A Portable Theatre to Present A PICASSO

During World War Two, the Germans had a dual interest in art. One the one hand, they openly seized classic masterpieces from their rightful owners (some of which are just being recovered by the families today), and on the other hand they discouraged and may have destroyed works of modern art, which they labeled as "degenerate."

The Nazis hated Pablo Picasso not only because he was the most prominent modernist in all the world, but because his celebrated painting "Guernica" (1937) had drawn the world's attention to atrocities wrought by the German bombers on the small Spanish town. In 1940, when the Germans occupied Paris, Picasso-a longtime resident-came under their power.

A Picasso

Ohio native Jeffrey Hatcher's riveting drama is set in 1941 Paris during the German occupation. While leaving his favorite cafe, Pablo Picasso--the world's most renowned artist--has been picked up by two mysterious men in trench coats and taken to an unknown destination, a basement room, where he is left alone to await his Nazi interrogator. Is his life in danger?

Picasso, who is a well-known womanizer, is surprised when this interrogator proves to be a "Miss Fischer," an attractive young woman. But any thought he might have of charming his way out of this situation is quickly dispelled when he discovers that this woman is every bit his match. What follows is a potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse as Picasso tries to unravel the mystery of why he is being questioned and what Miss Fischer is not telling him.

Cast and Crew

Tim Browning (Pablo Picasso)

A professional actor for more than twenty years, Tim has appeared in The Civil War at Houston's Alley Theatre, Twelfth Night at Chicago's Court Theatre, and in the off-Broadway production of Drift by Jeremy Schonfeld. In addition to his many national credits, he has been seen locally in leading roles in Albee's The Goat for Red Herring Productions, God of Carnage and The Taming of the Shrew for New Players Theatre, and in the title role of Shrek-the Musical for the Columbus Children's Theatre. His portrayal of Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross earned him a 2010 Best Actor Award from The Other Paper and a runner-up for the Central Ohio Theater Critic's Circle award. Tim is also an experienced director and the Artistic Director of New Players Theatre, as well as an award-winning theatre educator who is currently the director of Fort Hayes Metropolitan High School's theatre program. He has been a member of Actor's Equity Association since 1999.

Tim was one of the three actors who performed in APT's Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) this past December, a role he will reprise this December.

Mandy Fox (Miss Fischer)

Mandy Fox is an actor, director, and vocal coach. A member of Actors' Equity Association, she performed on Broadway in the Tony Award Winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and is a graduate of Otterbein University and the Yale School of Drama. Among her favorite roles are Sister Aloycius in Doubt and Mrs. Prentice in What the Butler Saw at CATCO, Nancy in Frozen at Evolution Theatre and Pru in Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde at Yale Rep. Mandy is an Associate Professor of Acting and Directing at Ohio State University.Recent directing projects include Good Kids (OSU), Twelfth Night (Actor's Theatre), Arabian Nights (OSU), and Hamlet's Fool, a new work commissioned by Ohio State and The Royal Shakespeare Company which played in Columbus and toured to London.

Geoffrey Nelson (Director)

A Picasso marks Geoff's sixth production of a Jeffrey Hatcher play, including the direction of Good 'n' Plenty, The Turn of the Screw, and Three Viewings. He has also produced Hatcher's Scotland Road and Murderers. Geoff has directed over one hundred plays, most recently the comedy Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) for APT and Shakespeare's Richard III at Denison University. Geoff is the Artistic Director of APT and appears with Jonathan Putnam in APT's touring show The Duck Variations.

Diana Evans Vance (Design/Technical Direction)

After serving 38 years as Hilliard Davidson High School's technical director/theatre teacher and 16 years as Performing Arts Chair, Diana retired and has been serving as APT's Board President and technical director/designer. Diana has been the recipient of numerous awards including Ohio Educational Theatre Association's Hall of Fame, Ohio Theatre Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award, The Educational Theatre Association's Hall of Fame, Ashland Oil's Golden Apple Achiever, Columbus Theatre Roundtable's People Who Make a Difference, and Ohio Teacher of the Year finalist while serving on numerous board of directors including Ohio Thespians and Ohio Alliance for the Arts and serving as a coordinator for the All-Ohio Thespian production for 13 years, designing/tech directing Hilliard Arts Council's summer musical for 23 years, and performing with her students four times at the Fringe. She also designed the sound for APT's Tales from the Grave.

Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher

Jeffrey Hatcher is a playwright and screenwriter who grew up in Steubenville, Ohio. A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Hatcher wrote screenplays for the films Mr. Holmes, The Duchess and Stage Beauty, adapted from his own play, The Compleat Female Stage Beauty. Among his plays are Ten Chimneys, Good 'N' Plenty, Scotland Road, Murderers, Three Viewings, and Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Suicide Club. His play Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella, was nominated for an Edgar Award. He resides in Minneapolis.

Public Performances

Friday, May 6 at 7:30 PM

The Abbey Theater of Dublin

Dublin Community Recreation Center

5600 Post Road

Dublin OH 43017

Tues., May 10 at 7:30 PM

The Clintonville Woman's Club

3951 North High Street

Columbus OH 43214

Tickets

Tickets may be booked online through the theatre's website, www.aportabletheatre.com, or by going directly to ShowTix at https://www.showtix4u.com/boxoffice.php?submit=Search+for+Events&begin=1542968¤t_client=0450351305181504

Tickets may also be purchased at the door, pending availability. Tickets are $20. Student tickets are $10. Group rates are available (contact APT at aportabletheatre@gmail.com).

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