Press Contact: Lauren Beyea For Immediate Release: 202.547.3230 ext. 2314 December 7, 2007 [email protected]
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY’S 2007-2008 SEASON CONTINUES WITH ARGONAUTIKA WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MARY ZIMMERMAN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2007-2008 season with Argonautika. With her signature style and eye for the epic, director Mary Zimmerman turns her talents to the spectacular tale of Jason and the Argonauts. In their quest for the Golden Fleece, Jason and his crew encounter a world of dangers—frightening sea monsters, hypnotic water nymphs, wicked kings … and a young sorceress named Medea. Adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, the production runs from January 15 to March 2, 2008, at the Lansburgh Theatre, a part of the Harman Center for the Arts. Zimmerman directs a cast that includes Jake Suffian, Sofia Jean Gomez, Atley Loughridge, Søren Oliver and Lisa Tejero. Originally mounted at the Lookingglass Theatre Company, Argonautika is presented in association with the McCarter Theatre Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre Company. Media partner WETA provides promotional support throughout the run. Haunted by a premonition prophecy of death, King Pelias sends his nephew Jason on a dangerous voyage to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Jason assembles a crew that includes the greatest heroes of Greece to join his quest. On their journey aboard the magnificent ship Argo, the Argonauts pass through perilous seas to reach their destination. With the help of the love-struck sorceress Medea, Jason and his crew outsmart their enemies and face the fire-breathing bulls and vicious dragons that stand in their way. With the Fleece in their possession, the Argonauts set sail for Greece, only to find that the journey home holds dangers of a different kind. “As a child, myths always felt to me like grown-up fairy tales. Like fairy tales, they contained adventures and supernatural elements. … But I always sensed that there was a serious and darker layer to them,” said Director Mary Zimmerman. “Argonautika has all kinds of challenges for staging … like sea monsters and battles, being on a boat, big monstrous boxer men, harpies and all kinds of things that I had to figure out: How am I going to put this on a stage? How am I going to represent this? I love those challenges.”
THE DIRECTOR Mary Zimmerman returns to the Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct for the first time since her 2004 production of Pericles. Zimmerman received national attention when she won the 2002 Tony Award for Direction for Metamorphoses and has since gained critical acclaim for Argonautika at the Lookingglass Theatre and Berkeley Repertory. A recipient of a 1998 MacArthur Fellowship, Zimmerman Argonautika, p.2 has won 10 Joseph Jefferson Awards—Chicago’s version of the Tonys—including ones for Best Production and Best Direction. She is a member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, an Artistic Associate of the Goodman and Seattle Repertory theatres, and a Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. Works that she has adapted and directed include The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Lincoln Center Serious Fun! Festival, Second Stage, Goodman Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Berkeley Repertory, Seattle Repertory), The Odyssey (Lookingglass, Goodman Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Repertory), Arabian Nights (Lookingglass, Steppenwolf, Manhattan Theatre Club, BAM), Journey to the West (Goodman Theatre, Huntington Theatre, Berkeley Repertory), Metamorphoses (Lookingglass, Seattle Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Second Stage, Broadway), The Secret in the Wings (Lookingglass, McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Repertory) and Eleven Rooms of Proust (Lookingglass, About Face). Zimmerman also has directed Measure for Measure, Henry VIII (New York Shakespeare Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Huntington Theatre) and All’s Well That Ends Well (Goodman Theatre). She made her Metropolitan Opera directorial debut in 2007 with Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2002, she created a new opera with Philip Glass called Galileo Galilei, which played at the Goodman Theatre, the Barbican in London and BAM.
