- By Kitchen Theatre
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What if your dream life were more fulfilling than reality - which would you choose, and how would you tell which is which? These questions are explored in the magical and poetic I BECOME A GUITAR, a world premiere play by Portland, Oregon playwright Francesca Sanders running on the Kitchen Theatre Main Stage from January 14 to February 8. Madrigal and Kevin Stewart are a couple having a difficult time of it. Their son, Pablo, adopted from Madrigal’s native Mexico, suffers from a disorder that has kept him asleep for most of his twenty-year life. Madrigal and Kevin don’t see eye-to-eye on how to deal with this situation, their communication has become strained, and intimacy has been missing from their marriage for far too long. For his part, Pablo spends his sleeping life immersed in vivid, beautiful dreams; he resists waking up to join his parents’ household. In the course of this evocative play, all three awake to possibilities in their lives - in surprising ways.
The Kitchen Theatre is excited to be producing the world premiere of this play. “I am looking forward to tackling the magical puzzle of this play and can’t wait for the terrific creative team to get started. I BECOME A GUITAR is filled with surprises,” says Artistic Director Rachel Lampert. “At first glance, the play seems to live in a world easy to understand, where an average family faces unusual circumstances. But no sooner do you think you know where you are when the play shifts and all bets are off. The language of the play is poetic and evocative; that, and the potential for visually beautiful staging and movement, attracted me to include this play on the season. It is the perfect play for director Sara Lampert Hoover, whose meticulous staging of YELLOWMAN, THE SYRINGA TREE, THE CLEAN HOUSE and other plays has stunned and moved KTC audiences for many seasons. And how delightful to have as her collaborators composer Ron Kristy, sound designer Don Tindall, set designer Kent Goetz, lighting designer Kelly Syring, and costume designer Lisa Boquist.”
David Moreland plays Kevin, the father. Moreland was seen previously at the Kitchen Theatre as Odysseus in the Family Fare productions THE ODYSSEY parts I & II. Before his move to Ithaca in 2002, Moreland lived in Los Angeles, where his comic gifts kept him steadily employed as a film and TV actor. He appeared on “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “Legally Blonde,” and, for three seasons, he guest-starred as Ted Danson's next-door-neighbor on “Becker.” Sally G. Ramirez plays the mother, Madrigal. Sally is originally from Puerto Rico. She moved to Ithaca from Los Angeles, where she worked in theater and television as well as performing as a singer. In Ithaca, she has gained a following for her singing - she performs jazz, Latin, and folk music with guitarist Doug Robinson. This is her local stage debut. Playing sex therapist Catherine is Laura Ciresi Starr. Starr recently transplanted to Ithaca from Chicago, where she performed with Infamous Commonwealth Theatre and other theaters. This is her onstage debut at the Kitchen, but she has worked as a dialect couch on OLD TIMES and THE SOUP COMES LAST. Ithaca College senior acting major Nicholas Caycedo was last seen in THE WILD PARTY at IC. He plays Pablo, the Stewarts’ son, and makes his Kitchen Main Stage debut.
Playwright Francesca Sanders’ plays have had readings and productions from off-Broadway to Bangalore, India. Sanders is a recipient of the Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, the Orlando Shakespeare Festival’s Harriet Lake Prize and many other awards. She will be in residence at the Kitchen at various times during the rehearsal period of the play.
Director Sara Lampert Hoover has directed many of the Kitchen’s most popular productions, including last season’s SOUVENIR and the very successful PRECIOUS NONSENSE. She lives in NYC and directs around the country including Vermont Stage’s productions of I AM MY OWN WIFE and THREE DAYS OF RAIN.
Set design is by Kent Goetz, whose KTC designs include STRANGERHORSE, A MARRIAGE MINUET and THE DRUNKEN CITY. Goetz is a Professor at Cornell University's Department of Theatre, Film & Dance and the Resident Scene Designer at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. He has designed productions at Florida Stage and the Asolo Theatre among others. Lighting design is by Ithaca College senior Kelly Syring, who designed the lights for HAPPY DAYS and assisted on BED NO BREAKFAST and THE TWO OF YOU. Costume design is by Lisa Boquist, designer of THE SYRINGA TREE, PRECIOUS NONSENSE, THE SOUP COMES LAST and more at the Kitchen. Composer Ron Kristy has composed dozens of scores for television and film and for this play is creating a haunting soundscape together with sound designer Don Tindall, whose previous KTC work includes sound scores for Old Times, Strangerhorse and THE TWO OF YOU. Michal Kaufer is the stage manager.
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