PAD WU

Trestle article

2008-01-12T09:39:00.001-06:00

Performing Arts Department to present The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek Jan. 24-27

Jan. 9, 2008 -- The 7:10 train rattles through a small rural town battered by the Great Depression. Two teenagers play a dangerous game of "chicken," racing the 153-ton engine across a narrow railroad bridge.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services

The cast of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, presented by Washington University's Performing Arts Department Jan. 24 to 27.

Welcome to The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, a poignant and erotically charged coming-of-age tale by playwright Naomi Wallace, winner of a 1999 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, or "genius grant." In January Washington University's Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre.

Performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 24 and 25; at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27. Tickets are $15 — $9 for students, senior citizens and Washington University faculty and staff — and are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office, (314) 935-6543, and all MetroTix outlets.

The A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.

The story, which unfolds largely in flashback, opens with Dalton Chance (sophomore Michael Lefemine) — a local boy who once dreamed of going to college — making shadow puppets against the walls of a prison cell. Dalton is a suspected of killing his friend, Pace Creagan (senior Elizabeth Birkenmeier), a rebellious girl who challenged him to run the trestle.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

"Pace has a depressingly realistic view of the options available to people like her and Dalton," says Andrea Urice, senior lecturer in drama and former artistic administrator for Actors Theater of Louisville, which debuted The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek in 1999. "She also has this compelling need to take on forces larger than herself — to be different and to be seen as being different."

"Pace sort of picks out Dalton to either run the trestle with her or to be her witness when she does it again," Urice adds. "Dalton is a good boy, a good student from a good family, though his father has been laid-off from work. Pace forces him to cross the threshold from childhood to adulthood, and in so doing the scales fall from his eyes. Now Dalton wrestles with thoughts and feelings that are complicated by knowledge and awareness and, perhaps, love."

The play also stars senior Reynolds Whalen as Dray Chance, Dalton's father, and senior Julia Mancini as Gin Chance, Dalton's mother, who works at a glass factory. Rounding out the five-member cast is senior Lee Osorio as Chas Weaver, the town jailer, whose son, Brett, was killed running the trestle.

David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Services

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

"Everyone is dealing, in some way, with fundamental questions of identity," Urice points out. "Chas is still adjusting to the loss of his son. Gin, forced into the role of family breadwinner, is getting involved with organized labor, while Dray, who defined himself through work, sits at home afraid to venture out into a world that may no longer 'see' him as a real person.

"Wallace's work is very spare but also very challenging and filled with beautiful language and provocative ideas," Urice concludes. "Though this is not a 'political play,' every inch is permeated by the economic and social conditions of the characters' lives."

The stark, abstracted sets and lighting are by lecturers Angela Bengford and Sean Savoie, respectively, with costumes by junior Lauren Talamo. ("No overalls for any characters," Wallace instructs in the script. "Being poor and white in 1930s America is not synonymous with poor dress taste, nor Ma and Pa Kettle outfits.") Sound design is by alumnus Pushkar Sharma.

Wallace, a native of Prospect, Kentucky, is the author of 10 plays, including Slaughter City, In the Heart of America and Twenty One Positions: A Cartographic Dream of the Middle East (co-written with Lisa Schlesinger and AbdelFattah Abu Srour). Other works include scripts for the films Lawn Dogs and War Boys, the latter scheduled for release in 2008. Her work has been produced in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

Article by Liam Otten

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek

2007-12-12T19:21:00.000-06:00

Coming up in the Performing Arts Department:
The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek
By Naomi Wallace
Jan 24-26 @ 8 pm
Jan 26 & 27 @ 2 pm
Directed by Andrea Urice
A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre

Winner of the MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, Naomi Wallace is a powerful, lyrical writer who incisively explores the underbelly of society. In The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Wallace gets beneath the skin in this strikingly poetic play set in a small town clutched within the grip of the Depression. A train passes through the community each day, a reminder that another world exists outside the dying town. As the train rumbles over the nearby trestle, two teenagers taunt each other with dangerous games of "chicken." One game is literal--can they outrun the train across the trestle? The other is more erotically charged.

The Beginnings of a rEvolution

2007-11-19T14:36:00.000-06:00

After Thanksgiving break, you will only have one week to prepare for rEvolutions. Here is a bit of what to expect:

WUDT!

2007-11-16T14:49:00.000-06:00

The next amazing show that the PAD is putting on is going to be starting November 30. It'll be playing on December 1 and 2. Do you have a clue what it is yet? It's Dance Theatre! Scores of WU students will be gracing the stage of Edison Theatre.

Check out the Facebook event

More to come!

How far would you go?

2007-11-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

How far would you go to protect your brother from death? Would you sacrifice your reputation? What if you made a deal and then found out you were double-crossed?