THE CAST Jake Suffian makes his Shakespeare Theatre Company debut as Jason. Suffian earned a Helen Hayes nomination for his portrayal of Shane Mungitt in Studio Theatre’s Take Me Out. His recent credits include Claudio in Much Ado about Nothing, Jack in The Importance of Being Ernest and Sebastian in The Tempest, as well as Jason in Berkeley Repertory’s production of Argonautika. Suffian’s television credits include appearances on One Life to Live and FX’s Rescue Me. Suffian holds an MFA in acting from Brandeis University. Sofia Jean Gomez makes her Shakespeare Theatre Company debut as Athena. Recent credits include Zimmerman’s Argonautika at Berkeley Repertory, the Goodman Theatre’s Mirror of the Invisible World and performances at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Yale Repertory, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and Stages Repertory Theatre. Gomez earned her MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Atley Loughridge makes her Shakespeare Theatre Company debut as Medea. Loughridge originated the role of Medea in the original Lookingglass Theatre Company production and has since performed with the Argonautika company at Berkeley Repertory. She also appeared in Zimmerman’s productions of Cymbeline at Northwestern University and Mirror of the Invisible World at the Goodman Theatre. Søren Oliver makes his Shakespeare Theatre Company debut as Hercules. Oliver appeared in Zimmerman’s Journey to the West and Argonautika at Berkeley Repertory. Additional credits include performances at California Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center Theatre Company, San Jose Repertory, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company and Utah Shakespeare Festival. His television credits include the role of Baliel the Demon on the WB’s Charmed. Lisa Tejero makes her Shakespeare Theatre Company debut as Hera. Tejero received a Drama League Distinguished Performance nomination for her 2002 performance in Zimmerman’s Argonautika, p.3
Metamorphoses and has since appeared in Zimmerman’s productions of Mirror of the Invisible World at the Goodman Theatre and Argonautika at both the Lookingglass Theatre Company and Berkeley Repertory. Tejero’s regional credits include performances at the Mark Taper Forum, Court Theatre, Cincinnati Repertory Company, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Oakpark Shakespeare and Victory Gardens Theatre, among others. The cast also includes Justin Blanchard, Allen Gilmore, Sophia Gomez, Tessa Klein, Ronete Levenson, Andy Murray, Jesse J. Perez and ensemble members Jason Vande Brake, Casey Jackson and Chris Kipiniak.
THE DESIGNERS For the production, Zimmerman has assembled a team of talented designers to create the legendary world of Jason and the Argonauts. Set Designer Daniel Ostling returns to the Company for the first time since Zimmerman’s production of Pericles. For this production Ostling frames the stage with hanging wooden catwalks, movable ladders, a single mast and a series of ropes that transform the space from a ship’s deck to palace grounds and more. Costume Designer Ana Kuzmanic has created simple tunics for the Argonauts and brightly colored robes, dresses and gilded headpieces for the gods and others they meet along their journey. This is Kuzmanic’s Shakespeare Theatre Company debut. The Argonautika design team also includes Lighting Design by John Culbert, Sound Design and Original Composition by André Pluess and Ben Sussman, and Puppetry Design by Michael Montenegro.
MEDIA PARTNER WETA is the leading public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational, cultural, and news and public affairs programming and related services, dating back to the company’s founding in 1952. WETA TV 26 broadcasts provide inspiring and entertaining programming that foster lifelong learning, covering a spectrum of genres and themes. Classical WETA 90.9 FM broadcasts culturally enriching programming 24 hours each day, serving the nation’s capital as the only classical radio station in the market. WETA complements its on-air programming by serving a broad community with educational projects and web-based initiatives. WETA continues to follow the inspiration of its founder, Elizabeth P. Campbell, by enhancing its educational role with broadcast-related materials and outreach activities for both local and national communities. WETA’s commitment to the community enables the station to become an educational resource for students, teachers and parents. These activities include the WETA Ready To Learn (RTL) initiative, with workshops to train hundreds of parents, teachers and child-care providers to help children learn through the resources of public television. WETA’s Hometown Heroes, a community project, recognizes individuals who work and volunteer for the betterment of Greater Washington. Additionally, WETA hosts community activities throughout the year, including events in partnership with cultural and civic organizations. To learn more about the WETA community and its services, visit WETA.org.
