The Acting Company to Present Shakespeare Plays, Workshops at SUNY Potsdam

CPS Hosts Performing Arts Residency; Group to Perform 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'The Comedy of Errors'

Related Media

Kaliswa Brewer and Alejandro Rodriguez in The Acting Company’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.”

POTSDAM, NY (02/10/2011)(readMedia)-- The Acting Company, the widely-traveled national touring theater group, will present two Shakespeare plays with a modern twist while in residence at SUNY Potsdam from Feb. 21 to 22.

Community Performance Series will host the company for two performances, presenting "Romeo and Juliet" on Monday, Feb. 21, and "The Comedy of Errors" on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Both plays will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus.

Pre-show talks will be offered before each performance, led by faculty members from the College's Department of Theater and Dance. Jay Pecora will speak about "Romeo and Juliet," and Kim Bouchard will discuss "The Comedy of Errors." Additionally, a "talk back" after-show discussion will be held with Acting Company cast members following each performance.

"We are grateful to Community Performance Series for bringing such a respected American theatre company to SUNY Potsdam," said Robin L. Collen, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance. "Not only will students and the broader community have an opportunity to see professionally-produced Shakespeare, but they will also benefit from the hands-on training offered through several workshops, including one on stage combat!"

"Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare's iconic romantic tragedy, tells the story of innocent young lovers falling victim to family hatred and cruel destiny. "The Comedy of Errors," tells the story of two sets of identical twins tragically separated at birth, leading to a series of wild and hilarious mishaps based on mistaken identities. These classic Shakespearean tales will be brought to life by The Acting Company, hailed by the New York Times as "the major touring classical theatre in the United States."

Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and current producing director Margot Harley, The Acting Company has performed 135 productions for over two million people in 48 states and 10 foreign countries. Alumni members include Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, David Schramm, Jesse L. Martin, Keith David, Lorraine Toussaint, David Ogden Stiers, Mary Lou Rosato, Lisa Banes, Derek Smith, Frances Conroy, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jeffrey Wright and Rainn Wilson.

As part of their SUNY Potsdam residency, members of the company will conduct two free workshops on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

"From Page to Stage" will take place from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in Kellas Hall Room 103 and will focus on the process of taking the words in a script and transforming them into the play you see on stage.

"Stage Combat" will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Dunn Dance Studio and will introduce the basic principles of hand-to-hand combat.

For more information on the workshops, please visit www.cpspotsdam.org or contact Anna Marie Wilharm at wilharam@potsdam.edu.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of the Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus, or Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam. Tickets start at $5 for youth, $16 for seniors and students and $20 for adults. A special theatre group rate for drama organizations is also available, with tickets starting at $5. Tickets are available by calling the CPS Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or by purchasing online at www.cpspotsdam.org.

The Acting Company residency at CPS is sponsored in part by SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, the E.J. Noble Foundation, the Maresca Family Endowment for the Arts and the Sweetgrass Foundation. Media sponsors include WWNY-TV and North Country Public Radio.

Established in 1989, CPS at SUNY Potsdam is a college-community partnership presenting world-class performing artists and arts education opportunities in northern New York. A rich mixture of programs links community, classroom and audiences of all ages while preserving access to the performing arts for future generations.

For more information about CPS's Special Events, visit www.cpspotsdam.org.

###

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, the State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

-www.potsdam.edu-