And the Brian Morgan Award Goes to ...

...Jessica Bedford!

Congratulations to the luminous Jessica Bedford, the 2009-2010 winner of the Brian G. Morgan '67 '70 Award. You've already made us proud, and we can't wait to follow your future achievements!

On Saturday, November 14, following the 8pm performance of As You Like It, the Villanova Theatre Department held our annual Brian Morgan Award reception. After Fr. Richard welcomed the roomful of guests, we all watched the video about Brian that the department produced last year (you can watch it online here). Tears were shed. Next, Mary Anne Carlson Morgan - Brian's widow and the woman whose considerable efforts keep the award growing - spoke briefly about Brian and the history of the award. Then, finally it was time! Fr. Richard began with, "This year's award winner is ..." but he became too overwhelmed and simply gestured toward Jessica. Applause! After the cheering died down (it took a while), Harriet Power, who directed Jessica in Le Dindon last season and in As You Like It this year, shared her thoughts about Jessica's meaningful contributions to the department on- and off-stage. Hugs, photos, and the consumption of wine and cheese ensued.

Many thanks to everyone who attended the event, and to all the donors who have contributed so generously to the Brian G. Morgan '67 '70 Award Fund. We could not be more grateful for your thoughtfulness and your excitement.

Here are a few more photos from the evening:

Mary Anne Carlson Morgan and Harriet Power talk at the award reception.

Mary Anne congratulates Jessica as Fr. Richard stands by.

Harriet offers her congratulations to Jessica.

Last year's winners, Luke Moyer and Kristen O'Rourke congratulate Jessica in their own way.

Luke, Kristen, Mary Anne, and Jessica

Exploring the Everyday Miracles

posted by Meg Devine Maxwell, Director of Marketing & PR

It's fall break at Villanova, which means that the rest of campus is quiet. Here in the theatre department, though, we just keep on chugging. We've got props to create (ex., a small deer that looks real), a set to build (with a black floor so shiny you could fix your hair in the reflection), and costumes to create (i.e., more doublets than you can shake a stick at).

What, you ask, are we getting ready for? Why, the run of Shakespeare's As You Like It, of course! It runs November 10-22, 2009, which -- in theatre time -- is right around the corner. It features girls dressing as boys; a nasty, usurping Duke; a jester in the forest; and one of the strongest female characters in Shakespeare's work. All the good things you expect from the Bard, and then some. But director Harriet Power is quick to point out that it's not all fluff and fun. There's an emotional core to As You Like It that has the potential to move audiences deeply.

According to Prof. Power: "We often think of Shakespeare’s comedies as delightful romps peopled by infatuated innocents, testy elders, and zany fools – but Shakespeare’s more mature comedies, including As You Like It, also explore complex, profound ideas. In As You Like It, Shakespeare brings together an astonishing range of characters: old men and young lovers, courtiers and shepherds, thinkers and doers, the educated and uneducated, the happy and the melancholy. And underneath each character’s particular pursuit – of love, certainly; of comfort, perhaps, or power, or accolades, or enlightenment– is that essential question 'How is life best lived?' Shakespeare seems to have recognized that there are no easy answers to this largest of human questions, instead presenting a range of actions and choices that invite us, as audience members, to contemplate what we value most dearly (and, also, what might obstruct our happiness or fulfillment or capacity for selflessness). For all the ambiguities that help make his plays timeless, Shakespeare, in As You Like It, reminds us that generosity, friendship, risk, and especially, forgiveness, are the everyday miracles that enrich our existence, as
'...from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot ...' (Jacques, Act II scene 7)"

Something to ponder, no?

Almost ILLUSION time!

The Illusion starts in just a week, and it's going to make quite the finale to our 2007-2008 season. With a set by Frank McCullough, costumes by Cloe Fox Wind, lighting by Jerry Forsyth, and sound by Jorge Cousineau, it's a stunning piece of artwork. Of course, what director Harriet Power has done The Illusion is also pretty magical. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to slap Carl ... you'll love it!

Here's the cast, who are all familiar (and beloved) faces here at Villanova Theatre:
Pridamant -- Dr. James F. Schlatter
Amanuensis/Geronte -- Jeffrey S. Paden
Alcandre -- Paul Guerin
Calisto/Clindor/Theogenes -- Carl C. Granieri
Melibea/Isabelle/Hyppolyta -- Rachel Anne Stephan
Elicia/Lyse/Clarina -- Kristen O'Rourke
Pleribo/Adraste/Prince Florilame -- Charles B. Illingworth IV
Matamore -- Luke Moyer

** Special note: Congratulations to Carl and his wife Meredith, who welcomed baby Judah into the world on Thursday!

Baby's First Rave Review!