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SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
There will be audio-described performances of Argonautika on Thursday, February 14, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 16, at 2 p.m. Sign-interpreted performances are Saturday, February 23, at 2 p.m. and Tuesday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m. A series of special events and performances will be held in conjunction with the production of Argonautika as part of Access to Classics, sponsored in part by American Express. • On Sunday, January 20, at 1 p.m., the Shakespeare Theatre Company continues Windows, a lively discussion and introduction to Argonautika with local scholars and members of the artistic staff at the Lansburgh Theatre. All are welcome. Call 202.547.1122 and press 4 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve a space. • Following the evening performance of Argonautika on Wednesday, January 23, all are welcome for a post-show discussion with members of the cast. Those attending the evening's performance are guaranteed seats. Limited additional seating is available on a first-come basis. Call 202.547.1122 for the approximate start time. No reservations required. • On Sunday, February 17, following the 2 p.m. matinee of Argonautika, the Shakespeare Theatre Company sponsors Classics in Context at the Lansburgh Theatre. This discussion features scholars and artists discussing their connection to the play. Call 202.547.1122 and press 4 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve a space. Argonautika, p.5
FACT SHEET: Argonautika Written and Directed by Mary Zimmerman Adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts
The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues its 2007-2008 season with Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika. With her signature style and eye for the epic, Zimmerman turns her talents to the spectacular tale of Jason and the Argonauts. In their quest for the Golden Fleece, Jason and his crew encounter a world of dangers—frightening sea monsters, hypnotic water nymphs, wicked kings … and a young sorceress named Medea. Adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, the production runs from January 15 to March 2, 2008, at the Lansburgh Theatre, a part of the Harman Center for the Arts, home of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Zimmerman directs a cast that includes Jake Suffian, Sofia Jean Gomez, Atley Loughridge, Søren Oliver and Lisa Tejero.
DATES: January 15 to March 2, 2008 Press Night: January 20, 2008 Opening Night: January 22, 2008
LOCATION: Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW, between D and E streets, just off Pennsylvania Avenue, between the Capitol and the White House.
TIMES: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (except January 22 and February 12), Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 7:30 p.m. (except February 24); matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. (except January 20); matinee at noon on Wednesday, February 20.
TICKETS: $23.50-$79.75 with discounts available for senior citizens and students.
ACCESSIBILITY: The Lansburgh Theatre is accessible to persons with disabilities, offering wheelchair- accessible seating and restrooms, audio enhancement, and Braille and large print programs. • On Sunday, January 20, at 1 p.m., the Shakespeare Theatre Company continues Windows, a lively discussion and introduction to Argonautika with local scholars and members of the artistic staff at the Lansburgh Theatre. All are welcome. Call 202.547.1122 and press 4 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve a space. • Following the evening performance of Argonautika on Wednesday, January 23, all are welcome for a post-show discussion with members of the cast. Those attending the evening's performance are guaranteed seats. Limited additional seating is available on a first-come basis. Call 202.547.1122 for the approximate start time. No reservations required. • On Sunday, February 17, following the 2 p.m. matinee of Argonautika, the Shakespeare Theatre Company sponsors Classics in Context at the Lansburgh Theatre. This discussion features scholars and artists discussing their connection to the play. Call 202.547.1122 and press 4 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org to reserve a space. • There will be audio-described performances of Argonautika on Thursday, February 14, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 16, at 2 p.m. Sign-interpreted performances are Saturday, February 23, at 2 p.m. and Tuesday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m.
PARKING: Lansburgh Theatre Paid parking is available in the PMI parking garage on D Street, between Eighth and Ninth streets, and the Colonial Parking garage in the Lansburgh building (at 450 7th Street NW, enter on Eighth Street between D and E streets).
METRO: Archives-Navy Mem'l- Penn Quarter station (Yellow and Green Lines) is one and one-half blocks south of the Lansburgh Theatre. Gallery Pl-Chinatown station (Red, Yellow and Green Lines) is one block north of the Lansburgh Theatre at the Verizon Center. For further information, call Metro at 202.637.7000.
Box Office: 202.547.1122 (voice) TTY: 202.638.3863 Toll Free: 877.487.8849 ShakespeareTheatre.org