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The University of Charleston's Department of Speech and Drama And Theatre Aside in conjunction with The Department
of Music Presents |
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PEER
GYNT |
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| A
musical |
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A
love story... |
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A spiritual journey... |
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 |
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November 4-November
6, 1999 8:00 PM Geary Auditorium |
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PEER
GYNT |
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Original
text by Henrik Ibsen Adaptation
by Stephen A. Schrum Original
Songs by Jeremy dePrisco Additional
Music by Edvard Grieg |
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Dramatis
Personae (in
alphabetical order) |
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Drew Atkinson.....................................Hunter,
Troll, Thief, Captain Stephen Beasley................................Mads
Moen, M. Ballon, Sailor Courtney Elliott......................................................................Solveig Morgan A. Elliott.............................................Sheriff,
Goth, Doctor Britany Fisher..................................................................The
Shadow Janelle Gdula.................................................................................Ase Mariela S. Gonzalez............Guest,
Coed, Senora Gonzalez, Mourner Robby Good...................................................Aslak,
Hunter, Scholar Jamie R. Gulino................................Wedding
Guest, Coed, Mourner Misha Hart................................................Punk
Dancer, Goth, Judge Brandi S. Hill..............Pianist,
Painter, Nymph, Arab Woman, Goth Caroline Kapo............................................................................Ingrid Mariama B.Y. Kouroma...................Wedding
Guest, Coed, Mourner Suzanne Lawrence..............Painter,
Mrs. Moen, Ms. Cotton, Anitra LaHoma Nida..............................Dance
Hunter, Kari, Begriffenfeldt Jedida Oneko.........................................Punk
Dancer, Minister,Devil Michelle K. Owens...............................................................Greengirl Ryan Rice..................................................Mr.
Moen, Receiver, Sailor Monica Rogers..............................................................Goth,
Fly Girl Brian Roller.........................................................................Peer
Gynt Billy Thomas ...................................Mr. Josephson, Eberkopf, Sailor
Special Appearance by Allison Brownlee |
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There will be one 10-minute intermission
between acts. Audience members are requested to refrain
from taking flash |
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Production
Staff |
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Director.................................................Stephen
A. Schrum Costume Designer......................................Dianna
L. Bourke Scenic Designer................Tim
"The Mad Russian" Stefanoski Assistant Director.......................................Allison
Brownlee Music Director.............................................Jason
R. Wilson Choreographer................................................Brandi
S. Hill |
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Stage Running Crew.........................Jennifer
Adams, Tiffine Damron Fly Operator...........................................................Deniza
Nikocevic Light Board Operator............................................................Jim
Plitt Sound Board Operator..................................................Nathan
Portz Followspot Operator....................................................Briana
Ballard Makeup Crew..................................................................Kristy
Balser Set Construction and Painting........Jennifer
Adams, Tiffine Damron,
Alysia
Laurence, Brad Merritt,
Deniza Nikocevic, Jim
Plitt |
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Some students working
on this show earned credits for SPCH 314, Play Production
or SPCH 350 Special topics |
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Musicians Anna
Laird................................................................................Violin Suzanne
Lawrence......................................................................Flute A.J.
Lehotay................................................................................
Bass Dave
Lehotay ....................................................................
Guitar Mitch
Pauley...........................................................................Drums James
Townsend.......................................................................Guitar John
Verryt..............................................................................Guitar Adrienne
Galloway........................................................Flute/Piccolo |
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More on Peer Gynt |
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About the Cast |
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| Drew Atkinson (Hunter, Troll, Thief, Captain) |
is
a sophomore Vocal Performance Major from Parkersburg, WV. Drew also
sings with the UC Concert Choir and the University Singers. He is making
his theatrical debut with this show. |
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| Stephen Beasley (Mads Moen, M. Ballon, Sailor) |
appeared
in Little Shop of Horrors as
Mushnik and in All in the Timing twice (as the Baker in Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread and as Mark in The Philadelphia ). A Vocal Performance/Music
Administration sophomore from Louisville, KY, Stephen is Vice-President
of the Minority Involvement Support Council (MISC), a sophomore senator,
the Social Issues chair of the Student Activities Board (SUB), and is
a member of the UC Concert Choir. |
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| Courtney Elliott (Solveig) |
had appeared at the
Parkersburg Actors Guild, with roles in The Goodbye Girl, The Music
Man, Pirates of Penzance, and Tommy. A fresh-man Music Education major from
Parkersburg, Courtney also sang in the All State Chorus and All State
Chamber Chorus in 1997-1998. |
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| Morgan A. Elliott (Sheriff, Goth, Doctor) |
a
sophomore Respiratory Care major from Wellsville, NY, appeared in as
the Baglady in Little Shop
and the waitress
in All in the Timing (The
Philadelphia ),
and prior to UC, played Anybodys in West Side Story. Morgan is a member of the tennis team,
the Girls Resiliency Program, C.O.O.L., Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society,
and is Treasurer of Theatre Aside. |
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| Britany Fisher (The Shadow) |
is a graduating senior
in Music/Vocal Performance. Previously, Britany has appeared in Man
of La Mancha and Little Shop here at UC, and has also had lead roles in
Grease (as Sandy), Fame, and Babes in Arms. Other singing experience includes the
UC University Singers, the WV Symphony Chorus, including the opera,
Il Travatore, and she is featured on the promotional
CD of the UC Music Department. Britany is from Racine, WI. |
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| Janelle A. Gdula (Ase) |
is a freshman BSN
Nursing major from Hurricane, WV.
