Lily Hare
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Theater for Community presented the world premiere of "Lily Hare," a dark comedy by New Haven playwright Kevin Daly, Feb. 28-March 3, 2013, in the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
Set in 1849, "Lily Hare" follows the fortunes of an actress who tours the country with her companion and student, Ned Tambourine, presenting a one-person show of badly memorized speeches from Shakespeare. After one typically dreadful performance, Lily meets wealthy young admirer Simon Filbert and hatches a plan to use him and his money to advance her career.
Michelle Ayrapetyan played Lily, Michael Bobenhausen played Ned and Dan Fox played Simon. Theater professor Crystal Brian directed, and Tricia Thelen, associate professor of theater, designed the set.
Eclipsed
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Theater for Community presented "Eclipsed" by Patricia Burke Brogan, Nov. 8-11, 2012, in the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
"Eclipsed" is set in Ireland in 1963 and takes the audience inside one of the infamous Magdalene laundries to show the daily life of the young women confined there and forced to endure harsh treatment and backbreaking labor for being pregnant but unmarried. The play centers around how these women keep their spirits from being crushed by singing and telling stories. Brogan is an Irish playwright, novelist, poet and artist.
The student cast included: Patricia Hibner, Jessica Lehman, Sara Detrik, Dominique Williams, Kristen Banaszak, Sarah Faidell, Michelle Ayrapetyan and Nicole Palmer. Crystal Brian, professor of theater in the College of Arts and Sciences, directed.
The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek
Theater for Community presented "The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek" by Naomi Wallace, Oct. 4-7, 2012, at the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
Set in the midst of the Great Depression in a dying town "somewhere in the United States," "The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek" is a psychological mystery and haunting coming-of-age story that fluidly moves between the past and present to explore the intense, enigmatic bond that develops between shy 15-year-old Dalton Chance and fearless 16-year-old tomboy Page Creagan when she challenges him to race an oncoming freight train across the 100-foot high trestle over Pope Lick Creek.
Sara Detrik played Pace Creagan and Aleczander Farquharson played Dalton Chase. Bob Bresnick, an adjunct faculty member, directed and was the sound designer for the production. Tricia Thelen, associate professor of theater, designed the set.
Coastal Disturbances
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Theater for Community performed "Coastal Disturbances" at Long Wharf Theatre, Stage II, April 12-15, 2012. "Coastal Disturbances" by Tina Howe is a comedy about the dizzying and disconcerting effects of love. This ensemble play, set on a private beach on the North Shore of Massachusetts, follows the stories of four generations of vacationers and focuses on the romance of professional photographer Holly Dancer and the handsome but shy, unsophisticated lifeguard Leo Hart. Emily Seibert played Holly and Michael Bobenhausen played Leo.
In addition to Seibert and Bobenhausen, the student cast also included: Michelle Ayrapetyan, Aleczander Farquharson, Jessica Lehman, Juli McGourty and Jessica Otterbine. Drew Scott, an adjunct theater professor, and Peter Wood, a professional actor, also performed in the production. Crystal Brian, professor of theater, directed.
Dead Man's Cell Phone
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Theater for Community presented "Dead Man's Cell Phone" March 1-4, 2012, at the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl, the play follows the journey of Jean whose impulsive decision to answer a ringing cell phone leads her into a series of unexpected confrontations that are romantic, funny, and sometimes dangerous. Through her odyssey, she is forced to confront her own assumptions about love, mortality, redemption and the challenge of being truly connected in a technology obsessed world.
Drew Scott, an adjunct theater professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, directed, and Tricia Thelen, associate professor of theater, designed the costumes.
Seven
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Theater for Community performed "Seven" Nov. 10-13, 2011, at Long Wharf Theatre, Stage II, in New Haven.
Written by a group of well-known playwrights, including Anna Deavere Smith, "Seven" is based on interviews with women from around the world who suffered violence and abuse and survived to become advocates for the women in their countries who continue to be brutalized. The cast members are playing real women from Nigeria, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern Ireland, Russia and Guatemala.
"The piece is an extremely powerful evocation of the horrific abuse these women suffered and their strength and courage in transcending the trauma they experienced in order to help women in their countries to avoid the experiences the characters suffered," said Crystal Brian, professor of theater at Quinnipiac who is directing the production.
Music and dance from the representative countries were included in the play. Tricia Thelen, associate professor of theater, provided scenic and costume design, and George Sprengelmeyer, director of the Quinnipiac music program, designed the music.
The Mercy Seat
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Theater for Community performed "The Mercy Seat" Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2011, at the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
"The Mercy Seat" by Neil LaBute presents a battle of the sexes played out against the backdrop of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. An emotionally super-charged play, "The Mercy Seat" is at times savage, darkly humorous and always provocative. Sophomores Michael Bobenhausen and Emily Siebert played the leads.
Tricia Thelen, associate professor of theater in the College of Arts and Sciences, designed the set. Robert Bresnick, an adjunct faculty member, directed.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
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Theater for Community performed "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" April 14-17, 2011, at Long Wharf Theatre, Stage II, in New Haven.
Written by Bertolt Brecht in 1945 in anticipation of the end of the Second World War, "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" is based on a 14th century Chinese play and combines two parables. One features a peasant girl who steals a baby but becomes a better mother than its natural parents, and the other depicts an incorrigible scoundrel who becomes a judge and brings justice to the people through his unconventional rulings.
"This play is an adventure story and a love story," said Robert Bresnick, the play's director. "It is an extremely funny, very moving, very exciting and always astute and wry examination of the consequences of war."
The Antigone Project Revisited: War is War
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Theater for Community presented "The Antigone Project Revisited: War is War" Feb. 24-27, 2011, in the Black Box Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.
"'The Antigone Project Revisited: War is War' is a culmination of a series of projects involving different wars from differing perspectives," said Travis Weisse '11, who directed the production.
"This project utilizes fragments of real accounts of wars from veterans who served in Iraq, Vietnam, Nicaragua and El Salvador among others in an attempt to piece together and analyze the meanings and outcomes of war in the home as well as the mind."
The production was written by Crystal Brian, professor of theater, and Katherine DeMezzo '11.