FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cindy Moran,
Public Relations Director. 414-224-1761
August 23, 2007
Soaring story
of passion, honor and romance
open’s Rep’s 2007/08 season
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
By Edmond Rostand
Translated by Brian Hooker
Adapted and
Directed by Sanford Robbins
Made possible in part by the generous support
of:
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
Previews: September 5 & 6, 2007 Opens: September
7, 2007 Closes: October 7, 2007
What is this thing called love? For over a century this soaring
story of passion, honor, romance and the heartbreak of unrequited
love has celebrated the optimism and resilience of the human spirit
like no other. Tickets can be purchased in
person at The Rep Ticket Office at 108 East Wells Street, or by
telephone at 414-224-9490. Tickets can also be purchased online
24/7 at milwaukeerep.com.
Set in 1640 in the romantic city of Paris, CYRANO
DE BERGERAC tells the passionate story of the gifted swordsman
and charismatic poet, Cyrano de Bergerac and his secret love for
the beautiful Roxane. Unfortunately, Cyrano was born with an enormous
nose and he believes he cannot be loved for who he is. He feels
he is too ugly to win Roxane’s affections.
One night at the Hotel Bourgogne, Cyrano gets in an argument with
an actor that turns into an onstage duel in which he gallantly wins.
The victory causes a sensation in the crowd, especially in Roxane
who arranges to meet Cyrano the next day. The two meet at a pastry
shop where Roxane divulges to Cyrano that she has fallen in love
with Christian, a handsome nobleman, who will soon be joining Cyrano’s
company of guards, the Cadets of Gascoyne. Roxane asks Cyrano to
look after Christian. Despite Christian’s initial rudeness,
Cyrano stays true to his promise to Roxane and tells Christian of
her love for him. Christian’s excitement lasts briefly until
he realizes his inability for poetic expression.
Cyrano offers to help by forging a letter to Roxane from Christian.
This deception continues when Cyrano disguises his voice as Christian’s
while under Roxane’s window one night, wooing her with his
poetry. Roxane, unaware of the deception, secretly marries Christian.
De Guiche, another one of Roxane’s admirers, finds out about
this marriage and sends the Cadets of Gascoyne to the front lines
of the war in Spain.
During the war, Cyrano writes to Roxane every day under the guise
of Christian. Christian realizes Cyrano’s love for Roxane
and encourages him to tell her the truth so that she can pick between
the two of them. Roxane arrives at the frontlines, but before Cyrano
can tell her the truth, Christian is killed, leaving her one last
letter.
Fifteen years later, the ever-mourning Roxane lives in a convent
where Cyrano visits her every Saturday. On his way to the convent
one Saturday, Cyrano receives a head injury. Nearing the end of
the play and his life, Cyrano asks to read Christian’s last
letter out loud to Roxane. She allows him to, suddenly realizing
that it was Cyrano who wrote all the letters and thus he is the
man she has been in love with all these years.
Playwright Edmond Rostand (1868 –
1918) was a 19th century French poet and writer born into an affluent
and cultured family in Marseille. He studied literature, history
and philosophy at the Collège Stanislas in Paris and also
published poems and essays in the literary review Mireille. His
first book of poems, Les Musardises was published in 1890. Rostand’s
first successful play, LES ROMANESQUES (1894,THE ROMANTICS/THE FANTASTICKS),
was produced at the Comédie Française and was based
on Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET. His next and great success
came at the age of 29 when Rostand introduced his most admired and
long-lasting play about a heroic individualist with an enormous
nose called CYRANO DE BERGERAC. L'AIGLON (1900), a tragedy based
on the life of Napoleon's son, the Duke of Reichstadt, was also
regarded as a work of art. Rostand was able to revive the old romantic
drama through these masterpieces. Even with the naturalist movement
in full force, Rostand’s CYRANO DE BERGERAC was able to invoke
enthusiasm and sadness in the audience. At the turn of the new century
in 1901, Rostand was elected to the Académie Française.
He found exposure to fame difficult to deal with and also suffered
from bad health. Rostand retreated to his family's country estate
at Cambon. There he continued to write plays and poetry. His ensuing
works did not grant him the same recognition as he experienced earlier
in his life, but CYRANO DE BERGERAC continues to be widely produced
around the world.
Director Sanford Robbins is currently
the Director of the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP),
which is recognized as one of the top ten dramatic education programs
in the country. He founded PTTP at University Wisconsin-Milwaukee
and has since relocated to the University of Delaware where he is
chair of the Department of Theatre. His previous productions for
Milwaukee Repertory Theater include THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE, BAD
DATES, TRUE WEST, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, STARK MAD IN WHITE SATIN and
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. He has directed for a wide variety of theaters
including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, American
Players Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre and the Utah Shakespearean
Festival. Sandy directed the international premieres of several
Sam Shepard plays, including BURIED CHILD at both the Moscow Arts
Theatre Studio and the National Theatre of Cyprus. His production
of Shepard’s THE TOOTH OF CRIME at Finland’s Kuopio
Theatre received the Thalia Award for Best Production in Finland,
an award won the previous year by Ingmar Bergman.
