Oct 18, 2019
“Lines,” a newly devised play by SBU Theater featuring Shakespeare, magic, dance and song, will be performed Wednesday, Oct. 23, through Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. each night in Garret Theater on the St. Bonaventure University campus.
“Lines” was created using original material, as well as pieces of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, the writings of Goethe and many others who wrote about the trials and tribulations of working in theater and the arts.
The show also features satirical sketches, comic dance and mime, even one of Houdini's most famous illusions.“The show is largely a comedy,” said the show’s creator and director, Dr. Ed. Simone, professor of theater at St. Bonaventure. “We call it a new surrealist vaudeville, which simply means it’s unpredictable and entertainingly strange.”
Though mostly comic and even farcical, “Lines” does have something to say, said Simone.
“There’s commentary about what’s happening today if you look for it — about relationships, gender equality, preconceptions, romance and hope. We wrap these concepts in absurd episodes that may mean something different to each person in the audience,” he said.
The work of the designers, cast and crew contributed significantly to the show’s script and give inspired life to “Lines,” Simone added.
The show features a cast of seven SBU student actors: Cameron Pettrone, Emily Weber, Sarah Wright, Nathan Nicotera, Madison Stites, Madeline Edwards and JeanCarlos Aponte. Many in the cast are familiar to SBU Theater audiences, having appeared in “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.”
Freshman Madison Stites and senior Madeline Edwards are new to SBU Theater. They are joined by returning stage manager Paris-Elizabeth Freeman, and a crew of new and returning technicians including Noah Casillas, Madison Wood, Emily Tiedemann, Emma Fox, Rose Jasman, and Lauren Barry. The music for the two Shakespearean songs in “Lines” was written by SBU alumna Noelle Acaso, ’19.
The show features dance choreography by Tamara Hilmey, and costumes by visiting costumer Janell Clingenpeel. The show’s costumes span centuries, from the time of Shakespeare to the Edwardian era to modern dress; while the choreography for “Lines” was influenced by Japanese Butoh, vaudevillian soft-shoe and contemporary dance forms. Clingenpeel has costumed two previous SBU Theater productions, including “A Christmas Carol,” and Hilmey was guest choreographer for SBU Theater’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone.”
Rebecca Misenheimer, associate professor of visual and performing arts, who joined the SBU Theater faculty in 2007, designed the show’s set, lighting and special effects, which Simone describes as “ingenious.”
In addition to the 7:30 p.m. performances in Garret Theater Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 23-26, there will be a audience talk-back following the Friday night performance.
Tickets are $8 for the public, and $6 for St. Bonaventure employees, senior citizens and students.
For tickets, call the box office at (716) 375-2494. Free student rush seating is made available beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening at the Garret Theater box office, when students who show up in person will receive one ticket with a valid student ID.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2019, St. Bonaventure was named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.