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Event
LOVE'S FIRE - Six Contemporary Plays Inspired by Shakespearean Sonnets
EXQUISITE CORPS THEATRE RIFFS ON SHAKESPEARE WITH "LOVE'S FIRE"
Exquisite Corps Theatre Company is proud to announce its upcoming fundraiser production of Love's Fire, August 28-30, 2009, at the Arsenal Center for the Arts Black Box Theater in Watertown. Love's Fire is a collection of contemporary short plays inspired by Shakespearean sonnets. A pantheon of American playwrights including Eric Bogosian, John Guare, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, Ntozake Shange, and Wendy Wasserstein, lend their voices to bring different worlds together, taking the audience through love and betrayal, the Hamptons and hip-hop, creation stories and (of course) therapy.
Originally commissioned by The Acting Company, a national repertory theater, and produced in association with The Guthrie Theater and the Barbican Centre. Love's Fire premiered at The Guthrie Theater lab in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 7, 1998.
* Norman's 140 weaves through the darker elements of human attraction, as an unraveling chain of lovers desperately fights through betrayal and humiliation to hold on to some shred of grace. Love and betrayal cut many ways.
* Shange's Hydraulics Phat Like Mean follows a seductive courtship wherein music and dance break through bravado and vulnerability and help two fiery souls land in unison. Hip-hop. Paso doble. Love.
* In Wasserstein's Waiting for Philip Glass, a socialite throws a benefit for the famous composer, but the guests are forced to mingle and examine their own lives as they wait for him to arrive. Portraying the insular world of American movers and shakers, the play follows the people who are interested only in each other, not in the world at large.
* In Bogosian's Bitter Sauce, Rengin decides to reveal a big secret to Herman on the eve of their wedding. This firey comedy questions whether an "antidote" can help when love feels too intense.
* Kushner's Terminating, or Lass Meine Schmerzen Nicht Verloren Sein, or Ambivalence examines Freudbot-gone-haywire Hendryk as he begs his ex-analyst Esther to let him back into the fold, but his Shakespeare-spouting satyr of a boyfriend ensures that it is neither easily said nor done. A seriocomic exploration of the omnipresent life/death battle, the strength it takes to really be alive, and why we fight so hard to stay that way.
* Guare's General of Hot Desire is simultaneously a sprawling fantasia on the act of creation and a very human story about our compulsion to find and keep our place in the universe. What do you get when nine actors try to write and perform a play based on some of Shakespeare's most evocative sonnets? A little fighting, a lot of passion, and of course a quick detour to the creation of the world.
The six plays of Love's Fire are directed by Adrienne Boris, Louisa Richards, and Giselle Ty, featuring Boston-area actors Tory Bullock, Jamianne Devlin, Denise Drago, Lauren Foster, Erika Geller, Autumn Gillette, John Greene, Kelley Green, Maia Karo, Rory Kulz, Neal Leaheey, Kathryn Lynch, Equiano Mosieri, Laura B. Murphy, Mary-Liz Murray, Bob Mussett, Laura Parker, Desiree Pedrami, Therese Plaehn, Jennifer Reddish, Rachel Sacks, Maria-Pia Shuman, and Scott Sweatt.
Performances are August 28-30, 2009--Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets are $20 general admission, and may be purchased online or in cash at the door. A public reception follows Sunday's performance, which will include a raffle. The Arsenal Center for the Arts Black Box Theater is located on the lower level at 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA. For more information about online ticketing and the raffle, please visit us on the web at www.exquisitecorps.org.
EXQUISITE CORPS THEATRE is an emerging, Boston-based, non-profit arts company whose goal is to produce daring works for the stage, using simple means to tell powerful stories. With a focus on contemporary and modern plays which are little-known or rarely performed, and through a willingness to experiment and a process that empowers the ensemble, they continually strive to cultivate meaningful and provocative relationships between text, artist, and audience.
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LocationArsenal Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 13 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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