The secretary of Theatre Aside, she is making her theatrical
debut with this show. |
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| Mariela S. Gonzalez (Wedding Guest/Coed/ Senora Gonzalez/ Mourner) |
is a junior Language Arts major. Mariela
last appeared in the UC's Little Shop, and also productions of Witness for the Prosecution, The
Littlest Angel,
The Black Little Girl (in Argentina),
as well as Nativity Plays. From Jujuy, Argentina, Mariela is active
on cam-pus as Education Chair of the International Students Organization
(ISO), a staff writer on the Eagle, and a member of the Delta Phi Delta
sorority, the Students' Federation of Teachers (SFT), and the Women's
Crew Team. |
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| Robby Good (Aslak, Hunter, Scholar) |
is a freshman Music
Administration major from Sissonville, WV. Previous theatre experience
includes Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie, and roles in various church plays. Robby also sings in UC's
Concert Choir. |
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| Jamie R. Gulino (Coed, Wedding Guest, Mourner) |
is
a junior in Mass Comm. From Buffalo, NY, Jamie is the Vice President
of KTE, served on the Orientation Team, and is a member of COOL and
Gamma. Jamie is making her theatrical debut with this show. |
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| Misha Hart (Punk Dancer, Goth, Judge) |
is from Brooklyn,
NY. A sophomore double-majoring in Biology and Sports Medicine, Misha
appeared in last year's productions of Little Shop and All in the Timing (Philip Glass
Buys a Loaf of Bread). On
campus, she is active as President of MISC, and is an Involvement Scholar,
an R.A. in Dickinson Hall, an alto in the Concert Choir, and a UC Cheerleader. |
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| Brandi S. Hill (Choreographer/Pianist/Painter/Nymph/ Arab Woman/Goth) |
is examining her options for a major. A native
of Charleston, WV, Brandi's previous experience includes choreographing
and performing in all dance concert through-out high school, and performed
most recently in The Pirates of Penzance and
The Tempest. |
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| Caroline Kapo (Ingrid) |
a sophomore at Charleston
Catholic High School, has previously appeared in Children's Theatre
productions of Snow White and
Alice Through the Looking Glass. |
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| Mariama B.Y. Kouroma (Wedding Guest, Coed, Mourner) |
is
a junior Mass Comm major from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Her past theatre
experience includes playing a Nun in The Sound of Music, and a Villager in Fiddler on the Roof. Here at UC, she is also a Fundraiser for
Amnesty International, and is on the Activities Board for the International
Student's Organization. |
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| Suzanne Lawrence (Painter, Mrs. Moen, Flute Player, Ms. Cotton, Anitra) |
is a graduating senior majoring in Psychology.
Suzanne appeared in Little Shop and
All in the Timing (Sure Thing) last
year, and also co-directed The Philadelphia for which she received
the 1998-99 Tom Murphy Award for Directing. When not on- or backstage,
Suzanne is also the President of Theatre Aside, the Vice President of
Pi Gamma Mu, and a member of Psi Chi. A SWF from Charleston, WV, she
enjoys sunsets and walking in the rain. |
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| LaHoma Nida (Dance Hunter, Kari, Begriffenfeldt) |
is
a sophomore Music Education (Vocal) major from Dunbar, WV. Last seen
speaking Unamunda in All in the Timing (The Universal Language), LaHoma has also appeared in Cinderella,
Snow White, Robin Hood, and The
Wizard of Oz (all at South Charleston High), The
Tempest (WV Stage Company), and directed The
Absolutely Without a Doubt Most Fantastically Perfect Christmas Ever! (Rebecca Chapel). |
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| Michelle K. Owens (Greengirl) |
from Monroe Township,
NJ, is a senior Psychology and Philosophy & Religion double major.