In contemplating what continues to make this play so compelling
even to modern audiences, director Sanford Robbin’s recently
wrote, “CYRANO’s continuing popularity is due in large
part to its supreme theatricality – a quality I cherish (can
you imagine a doctor being criticized for being too medical or a
musician for being too musical?). The theater itself is central
to CYRANO DE BERGERAC – it is very much a play about performing,
and about great virtuosity of gesture and language. CYRANO begins
in a theater, with a theatrical performance at the Hotel de Bourgogne,
where the first act is set; an act that includes Cyrano outperforming
the actor Montfleury. Throughout the play Cyrano proves himself
a far greater actor than any in that first act’s play-within-the-play
and his final exit is, like his entrance, filled with style, wit
and . . . panache.”
Included in the cast for CYRANO DE BERGERAC
are Resident Acting Company Members: Jonathon
Gillard Daly (Le Bret); Lee E. Ernst
(Cyrano de Bergerac/Fight Choreographer); Torrey
Hanson (Ragueneau); Gerard Neugent
(Porter/Montfleury/Musketeer/Cadet/Reporter); Rose
Pickering (Duenna); Peter Silbert (Ligniere/Capuchin/Cadet)
and Brian Vaughn (Viscount de Valvert/Citizen/Poet/Cadet).
In addition, joining the cast are Guest Actors: Flora
Coker (Countess Bellerose/Citizen/Baker/ Mother Marguerite);
Steven Hauck (Count Antoine de Guiche);
Cameron Knight (Pickpocket/ Actor/Poet/Cadet);
André Martin (Christian de
Neuvillette); Erin Partin (Roxane)
and Benjamin Reigel (Cuigy/Cadet).
Members of The Rep’s 2007/08 Artistic Intern Company that
will appear in this production are: Mishelle
Apalategui (Child/Actor/Baker/Servant/Nun); Jacquie
Beyer (Citizen/Baker/ Cadet/Servant/Nun); Kelsey
Brennan (Child/Actor/Servant/Nun); Devin
Collins (Gentleman/ Poet/Cadet/Nun); Jonathon
Dickson (Marquis/Baker/Nobleman); Donte
Fitzgerald (Jodelet/ Poet/Cadet); Emily
Tate Frank (Citizen/Baker/Cadet/Nun); Carly
Germany (Citizen/Lise/Cadet/ Servant/Nun); Jonathan
Hicks (Meddler/Citizen/Poet/Cadet/Nun); Aaron
Jewell (Cavalier/ Citizen/Poet/Cadet/Nun); Sean
Kazarian (Hotel Employee/Actor/Baker/Cadet); Kevin
Pitman (Brissaille/Cadet); Savannah
Seilheimer (Orange Girl/Baker/Cadet/Servant/Nun); Joshua
Willis (Hotel Employee/Marquis/Citizen/Baker/Cadet/Nun) and
Shelley Wilson (Musketeer/Citizen/
Poet/Cadet).
(To learn more about our Resident Acting Company, Guest Actors or
our Intern Company, please visit milwaukeerep.com).
The Production/Design team for CYRANO DE
BERGERAC includes Linda Buchanan
(Scenic Designer); Mathew LeFebvre
(Costume Designer); Thomas C. Hase (Lighting
Designer); Ray Nardelli (Sound Designer);
Leslie Bisno (Original score); John
Tanner (Music); Kristin Crouch
(Literary Director); Briana J. Fahey
(Stage Manager), Amanda Weener (Assistant
Stage Manager) and Ian Frank (Assistant
Director).
Tickets to CYRANO DE BERGERAC range in price
from $9.00 – $56.00. Students and senior citizens may
purchase half-price RUSH TICKETS with proper identification 60 minutes
before curtain time for all Quadracci Powerhouse performances at
The Rep Ticket Office. For more information or to charge tickets,
call 414-224-9490. Tickets can be
purchased online 24/7 at milwaukeerep.com.
For group sales of 20 or more, call The Rep Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.
Special Events for CYRANO DE BERGERAC
• Join us for The Rep in Depth,
which begins 45 minutes before curtain time
before every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. This
Rep in Depth will be led by Rep Resident Acting Company Member Torrey
Hanson.
• On Thursday, September 6 and Tuesday
October 2 at 7:30 p.m. there will be an Audio
Described Performance for patrons who are blind or have low
vision.
• A performance interpreted in American
Sign Language is scheduled for Thursday
October 4 at 7:30 p.m.
• Captioned Theater will take
place on Sunday, October 7 at 2:00 p.m.
Lines from the script running concurrently with the actors’
lines will be projected on the house left wall of the theater. This
is a perfect way for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing to
enjoy the performance.
• A Theater Thursday event will be held on Thursday,
September 13 beginning at 5:45 p.m.
Theater Thursdays are held on the second Thursday of each Quadracci
Powerhouse performance and include a pre-show reception with complimentary
appetizers from a downtown restaurant. This is a subscription-only
event, but a limited number of additional guests can attend, based
on availability. Cost for the event is $5.00 per person at the door.
