ANTIGONE/PROGENY, THE JOAN PROJECT & More Set for Columbia Univeristy's 2012-13 Columbia Stages Season

Columbia University School of the Arts has announced the 2012-2013 Columbia Stages season of actors', directors' and playwrights' thesis productions at the Riverside Theatre, 3LD, the Connelly Theatre, and The Pershing Square Signature Center. Columbia Stages has expanded its season to a variety of venues throughout the City in order to provide third-year students with high-quality presentation spaces that meet the needs of their individual vision. The first production of the season will be Antigone/Progeny directed by Greg Taubman '13.

2012-2013 CURRENT SEASON OVERVIEW

MFA Actors' Thesis Production
THE JOAN PROJECT (Working Title)
NOVEMBER 7-10, 14-17, 2012
THE RIVERSIDE THEATRE
91 CLAREMONT AVENUE

Columbia's MFA Actors have spent the past two years in rigorous training, immersed in classical texts and engaged in the process of building an ensemble. THE JOAN PROJECT (Working Title) showcases their versatility and dynamism.

Esteemed voice teacher and MFA Faculty member Kristin Linklater leads this production, which is based on the phenomenal and mysterious story of Joan of Arc. Shakespeare, Schiller, Anouilh, Bernard Shaw, Maxwell Anderson and Brecht all wrote plays based on the story of Joan, at least thirty Joan of Arc films have been produced and retrospective psychoanalysis of her behavior abounds. What do we make of her today? Drawing on the actors' personal creativity and rich dramatic sources, THE JOAN PROJECT (Working Title) presents a multifaceted Joan for the 21st century.

Actors in the Class of 2013: Kassianni Austin, Lena Bull, Lauren Cipoletti, Zach C. Clark, Neil D'Astolfo, Nika Ezell Pappas, Tom Giordano, John Garrett Greer, Laura Lassy, Simone Leanora Mack, Allison Minick, Michael Mullen, Anita Petry, Paige Patterson, Hardy Pinnell, Vincent Torres and Liba Vaynberg.

MFA Directors' Thesis Productions
ANTIGONE
A new translation of Sophocles by Sarah Sharp with Greg Taubman '13
PROGENY
Written by Greg Taubman '13
OCTOBER 17-20, 2012
THE RIVERSIDE THEATRE
91 CLAREMONT AVENUE
Directed by Greg Taubman '13

Two millennia ago: a king struggles to reunify his city while a princess's dissent threatens to reopen the wounds of civil war. To whom do the dead belong? Today: a governor announces a new stance on abortion, only to find his niece staging a hunger strike in protest. Who decides when life begins? Rehearsed and performed in repertory, these two plays provide a one-of-a-kind reckoning with the costs of certainty and the continued resonance of the original story of nonviolent protest.

THE CORSAIR
FEBRUARY 13-16, 2013
3LD, 80 GREENWICH STREET
Inspired by "The Corsair" by Lord Byron (and many other things)
Conceived and Directed by Katie Naka '13

"With nothing left to love, there's nought to dread." – Lord Byron

A journey into the hearts of both the classic and the modern anti-hero, THE CORSAIR is a hybrid-theatre-medium-mash-up fantasy that trips through all sides of being a badass. Through movement, video, music, swords, sexiness, and good old-fashioned storytelling, Katie Naka and crew take you on an adventure through dark swirling waters and the torture-born freedom of having nothing left to lose.

A PROJECT DIRECTED BY RAYMOND ZILBERBERG '13
MARCH 5-8, 2013
3LD, 80 GREENWICH STREET
TITLE AND DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED

SAKHARAM BINDER
MARCH 26-30, 2013
3LD, 80 GREENWICH STREET
Written by Vijay Tendulkar
Directed by Nikhil Mehta '13

Vijay Tendulkar's frightening masterpiece, SAKHARAM BINDER, is the story of a bookbinder who, standing by his own subversive moral code, gives shelter to castoff and homeless women, expecting servitude and sexual favors in exchange. Originally banned and rarely seen in the States, this modern Indian classic depicts a violent struggle between the sexes as desires and freedoms of a society are being rediscovered in a newly formed nation.

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