The President of Kappa Tau Epsilon and President of SGA here at UC,
she is making her theatrical debut with this show. |
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| Ryan Rice (Mr. Moen, Receiver, Sailor) |
is a graduating senior
double majoring in Political Science and Computer Information Systems.
From Charleston, WV, Ryan previously appeared on the UC stage in Sex
Lives of Superheroes in 1997, and also operated the light board
for Alice Walker's appearance on campus last spring. He is also a member
and former president of Pi Gamma Mu and a member of Theatre Aside. |
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| Monica Rogers (Goth, Fly Girl) |
from Cross Lanes,
WV, is a junior at Nitro High School. She is making her stage debut
with this show. |
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| Brian Roller (Peer Gynt) |
is a junior Psychology
major. Past roles onstage include Audrey II in Little Shop and Don in All in the Timing (The Universal
Language)
here at UC, as well as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, Cord Elam in Oklahoma, and Edmund in The Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe, all at Capital High. He also co-directed
The Philadelphia last
spring, for which he received the 1998-99 Tom Murphy Award for Directing.
Offstage, Brian is Vice President of Theatre Aside and Official Roving
Researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. |
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| Billy Thomas (Mr. Josephson, Eberkopf, Sailor) |
is
a senior Political Science major originally from Long Island, NY, now residing in Hanover, PA. A member
of Kappa Delta Rho and SGA, Billy has appeared on the UC stage previously
in The Butler Did It Singing and Man
of La Mancha. Previous credits
include Allen in Play It Again, Sam, and roles in South Pacific and Sweeney Todd. He thanks his parents and family for their
support throughout his years at UC and for allowing him to participate
in the art of drama. Honor Super Omnia! |
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About the Musicians |
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| Adrienne Galloway (Flute/Piccolo) |
is a freshman Music
Education major. From St. Albans, Adrienne played 4th chair in the All-State
Band prior to coming to UC. |
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| Anna Laird (Violin) |
is a freshman Music
Administration major from Alexandria, VA. Previous stage experience
for Anna includes make-up crew for Fiddler on the Roof and Fame, and pit band for the Sound of Music,
before coming to UC. |
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| Mitch Pauley (Drums) |
has played locally
in bands Positive Feedback and Groove Theory. An Elementary Ed major
from Boston, ME, this is the first time Mitch has been involved in a
theatrical production. |
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| John E. Verryt (Guitar) |
also played in the
pit band for Little Shop last year here at UC. John is a sophomore
Music Administration major from Aubrun, NH. |
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About the Crew |
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| Jennifer Adams (Stage Running Crew) |
is a freshman Nursing
(BSN) major from Frankford, WV. Her past theatre experience includes
being an actor and stage crew person in the Greenbrier Valley Theater
Teen Drama Club. She was also a member of the 1997-98 Southern Theater
Conference. |
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| Briana Ballard (Followspot Operator) |
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| Kristy Balser (Make-up Crew) |
is a freshman Music
Education major from Shrewsbury, WV. Previously, Kristy sang in a junior
high school drama production entitled, You Can Be an Astronaut. |
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| Tiffine J. Damron (Stage Running Crew) |
is a freshman Nursing
major from Princeton, WV. |
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| Alysia A. Lawrence (Paint Crew) |
is a native of Syracuse,
NY. A Senior Mass Comm major with an emphasis on Public Relations, Alysia
has no prior experience working on a theatre production. |
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| Jim Plitt (Light Board Operator) |
is a native of the
Washington D.C. area, and a West Virginian by choice since the early
1970s. His previous theatre credits include crew experience with the
Wildwood Summer Theater in Bethesda, MD. Not a student (but once a Russian
major at Juniata College in PA), Jim works for a living as "a social
worker and bureaucrat." |
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| Nathan Portz (Sound Board Operator) |
is a freshman Nursing
major from Charleston, WV. At Capital High School, he worked on all
of the production when he was a student there; highlights include Anything
Goes, The Music Man, and The Wizard of Oz. |
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| Stephen A. Schrum (Director) |
earned his Ph.D.
from Univ. of California, Berkeley and, over the past twenty-two years,
has worked in every aspect of the theatre. To date he has had several
of his own plays produced, including four one-acts and his adaptation
of Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis and Iphigenia in Tauris at the Penn State Hazleton Campus. In the
spring, he will be directing The Best Man for the Kanawha Players before preparing
another UC show. Steve teaching courses in Speech, Theatre, Mass Comm
and the Initial College Experience/Humanities here at UC. |
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| Jeremy dePrisco (Composer) |
has worked on many
theatre productions, including Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors at Bloomsburg University (PA) and productions
with the Rainbow's End Theatre Company in Central PA, including a complete
set of vocal arrangements and songs for The Toys Take Over Christmas.
