Columbia University Presents LA RONDE and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Through October

Columbia University School of the Arts' Theatre Arts Program will introduce two bold new productions, directed by renowned Romanian actors and stage directors (and Columbia faculty) Ursula and Nikolaus Wolcz, and developed in collaboration with of this year's graduating class of MFA student actors. Schnitzler's La Ronde and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream will be presented in repertory at The Riverside Theatre from October 18 through 28.

In developing these new productions, Ursula and Nikolaus Wolcz have been inspired by the different personalities and diverse cultural backgrounds of their student actors, and have encouraged such differences to emerge in the performance.

La Ronde, Schnitzler's intelligent play with a series of sexual encounters discussing love, life and morality will be staged as a dance with 18 actors, with the language of movement playing an integral part. Meanwhile, the production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream will be a contemporary interpretation that tries to recall the original traditions of this classical comedy. The production, which contains a number of correlations to ancient and modern theatre traditions, including ancient Greek theatre, silent comedy, absurdism, commedia, and modern comedy, questions the border between dream and reality, while serving as a lens through which the modern world can be viewed.

Ursula Wolcz has earned her fame and success in Europe. Her important roles include Rosalind, Lady Macbeth, Luisa, Anja andNina from works as varied as those of Shakespeare, Chekhov, Brecht, Gozzi, Goldoni, Lorca, Buchner, Calderon and Gorki. Since 1996, she has taught acting at Columbia University. Through individual and small group labs in coverage of as many different styles and periods of the European dramatic tradition as possible, Ursula focuses on eliminating the obstacles that stand in the actor's way of his or her own full expression with experiments and improvisations.

Nikolaus Wolcz has also been in high demand as an actor, teacher, and director throughout Europe. Since he became faculty at Columbia in 1996, Nikolaus's local productions have included Twelfth Night, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (directed with Andrei Serban), Ionesco's Bald Soprano and The Lesson, and Turandot (directed with Ursula Wolcz). European directing credits include La Dispute, The Birds, Scapin, L'Adororation, The Shadow, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Waiting for Godot, and The Temptation of St. Anthony. In opera, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in December 2003 with his choreography for the company premiere of Benvenuto Cellini.

La Ronde and A Midsummer Night's Dream will feature Columbia University's MFA Acting Class of 2012: Ito Aghayere, Rafael Benoit, Dan Bielinski, Donovan Christie Jr., Sarah Eismann, Melissa Graham, Danielle Faitelson, Kate Flanagan, Matthew Michael Hurley, Eddie Ray Jackson, Dave Klasko, Wei-Yi Lin, Daniel Levitt, Adam Lubitz, Natalia Miranda-Guzman, Blaze Mancillas, Jensen Olaya, and Coco Marie Schneider.

Performance Schedule:
La Ronde will play October 18, 2011 to October 22, 2011, Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM.
A Midsummer Night's Dream will play October 25, 2011 to October 28, 2011, Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00 PM.