Hooray! StageMagazineOnline.com sent reviewer Arnie Finkel to see BABY over the weekend, and he loved the show. Some salient points:

"The cast is uniformly excellent. Janet McWilliams and Brian Kurtas as Lizzie and Danny were young and yearning, modern and motivated, appealing and absolutely wonderful. Kurtas did a super job on 'I Chose Right' and McWilliams did justice to 'The Story Goes On' (which is really the point of the show).

Sheila Egan as Arlene and Andy Joos as Alan were adult and adept, confused and concerned, resigned and really terrific. Joos did very well with 'Easier To Love' and Egan did a superior job on the difficult number 'Patterns'.

Rachel Ann Stephan and Charles Illingworth IV as Pam and Nick were athletic and attractive, resolute and romantic, personable and perfectly cast. They wrung every possible nuance out of 'Romance I II and III.'

The 10 person ensemble was incredible. Their harmonies and bit parts added immeasurably to the total effect."

Visit this link to read the whole review.

Our BABY photos

Rachel's Insights: "What a journey!"

Wow. This process is seriously a never-ending journey for me. Just when I feel I've unlocked something in the character, something else pops up as a result. For instance, I really started to get a handle on the despair of infertility so that I could live truthfully in each moment. However, then it became apparent that I was missing the complete joy of the beginning, when Pam and Nick believe they ARE pregnant after two years of trying. This realization caused my research to take a different turn--from searching the frustration and heartbreak of infertility to unlocking the joys and ecstasy of pregnancy. Now, after the run from last night (which was extremely exciting, as well as revealing), we realized that I need to temper the level of the outward expression of emotion.

Here's the thing: I'm 23; Pam is 30. As a 23-year-old, if I feel something, I bare it completely. Pam's been wounded more; scars have been built up and she is tired. The emotion is still there and just as deep, but she's not going to put her entire body into expressing that emotion--not only because of her age, but also because of the ordeal she and Nick have to go through. When Pam opens herself up to Nick at the end, she's spent. Completely--emotionally, physically, mentally. She's done. The run-through really was an eye-opening experience. I can't wait for the chance to do it again tonight!

Another exciting thing: the costumes are rolling in!! One of the key elements for me is putting on those costumes; sometimes I never quite sink into a character's body until I put on their clothes. It might sound silly, but clothing effects the way you walk, the way you sit, the way you want others to see you, etc. They not only effect the body of a character, but are quite telling of the character's personality.

2nd Annual PTRS

PTRS

What a success! Congratulations to Fr. David Cregan, Ph.D., who organized and hosted the 2nd Annual Philadelphia Theatre Research Symposium here at Villanova last Friday. The schedule began with a new scholars panel, with "emerging" scholars Deborah Braak, Valerie Joyce, and Mitch Matson. Their papers - on real-world dramaturgy, Americanized British theatre, and Forum theatre, respectively - offered fresh perspectives from which to approach their topics.

Next, Toby Zinman, theatre critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer and professor at the University of the Arts, delivered the keynote address. She touched on her philosophy about being a critic (it involves having enough bravery to voice an honest opinion), and spoke engagingly about Edward Albee's importance to American theatre. (To read her Philly Inquirer review of Albee's latest, Me, Myself and I, look here.) For those of us who have been Toby's dedicated (sometimes indignant) readers, it was a wonderful opportunity to encounter her as a passionate, good-humored theatre-goer, who is excited about the future of Philadelphia theatre. I daresay she made some friends she never knew she'd lost.

Finally, Toby was joined by Mark Cofta (Philadelphia City Paper), Nancy Furey (www.talkinbroadway.com), and Fr. David himself (Main Line Times) for a critics' roundtable. Several members of the audience posed challenging questions (In what sense do you see yourself as an advocate for theatre? Is it possible to review a show without prejudices or pre-formed expectations? What's your opinion about the current state of Philadelphia theatre?), which the panel answered with admirable candor.

The whole afternoon lasted beyond its slated 3 hours, to no one's dismay. Keep your eye out next spring for the third annual PTRS.