At Penn State Hazleton,
Jeremy provided music for numerous shows, including The Compleat
Wrks of Wllm Shakspr (Abridged)
and The Alchemist,
before becoming composer for Iphigenia. He is also a member of ASCAP and The North American Folk Music
and Dance Alliance, and is a performing singer/songwriter with 150+
original works in his repertoire. He is currently working on his second
CD, Mandala, to be released in the summer of 1999. |
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| Dr. Dianna L. Bourke (Costume Designer) |
a
recent addition to the UC faculty as an Assistant Professor, teaches
Human Anatomy & Physiology in the Department of Natural Sciences.
Dianna received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine and did Postdoctoral work at the University of California,
Davis. While at Penn State University as an undergrad, Dianna completed
15 credits in theatre, with a concentration in costume design, and served
as costume designer for Dr. Schrum's productions over the last eight
years. Dianna has found production meetings much easier since she lives
with the director. Incidentally, they are married, but neither changed
their last names. |
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| Tim "The Mad Russian" Stefanoski
(Set Designer) |
is a recent graduate of Montclair State University, with
a BFA in Theater Production and Design, he has designed lights for both
As You Like It and the Student Directed One-Acts at Montclair
State University's Studio Theater. He has also done Sound Design for
The Mystery of Edwin Drood in Memorial
Auditorium at Montclair State, and has spent the last two years as the
Assistant Technical Director for the Department of Theater and Dance
at MSU. He has done numerous smaller lighting projects for the Theater-In-The-Raw
programs that the department has on Friday afternoons. He has also worked
as a scenic artist and general technician in summer stock theaters in
New Jersey. Tim's designs come to us via email and the internet. |
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| Allison Brownlee (Assistant Director) |
played Swift the
Shakespeare-quoting chimp in All in the Timing (Words, Words, Words)
last spring here at UC. She also lists roles in The Crucible, Beauty and the Beast,
and Rhinoceros at Wheeling's Towngate Theater, and Our
Miss Brooks, Steel Magnolias and
Runaways at John Marshal High School for previous
theatre credits. Allison is a sophomore English major from Glen Dale,
WV. |
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| Jason Wilson (Music Director) |
a sophomore Music
Education major, is a National Directors' Award Recipient for Music
and Outstanding Drum Major in Music in the Parks, and played bass in
the band for Little Shop. |
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| Henrik Ibsen (Playwright) (1828-1906) |
is often considered
the Father of Realism, though his playwriting career began with more
non-realistic plays and dramatic poems such as Brand, Peer Gynt,
and The Pretenders. Appointed resident dramatist of the Norwegian
National Theatre in 1851, he is more famous today for such works as
Hedda Gabler, A Doll's House and The
Wild Duck. He is currently spinning in his grave with
what we've done to his play. |
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| Edvard Grieg (Composer) |
composed incidental
music for Ibsen's original production of Peer Gynt in 1876. The original intent of the music
seems to have been to cover lengthy scene changes required for the presentation
of the play , though some of the tunes (such as "Hall of the Mountain
King") are still familiar today. We believe Grieg is spinning in
his grave also, though perhaps in the direction opposite Ibsen. |
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Acknowledgements: would like to thank: |
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Beverly Calhoun
Joe Janisch Dave Cottrell
Elizabeth Powers Mark Hornbaker Barbara Yeager Andrea Nelson (Audition
Choreographer) Tony Rutherford of
Graffiti Taylor Books
Books-A-Million The Stock Exchange & John Gdula for the
rehearsal pastries! |
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Copies of Jeremy dePrisco's CDs, "Homegrown
Music" and "MANDALA" are available for sale ($10 each) during intermission at select performances and immediately after each performance. Please see the director or Jeremy to make a purchase. |
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Composer's Notes By Jeremy dePrisco |
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In the fall of 1998, shortly after the release of my 1997 Homegrown
Music CD, Dr. Schrum approached me about supplying music for another
play. As usual his timing wasn't the best, as I was gearing up to record
MANDALA, my official debut album. Referring to several songs from my earlier days (which would later
become the majority of the tracks on MANDALA) he said "Did you
know I was writing the script for Peer Gynt when you wrote these songs?!!?" Of course the answer was "no,"
but apparently the subjects of my songs fell directly in line with Peer
Gynt, and thus another collaboration was born. Considering the songs