(Patrons must purchase theater tickets separately.) For more information
on Theater Thursdays, please contact Kristy Studinski at kstudinski@milwaukeerep.com
or 414-290-0710.
• In conjunction with The Rep’s production of CYRANO
DE BERGERAC, Coquette Café
is offering a special menu. For $30.00 diners can enjoy: Potato,
Bacon and Red Wine Onion Tart with Goat Cheese; Sweet Garlic Crusted
Salmon; Spinach and Cassoulet Beans; Caramelized Apple and Prune
Croustade, Armagnac Sauce. For more information about this special
offer, please call Café Coquette at 414-291-2655.
They are located at 316 N. Milwaukee Street, in Milwaukee’s
Third Ward. Complementary Parking is behind the Landmark Building
after 5 pm every day. Hours: Monday – Thursday 11 am –
10 pm, Friday 11 am – 11 pm and Saturday 5 pm – 11 pm.
Open to the public before and after all evening performances, Milwaukee
Repertory Theater’s Stackner Cabaret, located on the second
floor of the Milwaukee Center, is our own full-service, smoke-free
bar and restaurant. Featuring delicious dinners, as well as late
night cocktails, coffee, and desserts, the Cabaret is the ideal
meeting place for patrons attending Rep performances. You never
know who you’ll see! For dinner reservations, call 414-224-9490.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
CYRANO DE BERGERAC
By Edmond Rostand
Translated by Brian Hooker
Adapted and
Directed by Sanford Robbins
FACT SHEET
THEATER: Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
DATES: September 5, 2007 – October
7, 2007
DESCRIPTION: What is this thing called
love? For over a century this soaring story of passion, honor, romance
and the heartbreak of unrequited love has celebrated the optimism
and resilience of the human spirit like no other.
PERFORMANCE:
Wednesday 9/5/07 – 7:30 p.m. Preview
Thursday 9/6/07 – 7:30 p.m. Preview/Audio-Description
Friday 9/7/07 – 8:00 p.m. Opening
Saturday 9/8/07 – 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday 9/9/07 – 2:00/7:00 p.m. 7:00 – Super Sunday
Tuesday 9/11/07 – 7:30 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can
Wednesday 9/12/07 – 1:30/7:30 p.m. 1:30 – Bus
Thursday 9/13/07 – 7:30 p.m. Theater Thursday/Talkback
Friday 9/14/07 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 9/15/07 – 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday 9/16/07 – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9/18/07 – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 9/19/07 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 9/20/07 – 7:30 p.m. Talkback
Friday 9/21/07 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 9/22/07 – 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday 9/23/07 – 2:00/7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9/25/07 – 6:30 p.m. Early Bird
Wednesday 9/26/07 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 9/27/07 – 7:30 p.m. Talkbck
Friday 9/28/07 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 9/29/07 – 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday 9/30/07 – 2:00/7:00 p.m. 2:00 – Smoke-Free/Family
Tuesday 10/2/07 – 7:30 p.m. Audio Description
Wednesday 10/3/07 – 1:30/7:30 p.m.
Thursday 10/4/07 – 7:30 p.m. American Sign Language/Talkback
Friday 10/5/07 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 10/6/07 – 4:00/8:00 p.m.
Sunday 10/7/07 – 2:00 p.m. Captioned Theater/Close
TICKET PRICES:
PREVIEWS: $9.00 – $39.00
WEEKDAY/SUNDAY: $12.00 – $44.00
FRIDAY/SATURDAY: $15.00 – $56.00
TICKETS/INFORMATION: 414-224-9490
or buy tickets online at milwaukeerep.com
TICKET OFFICE LOCATION: 108 East Wells Street in Milwaukee’s
Downtown Theater District
TICKET OFFICE HOURS: Mon – Fri,
12 pm - 6 pm on phones, 12 pm – curtain for window
Sat/Sun 12 pm – 6 pm on phones, 12 pm – curtain for
window
###
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally recognized
theater company that presents a critically-acclaimed selection of
compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary
works and lively Cabaret shows on three stages from September through
May. The Rep also produces an annual production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
The Rep's home, the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex, accommodates
the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the Stiemke Theater and the Stackner
Cabaret. The Rep is also home to a Resident Acting Company of 13
actors who perform with The Rep throughout the season.
The Rep is proud to be a member of the United
Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), which provides major annual financial
support. The Rep is a member of the League
of Resident Theatres (LORT), a management association of some
of the nation's largest non-profit professional theaters that collectively
bargains with the unions that represent the actors, directors and
designers that work at The Rep; a constituent of Theatre
Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the
nonprofit professional theater; and a member of Theatre
Wisconsin, the statewide association of non-profit professional
theaters. This theater operates under an agreement between the League
of Resident Theatres and Actors'
Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage
managers in the United States. The set, costume and lighting designers
are members of United Scenic Artists,
a national labor union. This theater is an equal opportunity employer.
Except in plays where race itself is an issue, casting is decided
based on ability, not race.
Milwaukee
Repertory Theater, 108 E Wells St Milwaukee, WI 53202
Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 Ticket Office Fax: 225-5490
Administrative: 414-224-1761 Fax: 414-224-9097
http://www.milwaukeerep.com |
