MTA To Present "Scenes From An Execution"
The Muhlenberg Theatre Association will present acclaimed British playwright Howard Barker's epic drama "Scenes from an Execution," November 14-23, in the Studio Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance.Monday, November 10, 2003 10:42 AM
The Muhlenberg Theatre Association will present acclaimed British playwright Howard Barker's epic drama "Scenes from an Execution," November 14-23, in the Studio Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre and Dance. There will be no performance on Monday, November 17. Performances will be evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, available through the Box Office, 484-664-3333. Please note: Because of mature themes and content, this play is not recommended for youth under 16.
Under the direction of James Peck with the featured performance of Equity artist Devon Allen, "Scenes from an Execution" is co-produced by Our Shoes Are Red, a theatre lab-in-residence at Muhlenberg College. Howard Barker is a versatile and incendiary British playwright whose radical and complex theater works set a new watermark for political theatre in England in the mid-1980s. Devon Allen describes "Scenes from an Execution" as "highly charged, emotionally and sexually, a play of the body, mind and spirit as inseparable forces."
The witty and satirical play tells the story of Galactia (played by Devon Allen), a female painter who has been commissioned by the Venetian government to create a painting of a recent Venetian military victory, The Battle of Lepanto. The Battle of Lepanto, fought on October 7, 1571, between the allied Christian Holy League and the Muslim Ottoman Turks marked a monumental victory for the Christians, who had not won any previous battles in the War of Cyprus. The legacy of this battle proved to be a powerful political tool in furthering the idea of the glory of the Christian allied forces. However, it soon becomes clear that Galactia wishes to make this painting a protest to the senseless, unnecessary carnage that she envisions war to be. The political and religious leaders of Venice wage their own battle with Galactia, arguing to impress the public with the majesty of the Admiral Suffici and of Venice itself. Galactia is a woman of principle and she stands her ground, painting her own vision and not that of the people paying for the canvas.
The company features student actors Nick Thompson-Miller '04, Justin Brehm '05, Lance Bankerd '05, Jamie McKittrick '04, Goran Ivanovski '06, Matt Micucci '04, Audrey Neddermann '04, Charlotte McIvor '04, Leah Goldstein '05 and Adam Pinti '06. Liz Covey is costume designer; Trui Malten is lighting and scenic designer.