were written over a period of several years, and that I didn't even
know about Peer Gynt then, this was becoming amusing. Even the album
art for MANDALA seemed oddly familiar to Dr. Schrum who said he had
a similar concept in mind for Peer Gynt. The Doctor's timing turned out to be not-so-bad, as I only recently
completed MANDALA, just weeks before the opening of this play. Now my
songs are going to be performed by a live band in a state I never visited
(except very briefly on the way to Vegas) by people I don't know, in
a play I only recently read! How insane! So here's to synchronicity, collaboration, and the internet, without
which none of this would be possible. Speaking of the internet, be sure
to check out my web site for more details: |
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THE SONGS "What Have You Done Today"(1)....................................Peer,
Shadow "Beauty of the Earth"(1).................................................................Peer "Greensleeves"(2)................................................................Musicians "Hall of the Mountain
King"(3)........................................ Musicians "Why"(1)..........................................................................Peer,
Shadow "Green"(1)......................................................................................Peer "Death of Ase"(4)...........................................................Peer,
Ase, Kari "Act Two Prologue"(4)Ý.......................................Shadow,
Businessmen "Anitra's Dance"(3)......................................................Instrumental "Breathe Deep"(1)..........................................................................Peer "Solveig's Song"(4)Ý.............................................Solveig,
Ingrid, Anitra "Asylum Rap"(5)................................................Scholar,
Judge, Doctor "Morning Mood"(4)ÝÝ.......................................................Sailors,
Peer "Shadows on My Wall"(1)...........................................................Solveig "Promises"(1).....................................................................Peer,
Solveig |
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1
Lyrics, Music
& Arrangement © 1992-1997 Jeremy J. dePrisco. 4
Ý Music by
Edvard Grieg (circa 1876); Lyrics by Stephen A. Schrum, Arrangement
by Jason Wilson © 1999. Ý Music
by Edvard Grieg (circa 1876); Lyrics and arrangement by Stephen A. Schrum,
© 1999. 2
Traditional; Arrangement
by Jason Wilson © 1999. 3 Music by Edvard Grieg (circa 1876); Arrangement
by Jason Wilson © 1999. 5 Lyrics
by Stephen A. Schrum © 1999. |
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Director's Notes |
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Peer Gynt has exerted a fascination
for me since I first read it in 1982. I spent some time researching
the play in 1985-86 when creating a production book for a Berkeley directing
class. I once again thought about Peer
Gynt last Christmas when trying to decide what
to do for my fall show. I originally considered doing a "traveling"
version, starting in the Coffee Tavern, moving then to the Rotunda,
and finally to the Auditorium. But I decided that would overly complicate
things, and thought it would work better entirely in the Auditorium.
So I decided to re-read the play and examine the possibilities. An odd thing happened when I read
the play in January, though. Suddenly the work that had charmed me so
much years ago was suddenly dense, and I became concerned that a contemporary
audience might be overly confused by the actions and events in the play.
However, in one of those unexplainable synchronistic moments (when two
things seem to happen together for a reason), I was thinking about Peer
Gynt while listening to Jeremy dePrisco's "Homegrown Music"
CD. As I listened, the songs seemed to be telling the story of Peer
Gynt. And so I decided to do an adaptation,
updating the text, and adding Jeremy's songs. I also borrowed the idea of alternate
realities and parallel lives from my favorite sci-fi author, Philip
K. Dick. In his worlds, characters often find time and themselves "out
of joint," and discover other lives. Peer is propelled into an
alternate life by the Shadow, a Jungian figure who plays many roles—the
conscience, the trickster, the advisor—but who always works to
mentor and teach Peer what he needs to learn about life. I based the characters in this adaptation
on various people I have know. My late mother-in-law inspired parts
of Ase's role; Peer is an amalgam of Ibsen's original Norwegian character,
myself and several people I have known. I wonder if, when Jeremy sees
the show, he will recognize anything of himself in the play. There are
also elements of other artists who, like Goethe's Faust, feel two
hearts beating in his/her chest, simultaneously wanting to pursue a
regular, "normal" existence, and at the same time, compelled
to loftier things. Here's hoping that Peer soars like Icarus. Enjoy the show! |
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—Dr. Stephen A. Schrum |
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