Come see Measure for Measure and find out how Shakespeare handled these problems.

Starts this weekend.

Nov 9, 10, 16 & 17 at 8pm
Nov 11 & 18 at 2pm

Measuring the Progress of Measure for Measure!

2007-10-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

The opening of Measure for Measure is coming quickly - November 9th is only 11 days away! Here is a sneak peak at what's been happening in preparation.

4 Ways of Reading a Scene (FREE)

2007-10-18T15:07:00.001-05:00

FREE at Hotchner Studio Theatre
November 13 at 4:30 PM

4 Ways of Reading a Scene (FREE)

2007-10-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Come join Annamaria Pileggi, Sean Savoie, Angela Bengford, and Robin Vane present different perspectives on viewing a scene from William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure! In their presentation topics of directing, light designing, scenic designing, and costume designing will addressed. Learn insights on how certain parts come together to create the entire scene!
Measure for Measure, presented by Washington University, is touted as one of Shakespeare's most confounding and “problem plays.” Through the characters of Angelo and Isabella, a battle is waged between justice and mercy. Shakespeare has crafted a play as justice; the nature of power and the need for self-knowledge; the relationship between men and women; and the definition of gender roles and human sexuality – none of these questions appears to be answered definitively by the close of the play. It is its very ambiguity that makes Measure for Measure such a powerful allegory for our time.

Measure for Measure

2007-10-18T10:02:00.001-05:00

playing at the Hotchner Studio Theatre.

Battle between justice and mercy
Nature of power
Need for self-knowledge
Definition of gender roles and human sexuality

What are you going to do with your parents weekend?!!

2007-10-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

You could always take them to a show. Tickets are still available.

2-4-1s

2007-10-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

The cast from 1940's will be singing and performing around campus today, tomorrow and Friday (Oct 3-5). They sound great!

If you see them, ask about the show special. They'll give you a coupon good for buy-one-get-one-free tickets to this weekend's shows.

Picture from the Forties...

2007-09-26T10:55:00.001-05:00

THE 1940'S RADIO HOUR

2007-09-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

Tonight is a Special Night...

Showtime starts October 5th.

Great Show/Great Deal

2007-09-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

$9 for students (not just WU) and seniors
$15 for everybody else

Where else can you see such a great show--and hear hits like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Old Black Magic for such a low price?

Tickets are Going Fast

2007-09-20T09:37:00.000-05:00

1940's Radio Hour
Fri Oct 5 @ 8pm
Sat Oct 6 @ 8pm
Sun Oct 7 @ 2pm

Parents Weekend
Fri Oct 12 @ 8pm
Sat Oct 13 @ 8pm
Sun Oct 14 @ 2pm

1940's Rehearsal Photos: "Blue Moon"

2007-09-19T23:48:00.001-05:00

Here's Tony and Julia running through the ill-fated dance number for "Blue Moon":

THE 1940'S RADIO HOUR

2007-09-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

Spend this Christmas with all your friends at WOV:

Just a little promotional blurb; view and enjoy!

Just Some Pics

2007-09-13T16:34:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I just uploaded some pics that I took during rehearsal on my phone. Enjoy!!

Jingle Bells and Bugle Boy

2007-09-12T23:54:00.000-05:00

It's so exciting to see everything begin to come together! Here are some more rehearsal videos and pictures. Enjoy!

Connie, Ginger, and BJ are the lovely "Trio of Girls" on "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

Neal Tilden (Antonio) spices up a good, old-fashioned "Jingle Bells"

Photo Post #3

2007-09-12T23:38:00.000-05:00

Bandleader 'Zoot' rehearses the cast.

First you gotta learn the moves - and teaching through example is always best.

Practice makes perfect... And we don't want to drop Kaylin!

The Boys learn "Blues in the Night".

New haircut and a smoke

2007-09-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

Reynolds begins the transformation into his character, a debonair Sinatra-wannabe. .

MakeUP!

2007-09-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Why do the cameras always show up when I left my makeup at home?

Chiquita Banana

2007-09-10T13:21:00.004-05:00

I'm super excited about the show! Here's a video I took at one of the rehearsals. Enjoy!

Hey Cast and Crew of 1940s

2007-09-06T11:50:00.001-05:00

1940s Cast and Crew,
This is your place to let all of us know about what's going on behind the scenes. We want to hear all about everything. Share your comments and photos. Let us in on the fun.

We've gotten permission from the play's publisher to post rehearsal videos from the play. They can be up to 30 seconds long.

1940's Radio Hour

2007-09-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

By Walton Jones
Directed by William Whitaker
October 5, 6, 12 & 13 at 8pm
October 7 & 14 at 2pm
Edison Theatre