Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Aurora, New York – The Wells College Theatre Department presents Escurial and The Maids, two plays from the Absurdist movement. Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4, at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee on April 5 at 2:00 pm in Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall. The show is free and the public is warmly invited to attend.

Beginning Monday, March 30 and leading up to the weekend performances, Wells will host “Absurd Week,” a series of events related to the Theatre of the Absurd. Each afternoon at 2:30, there will be a featured presentation in the Art Exhibit Room, Macmillan Hall. Faculty from various disciplines will lead round-table discussions, lecture, or give visual presentations based on the Absurdist movement and the specific plays being performed.

Absurd Week culminates with two plays. The first performance, Michel De Ghelderode’s Escurial, is a story in which a king and jester switch roles while waiting for the queen’s death to be announced. Wells’ Technical Director and Facilities Manager Joe DeForest will direct the play. “It has all the elements that have always drawn me to theatre,” he says. “It is the consummate story, complete with twists and turns, comedy and tragedy, and abundantly descriptive to its scenic mien.”

The second performance is Jean Genet’s The Maids. In this play, based on the true story of Christine and Lea Papin, two sisters working as maids plot to murder their mistress in 1933 France. “I’ve been interested in directing an absurdist play for some time,” says director Siouxsie Grady, assistant professor of theatre at Wells. “I am completely fascinated by the relationships and characters in this play.”

In addition to the plays, each program will feature a short original dance choreographed by Wells students Eden Kostick ’10 and Arianna Bickford ’12. Scene and costume designs by Roberta Kolpakas and lighting design by DeForest tie the pieces together. Due to intense moments, adult themes, and strong language, the production is recommended for ages 16 and up.

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