Falling, Hero and Conrade in Much Ado About Nothing and Denice in The Wall of Water.
Carter C. Niles (Maid – BFA IV) was born and raised in West Chester, New York. Her credits at Mason Gross include Trivial Sacrifice (Amber), I’d Rather Be Falling (various parts), Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), and The Wall of Water (Meg).
June Patterson (Martirio – MFA III) is from Penns Grove, New Jersey. She received her undergraduate degree from Douglass College. She recently took part in the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Minnesota. Rutgers Jameson Project credits include: Claw, The Shape of Things, and Imagining Brad.
Ashling Pearson (Prudencia/Beggar Woman – BFA IV) is from Glendale, California. Mason Gross credits include Marisol (June), I’d Rather Be Falling (BFA II Performance Ensemble), and Much Ado About Nothing (Hero/Friar). Professional credits include The Vinegar Tree and You Can't Take It With You.
Alexis Slade (Amelia – BFA IV) is from Bridgewater, New Jersey. Mason Gross credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), African Extravaganza (BFA Project) and I’d Rather Be Falling (BFA Performance Ensemble). Professional credits include West Side Story (Maria) and Once On This Island (TiMoune), both at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Beth Wittig (Poncia – MFA III) is from Albany, New York. She received her BA in English from Binghamton University. Rutgers Theater Company credits include Proof, The Shape of Things, My Sister in This House, Claw, and Peace Prize. Other credits include Dolly in Hello Dolly! and Diana in Lend Me A Tenor. Will Pellegrini (Director – MFA III) Directing credits include Baby Boom, Venus, The Shape of Things, Fifth Planet, The Stonewater Rapture (Jameson Project), Remote Control, Gint, Bat Boy: the Musical, The Who’s Tommy, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Save Me From My Sister, Once On This Island, and Hair (Los Angeles). Will has also worked at a number of theater festivals including The Summer Play Festival (New York), The O’Neill Playwrights Conference (Connecticut), and the Mark Taper Forum’s New Work Festival (Los Angeles). Prior to moving East, Will taught at a performing arts school in Los Angeles. He has a BA in theater from UCLA and is from Sacramento, California.
Jonathan Wentz (Set Design – MFA II) is from upstate New York, earned a BFA ingraphic design from RIT, and resides in Whippany with his wife, Janine.Before attending Mason Gross, he was an actor, director and designer in New Jersey theater. Mason Gross credits: 2006 Playwright's Festival (Jameson), and assistant set designer on As You Like It and The Lonesome West. Ellen Pittman Stockbridge (Costume Design - MFA III) Recent professional credits include two seasons as resident costume designer at Whittier College in California, The Nerd at Pioneer Valley Summer Theater and Costume Designer on the film Superheroes, a Sundance Film Festival hopeful. Rutgers Credits include The Lonesome West.
Benjamin Hagen (Lighting Designer – MFA III) Rutgers designs include Our Lady of 121st Street, and As You Like It, as well as Down the Road, Dolores, and, Fifth Planet for the Jameson Project. Professional credits include Tails! The Musical (45th Street Theater) and Hands Around (Center Stage) and the American Popular Songs (Baltimore). He is a Stockton graduate.
Shane Rettig (Sound Design) is a sound designer, composer, and performer. New York: The Public Theater, The New Group, Soho Rep, The Summer Play Festival, The New York Musical Theater Festival, Clubbed Thumb, Mabou Mines, New York University, Julliard, and in many off-off Broadway productions. Regional: Center Stage, Actor's Theater of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Yale Repertory Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Triad Stage, Capital Rep, and others. He is an associate artist with the Obie award winning company, The Civilians. He performs around New York in several bands and is a composer, music director and performer in The Atomic Grind Show. His music and design for Rinne Goff's Orange Lemon Egg Canary will be presented at the 2007 Prague Quadrennial. He received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Avianna Perez (Choreographer – BA) is from North Plainfield, New Jersey. She is completing BA degrees in dance, sociology, and theater. Choreographic credits include Consumed, an original dance-theater work produced at Cabaret Theater; and *Sole Salvation presented at Mason Gross School of the Arts Student Dance Concert at Loree Theater.
Louise M. Ochart (Stage Manager – MFA III) is a California native. She completed her BA in stage management and costume design at Vanguard University. Professional credits include the West Coast premiere of Footloose, Desert Song, and A Funny Thing ... Forum. Rutgers Theater Company credits include Afghan Women, Audrey, Scapin, and the Opera at Rutgers production of La Traviata.
The Mason Gross School of the Arts’ Department of Theater Arts combines rigorous studio class work with a demanding production schedule to provide students with in-depth training and practice in theater. The Rutgers Theater Company is the resident company of student actors, designers, directors, playwrights, stage managers and technicians whose work is guided by master teachers and accomplished professionals. These conservatory students are enrolled in the three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programs. The department also offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) theater major through the undergraduate colleges of Rutgers University. About Mason Gross School of the Arts Founded in 1976, Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and is home to the departments of dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts. Its faculty and alumni rosters include arts professionals recognized nationally and internationally. The school's enrollment of 625 undergraduates across four departments and 250 graduate students across three departments, combined with a faculty of 140, assures students the opportunity to work closely with accomplished artists within their fields.
About Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey A comprehensive research institution with more than 50,000 students on three main campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, Rutgers comprises one of the major state university systems in the nation. Chartered in 1766 in New Brunswick as Queen's College, Rutgers is the eighth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation and now comprises 29 degree- granting divisions, including 16 offering graduate programs of study.
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