FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Cindy Moran, Public Relations Director, 414-224-1761 January 12, 2006 A dramatic classic with a contemporary spin Quadracci Powerhouse Theater Magic, poetry and irreverent wit are beautifully woven together to form a rich tapestry in José Rivera’s play SUEÑO, an adaptation of LIFE IS A DREAM by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. This dramatic classic is given a fresh, contemporary retelling and explores the essential questions of life. Purchase tickets for this Quadracci Powerhouse production 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. Segismundo, a 25-year-old prince of Spain during the 1600s, has been banished from his kingdom by his father the King Basilio due to the astrological predictions that were made at his birth. In this magical tale, the prince is given a second chance to reign his country. As he comes to terms with his two-decade abandonment, he begins to question whether life is really just a dream. SUEÑO is a modern adaptation of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (LIFE IS A DREAM) and deals with the big questions in life regarding honor, what separates men from animals and what becomes of free will if life is, indeed, a dream. While Segismundo’s companions and enemies come to terms with these questions in their own lives, they become more certain of the fact that whether life is a dream or not, we should make the most of it because it is all we have at the moment. The play SUEÑO was adapted by award-winning playwright José Rivera. He was commissioned to write an adaptation of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s LIFE IS A DREAM by the Hartford Stage Company. It opened on February 20, 1998. Rivera wrote in the introduction to the play: “ Something in its stubborn density, its enigmatic elegance, its obsessions, the odd codes of human behavior embedded in its verse... something about this story of a resur rected prince who questions the nature of existence... something in this marvelous, sprawling, insanely technical play seemed more distant, more difficult, more untranslatable than anything I knew from Aeschylus. Remote and modern, dark and wacky, poetic and pungent, stuffy and sexy, LIFE IS A DREAM terrified me.... But at the same time that the play spooked me, it attracted me. There's greatness in this awesome tale. There's beauty in Segismundo's fiercesome search for the meaning of life.” Pedro Calderón de la Barca, a Spanish dramatist and poet, was born in Madrid, Spain in 1601. Both of his parents died when he was young. His reputation as a playwright in Spain grew and in 1635, and he became known as the foremost Spanish dramatist during Spain’s Golden Age of theater. He is often regarded as one of the most important Spanish dramatists, and some of his most celebrated works include LA VIDA ES SUEÑO (LIFE IS A DREAM), EL PURGATORIO DE SAN PATRICIO (THE PURGATORY OF SAINT PATRICK), LA DEVOCIÓN DE LA CRUZ (DEVOTION TO THE CROSS), LA DAMA DUENDE (THE PHANTOM LADY) and PEOR ESTÁ QUE ESTABA (FROM BAD TO WORSE). José Rivera was born in San Juan , Puerto Rico in 1956. His family emigrated to New York when he was four years old. Many of his plays have been translated into several languages and have been produced nationally and internationally. Some playwright credits include: THE PROMISE, EACH DAY DIES WITH SLEEP, REFERENCES TO SALVADOR DALI MAKE ME HOT, MARISOL and MASSACRE (SING TO YOUR CHILDREN). Rivera won two Obie Awards for his plays MARISOL and REFERENCES TO SALVADOR DALI MAKE ME HOT. In addition to playwriting, Rivera also wrote the screenplay for the film Motorcycle Diaries by director Walter Salles in 2004. He was the first Puerto Rican to be nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar Award for Motorcycle Diaries. He was also a writer-in-residence at London ’s Royal Court Theater. Milwaukee Rep’s Artistic Director, Joseph Hanreddy, will be directing SUEÑO. He has been the Artistic Director at The Rep since 1993. Under his direction, The Rep has premiered several new works and adaptations of literature by leading American dramatists. Joseph has directed many plays at The Rep including THE CRUCIBLE, YES. NO. (MAYBE SO... ), TWELFTH NIGHT, LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST, MARY STUART, THE SEAGULL, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, AN IDEAL HUSBAND, ENGAGED, ARCADIA, FORCE OF NATURE and ESCAPE FROM HAPPINESS. Included in the cast of SUEÑO are Resident Actors Lee E. Ernst (Basilio), Torrey Hanson (Clarín), James Pickering (Servant)and Lanise Antoine Shelley (Rosaura). Also included in the cast are Ted Deasy (Astolfo), Reese Madigan (Segismundo), Timoth McCuen Piggee (Clotaldo)and Heather Prete (Estrella). (To learn more about our Resident Acting Company, Guest Actors or our Artistic Intern Company, please visit milwaukeerep.com.) The production/design tea m f or SUEÑO includes Michael Frenkel (Scenic Design), Martha Hally (Costume Design), Thomas C. Hase (Lighting Design), Barry G. Funderburg (Sound Designer), Ed Burgess (Choreographer), Lee E. Ernst (Fight Choreographer), Paul Kosidowski (Dramaturg), Matt Borden (Co-Dramaturg), Lesley Anne Stone (Stage Manager), Kathi Karol Koenig (Assistant Stage Manager) and Becky Merold (Assistant Stage Manager). Tickets to SUEÑO range in price from $7.50 to $50.00. Students and senior citizens may purchase half-price RUSH TICKETS with proper identification 30 minutes before curtain time for all Quadracci Powerhouse performances at The Rep Ticket Office. For more info rmation 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 SUEÑO
FACT SHEET THEATER: Quadracci Powerhouse Theater DESCRIPTION: Filled with magic, poetry, and irreverent wit, this dramatic classic is given a fresh, contemporary spin by an award-winning American playwright. When the stars make ominous predictions, a king banishes his newborn son to an arid wilderness. However, when a young stranger gives the prince a second chance, will he seize his destiny or succumb to fate? PERFORMANCES: Tuesday 1/24/ 06 7:30 p.m. Pay-What-You-Can Tuesday 1/31/ 06 7:30 p.m. Tuesday 2/7/ 06 6:30 p.m. Early Bird Tuesday 2/14/ 06 7:30 p.m. Audio Description TICKET OFFICE LOCATION: TICKET PRICES: TICKETS/INFORMATION: 414-224-9490 or buy tickets online at milwaukeerep.com NEW TICKET OFFICE HOURS: ### 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 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. For dinner reservations, call 414-224-9490. 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 11 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 |
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