Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Aurora, New York—The Wells College Theatre Department is pleased to present “Pygmalion,” the dramatic precursor to the Broadway hit “My Fair Lady.” Three performances of “Pygmalion” will be held in Phipps Auditorium of Macmillan Hall on the Wells College campus. Performances will be Friday and Saturday, October 30th and 31st, at 7:30 PM, and a Sunday matinee on November 1st at 2:00 PM.

“Pygmalion” set in the turn-of-the-century world of author George Bernard Shaw, is a witty commentary about the society of the early twentieth century. In a time when class boundaries are being shaken and reshaped, Henry Higgins (played by Mike Kalmanowitz ’10), a professional linguist, takes in a poor girl, Eliza Doolittle (Becca Danis '10), in a gamble that he can transform her into a noble lady. In doing so, his bachelor life becomes entangled with Eliza’s growth, and an interesting relationship buds between them. Throughout “Pygmalion,” class is shown as a strong figure in every life as it defines who the characters are, how they are treated in the future, and how they establish and maintain their relationships. With a realistic yet bright point of view, the show also looks into how love is defined in context of class and how the characters further define it.

“It’s been a magnificent experience watching these students take on such challenging classic roles,” says director Siouxsie Grady. “I love what ‘Pygmalion’ has to say about our relationships as humans, and people’s place in the social milieu.” Joining Grady on the production team are Costume and Assistant Scenic Designer Professor Roberta Kolpakas and Senior Scenic and Lighting Designer Joe DeForest. Both designers’ works were previously seen in the acclaimed productions of “The Maids” and “Escurial” last spring.

In conjunction with the play, Wells will offer a series of lectures everyday from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in the Art Exhibit Room of Macmillan Hall, beginning Monday, October 26th and continuing through Friday, October 30th. These lectures are free and open to the public, and cover topics related to Shaw’s work, such as politics of women in the early twentieth century and a history of Pygmalion. Featured speakers include Becca Danis (’10), Beverly Bauman (’10) and Professor Roberta Kolpakas, among others.

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