'Oranges' & 'Beast' -PlayGround Theatre Shows 'Tour' S. Florida

(Kristen Dawn McCorkell in "Three Oranges")

COUNT CARLO GOZZI'S "THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES," TO BOW

IN SOUTH FLORIDA WHEN THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE PRESENTS THE FAMED ITALIAN DRAMATIST'S PLAY JANUARY 22 AT THE DAVE AND MARY ALPER JCC.

FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR STEPHANIE ANSIN TO GUIDE

THE PRODUCTION FEATURING AN ENSEMBLE CAST

OF FLORIDA'S MOST ACCOMPLISHED ACTORS

 

Marking the third production of a four-play season that has made South Florida adult and youthful audiences sit up and take serious notice, The PlayGround Theatre for Young Audiences, will perform on Sunday, January 22, at 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. of Count Carlo Gozzi's famed play for children, THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES, at the Dave and Mary Alper JCC at The Jay and Morton Levinthal Campus, 11155 S.W. 112 Street, Miami.

Following its January 22 performances at the JCC, ORANGES will be performed April 8 and 9, at the Shores Performing Arts Theatre, 9806 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores; May 14 at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center, 3100 Ray Ferro Jr. Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale; and June 3, Rinker Playhouse, Kravis Center 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach.

Directed by the repertory company's Co-Producing Artistic Director, Stephanie Ansin, the production, whose targeted audiences are youthful theatre-goers ages 8 and up, will feature an ensemble cast of the area's most accomplished actors, several of whom have been actively engaged in such earlier PlayGround productions as "Pluft, The Little Ghost," and ""Brooklyn Bridge." Included are Melissa Almaguer, Meshaun Labrone Arnold, Steve Gladstone, Kristen Dawn McCorkell, Jesus Quintero, Valerie Stanford, and Ricky Waugh.

 Translated by Dr. John DiGaetani, a professor of English at Hofstra University whose publications include a biography of author Gozzi and several books about composer Richard Wagner, THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES was adapted by Gozzi from an old fairy tale in an attempt to revive commedia dell'arte. The play's success prompted Gozzi (1720-1806) to continue to write plays based on children's stories, fables, and Spanish dramas, including "Turandot," which like "Oranges," was to become the basis for internationally acclaimed and continually performed operas.

For Stephanie Ansin, who with her husband, Oleg Kheyfets, launched The PlayGround Theatre, directing THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES offered a special challenge having adapted the work from DiGaetani's translation which she delighted in doing with input from her cast.. Earning her BA degree in Theatre Arts at Brown University and her MFA in Theatre Directing at Columbia University, Ansin had earlier directed scripts by emerging writers at Fordham University, "The Seven Year Itch," "Abingdon Square," Twelfth Night," and "Okay." In her home state Florida, Ansin directed "Matterhorn" for City Theatre, Summer Shorts 1999 which scored a Carbonell Award for Best Ensemble.

THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES will have set and costume design by Emil Kapelush, and lighting design by S. Ryan Schmidt. Kapelush, whose distinguished work has already been evident in the PlayGround's inaugural production of "Pluft, The Little Ghost," has designed more than 180 productions in Russia, Europe, Asia and the U.S. Among his many awards, Kapelush counts a Gold Mask, (the Russia Tony) for Shakespeare's "The Father," and Golden Mask nominations for Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex," Strindberg's "The Father," Chekhov's "Platonov," and Gozzi's "Turandot." Over twenty years ago, Kapelush and PlayGround Co-Artistic Director Producer Kheyfets collaborated on a production of "Pluft, the Little Ghost, which ran for seven years at Tomsk, Russia's State Theatre for Young Audiences."

From New York, lighting designer S. Ryan Schmidt has been honored as winner of the 2004 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards for her work on "The Mystery Plays" at Yale Repertory Theater. Credits also include "Critical Darling" for The New Group; "The Job" for WPA; "Richard III" for The Pearl Theatre Company; "King Lear" for Yale Repertory Theatre; "The Tempest" and "All's Well That Ends Well" for Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company.

(THE BEAST)

THE LOVE OF THREE ORANGES will join the 2005-2006 performance schedule which includes ongoing productions of both PLUFT, THE LITTLE GHOST and BROOKLYN BRIDGE, and the forthcoming production of THE BEAST which will debut February 3 at the Byron-Carlyle Theatre.

Admission is $15 per person with $10 each for groups of 20 or more. (305) 751-9550; toll free 888) 635-7536; via e-mail: info@theplaygroundtheatre.com; via website: www.theplaygroundtheatre.com.

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