CRT Presents Original Adaptation Of ICARUS 3/26-4/5

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present an original adaptation by Stefano Brancato and Michael Bush of the legendary myth of Icarus, March 26 - April 5 in the Studio Theatre on the Storrs campus. For tickets and information, call 860-486-4226 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

This Puppet Arts production will feature a variety of inventive puppets in an original stage adaptation of the legendary story of Icarus, a Greek mythological character who flew too close to the sun and melted his wings of feathers and wax.

Daedalus and his son, Icarus, were imprisoned in Crete by King Minos because Daedalus helped Minos' enemy Theseus. Daedalus, being a skilled craftsman, decided to construct wings of wax and feathers for him and his son so they could escape by flying from Crete. Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or too close to the sea, but Icarus is too curious to obey his father.

The production will feature puppets performed by live puppeteers. The Puppet Arts program at UConn is one of the most prestigious programs of its kind in the country, and it works closely with CRT and the Ballard Museum of Puppetry. Puppet Arts productions are hugely popular with CRT audiences who love the inventiveness and originality of the shows, as well as the extraordinary craftsmanship in building the cast of original puppets. The Department of Dramatic Arts at UConn is the only department that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in puppet arts.

Co-creators Mr. Brancato and Mr. Bush are both MFA candidates in the Puppet Arts program. Mr. Brancato, the director, said, "When approaching the script of Icarus it was important for us to tell a great story but we wanted to do so in a nonconventional way using a variety of puppetry forms including rod puppets and marionettes. You never know what's going to happen next."

Stefano Brancato (director/writer): received a B.F.A in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College. In 1999 he co-created Company M.U.D.D., an ensemble theatre group were he performed at La Mama Etc., Symphony Space and The Theresa Lang Theatre in New York City. His credits include The Golem (Cast/Puppet Design); Political Strategery: A Political Satire (Cast/Puppet Design); The Violence Project (Cast/Puppet Design). His other puppet design credits include Tales For Children, Ionesco Festival NYC and Shirtwaist, NY Fringe Festival. Mr. Brancato has also worked with Cass Daley Designs as an Asst. Event Designer for seven years, working with The Adleson Gallery, Amy Tan, Hudson River Museum, The Dupont Family and The Marriott Marquee. His NY performance credits include Podgers, Lord Aurthur Savile's Crime (National Black Theatre); Sergy, Platonov, Platonov, Platonov (Feed the Herd Theatre); Ricky, Fragments of Ricky the Super Hero (Feed the Herd Theatre), and others; Choir, Miracle on 34th Street (Madison Square Garden); Last Season of Sex and the City. Mr. Brancato was also seen in the CRT productions of Little Things, It Can't Happen Here and Love's Labour's Lost and also Asst. Directed Macbeth and Arabian Nights. He studied with Sandglass Institute and first work-shopped Icarus at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference, and was an Emerging Artist at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference where he and Michael Bush work-shopped Icarus a second time.

Michael Bush (puppetry designer/writer): A graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI, with a BFA in Crafts. His sculptures and art dolls have been seen in multiple galleries, including Detroit's Artist Market, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., as well as Contemporary Doll Collector Magazine, and Scholastic Art Magazine. His puppets star in a regional Emmy-award winning commercial, advertising ABC News 12 in Flint, Michigan. Other design credits include sculptor for the Detroit Parade Company, puppet technical director for Mary Nagler's Little Things, and shadow/prop designer for Bonnie Remsberg and Richard Termine's Scarves at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference. Michael returned to the O'Neill conference the following year as an "Emerging Artist" with Stefano Brancato to workshop Icarus. Performance includes CRT's It Can't Happen Here (Doremus/Clarence), Little Things (Puppeteer), Hartford Symphony Orchestra's Peter and The Wolf (Peter), and Wes Craven's 24/8 (Puppeteer on "The Ripper").

The artistic team also includes: Jeanette Drake, Scenic Designer; Alex Goldberg, Lighting Designer; Mitchell Travers, Costume Designer and Emily Tritsch, Sound Designer

Scott Cooke (Icarus): is a 6th semester acting major. Past credits include performances at "ACT: Arts at the Capitol Theater" as Paul Newman in Rewind: 80 Years behind the Silver Screen and Mark in ACT's production of Shadow Box.

Fergus J Walsh (Daedalus): Fergus is a second year MA puppetry candidate. He was the filmmaker and assistant director for last semester's CRT production of The Skin of our Teeth

and appeared last season in CRT's Meet the Samsas (Puppeteer and voice of Mr Samsa). Fergus works as a puppeteer and actor in Ireland where he is a founder of The Knickerbocker Glories. His work for this company includes Idol (Joe) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, There's a whale on the clothesline! (The Whale) and The Little Prince (The Fox), both of which he co-wrote. Acting credits include Oleanna (John) and The Countrywoman (Tommy).

The ensemble cast will feature BFA, MFA, and UConn students: Zoe Besmond de Sennevill, Anastasia Brewczynski, Michael Cavanaugh, Zach Dorn, Lauren Horoszewski, Lynne Kagan, Seth Koproski, Sarah Murdoch, Zane Roberts, Robert Rosado, and Joe Therrien.

Please call 860-486-4226 for tickets or for more information. Please call or visit the box office for specific show dates and times because performance schedules vary and are subject to change.

Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday evenings. Matinee performances start at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $11- $29.

 

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