[Capdist-announce] Wallace Shawn's "The Designated Mourner" re-scheduled for November/December

[Charles Treadwell]

Wallace Shawn's The Designated Mourner re-scheduled for November & December
 
D & M Productions’ rendition of The Designated Mourner by Wallace Shawn, originally slated for the last two weekends in September, has been moved to the first weekend of November and the first weekend of December. The play will be held at ZuZu’s Wonderful Life Café in Albany.
 
The play stars Ed McMullen, Sue Caputo and John Stevenson. F. Paul Dellio, who has collaborated with McMullen on several productions over the years, is directing. D&M Productions, founded by McMullen in 1997, specializes in areas premiers of two-and three-character plays. 
 
The Designated Mourner is set in an unidentified country run by a repressive regime, which is in the process of putting down a revolt from the long-oppressed underclass. The regime targets members of the liberal intelligentsia suspected of sympathizing with the rebels. The play is presented almost entirely in alternating monologues among its three characters: Howard, a revered intellectual and literary figure, whose history of dissident writings have put him in danger of retaliation from the regime; his loyal daughter and fellow intellectual, Judy, who shares her father's outlook; and her husband, Jack, once an admirer of Howard but now antagonistic toward the elitist or "highbrow" culture that his father-in-law and wife represent. As the government steps up its measures to quell the revolt, the consequences spill over into the lives of these characters, forcing either life-altering or life-numbing responses from each of them. 
 
Dellio has directed several quality productions over the past 30 years. These include: The Actor's Nightmare, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Murder In The Cathedral, Lady Windemere's Fan, A Man For All Seasons, Duet For One, Wrecks, Faith Healer, and Molly Sweeney. In addition to directing, Dellio, a former professional dancer and actor, is also a playwright. 
 
McMullen adds the Jack role to a wide spectrum of characters he's played, such as Valmont (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), Frank Hardy (Faith Healer), Roy Cohn (Angels In America), Mr. Rice (Molly Sweeney), Donnie Dubrow (American Buffalo), Thomas Becket (Murder in the Cathedral), Henry VIII (A Man For All Seasons), Ed Carr (Wrecks), Tony Wendice in Dial M For Murder, and General Wallace (The Andersonville Trial). McMullen has also directed productions of Faith Healer, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Chinese Coffee.
 
Caputo, taking on the Judy role, is a seasoned actor, choreographer, and director. She has appeared in several productions at Capital Rep, NYSTI, Fort Salem Theater, and Theatre Voices. Among her numerous credits, she choreographed James Joyce’s The Dead and played Helga in M. Butterfly, both at Capital Rep; acted with NYSTI in Philadelphia Story, Man of LaMancha, King of Shadows, and A Tale of Cinderella. This past summer at Fort Salem, she played Stacy in the world premier of Star Crossed and directed and choreographed Forever Plaid. Caputo owns ZuZu’s with her husband.
 
Stevenson, playing Howard, is the co-founder of Pentimento Playback, an improvisational theater company that specializes in performing the stories of audience members. He was also a professional actor in his twenties, focusing primarily on Shakespeare. Stevenson performed the role of Robert in the first Capital District production of Betrayal in 1982. Stevenson and McMullen worked together in a 1989 production of Inherit The Wind at the RPI Playhouse. 
 
Performance dates and times are: Nov. 5 at 8 pm; Nov. 6 at 2:30 pm and 8 pm; and Nov. 7 at 2:30 pm. The show resumes on Dec. 3 and 4 at 8 pm.
 
Admission is $15. For additional information, call 518-522-7273. ZuZu's Wonderful Life Cafe is located on 301 Hamilton Street in Albany. 
 


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://capdisttheater.org/pipermail/capdist-announce/attachments/20100823/b4383113/attachment.html>