Yale Cabaret Announces 40th Anniversary Season

Yale Cabaret, the legendary basement theatre run by students of Yale School of Drama, will mark its 40th season of creating daring work during 2007-2008.

In celebration of this milestone, Yale Cabaret will present two special events as a prelude to the season: "An Evening of Cabaret," featuring musical and burlesque acts, on September 21 and 22, and a "Festival of New Work," September 26 – 29.  Also new this season is "The Afterparty," a late-night Friday showcase of local bands and performance artists which begins October 5.

In the eight shows to be presented in fall 2007, themes of irreverence, relevance, and rebellion will be explored. The 40th anniversary season is led by a team of three, all hailing from neighboring counties on California's Central Coast:  Co-Artistic Directors Becca Wolff (MFA '09) and Erik Pearson (MFA '09), who are in the directing program, and Managing Director Jacob Padrón (MFA '08), who is pursuing a degree in theater management.

"Founded in 1968, Yale Cabaret began as a late-night coffee house and private performance space for Yale School of Drama faculty and guest artists. The Cabaret was eventually handed over to the students as a public laboratory for their passion projects in experimental theatre.  Unique to Yale Cabaret is that every year a new leadership team has the exciting job of creating a new artistic vision -- that is why no two seasons are alike," as described in press materials.

Yale Cabaret also welcomes a new chef, a new menu of tapas (small plates), and an extended wine list. Accommodations can be made for large parties.

The Yale Cabaret 40th Anniversary Season, 2007-2008 (subject to change) follows:

Special Events

• "An Evening of Cabaret"
  Musical and burlesque acts performed by Yale School of Drama students
  Fri., Sept. 21 at 8pm
  Sat., Sept. 22 at 8pm
  
• Festival of New Work
  Three original plays presented in repertory
  Sept. 26 – 29, 2007
  
• Threesome by Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco (Playwriting '09)
  
• The Do Over by Matt Moses (Playwriting '09)
  Show Three: TBA
  Times TBD

Fall Season

• Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood
  East Coast Premiere
  Written and Directed by Barret O'Brien (Acting '09)
  Thu., Oct. 4 at 8pm
  Fri., Oct. 5 at 8pm and 10:30pm
  Sat., Oct. 6 at 8pm and 10:30pm
  
• An Evening at the Grand Guignol
  World Premiere
  Inspired by the works of Oscar Méténier, André de Lorde, and others
  Adapted and Translated by Rebecca Phillips (Dramaturgy '09)
  Directed by Matt Cornish (Dramaturgy '09)
  Thu, Oct. 11 at 8pm
  Fri, Oct. 12 at 8pm and 10:30pm
  Sat., Oct. 13 at 8pm and 10:30pm
  
• Bicycling for Ladies
  World Premiere
  Book and Lyrics by Dorothy Fortenberry (Playwriting '08)
  Music by Colin Wambsgans
  Directed by Becca Wolff (Directing '09)
  Thur., Oct. 18 at 8pm
  Fri., Oct. 19 at 8pm and 10:30pm
  Sat., Oct. 20 at 8pm and 10:30pm

Five more shows will be announced in late September:  Show 4 (Oct. 25 - 27), Show 5 (Nov. 1 - 3), Show 6 (Nov. 8 – 10), Show 7 (Nov. 15 - 17), and Show 8 (Dec. 6 - 8).  A special closing event for the Fall Season will be held on Fri., Dec 14.

Becca Wolff (Co-Artistic Director) is originally from Watsonville, California.  She has directed world premiere productions at Yale Cabaret (We're Celebrities...We're Just not Famous Yet by Dorothy Fortenberry) and at Providence, Rhode Island's Perishable Theatre (The Dog by Holly Hildebrand, Death of a Cat by C. Denby Swanson), Elemental Theatre Ensemble (Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman by David Rabinow), and several seasons of work by young playwrights with The Manton Avenue Project. Opera direction includes Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck) and the upcoming Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc) for Opera Theatre of Yale College, as well as the premiere production of a new score for Gertrude Stein's opera Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights by Tracy Minicucci and Caroline Shanti (Theatre Riot, Providence).  She co-wrote and directed In the Aisles Productions' (Santa Cruz, CA) Explain This which went on to the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.  She has served as an Artistic Associate for Big Art Group (New York, New York) and Perishable Theatre (Providence) and Production Manager for Brown University's Playwriting Program.

Erik Pearson (Co-Artistic Director) is originally from Santa Cruz, California. He is the founding Artistic Director of "The Quixote Project" of San Francisco for which he directed The Burial at Thebes, The Trojan Women: a love story and Life is a Dream.  Other directing credits include Journey to Santiago at Yale School of Drama, The Illusion at Yale Cabaret, Shakespeare Santa Cruz's fringe production of Nahum Tate's King Lear, Big Boys at the Actor's Theater of Santa Cruz, Oedi for 60gRIT, Brilliant Traces at U.C.S.C., and numerous short films. His design credits include The Tamer Tamed and Coriolanus for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, The Long Christmas Ride Home for the Magic (directed by Basil Twist), Splittin' The Raft and The Pavilion for Marin Theater Company, and The Glass Menagerie for Center Rep. Pearson most recently appeared on stage with San Francisco's cabaret troop Rococo Risqué.  He has taught theater as a lecturer at U.C.S.C. and as an acting tutor for Marin Theater Company's Conservatory.  Pearson is currently pursuing an MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama.

Jacob Padrón (Managing Director) is originally from Gilroy, California. Last fall, he produced Suzan-Lori Parks' "365 Days/365 Plays" for Center Theatre Group – a collaboration that brought 50 LA based theatre companies together. He served as Associate Producer on the world premiere production of In the Cypher: A Poetry Slam (at Yale Cabaret) and is currently developing and producing a world premiere opera with composer Jana Hoglund.  Padrón has worked with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, CENTERSTAGE, and El Teatro Campesino, among others. During his first year at Yale, he founded Project Luminarias, an interdisciplinary student group with the mission to advance the work of emerging and established Latino playwrights. Jacob holds a BA in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. This fall, he will enter his third and final year at Yale School of Drama, where he is studying to receive his MFA in theater management.

Performances are Thursdays at 8:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and 10:30pm.  ("Festival of New Work" has an expanded Wednesday through Saturday schedule.) Doors open at 6:30pm for dinner before the early show, and at 9:30pm for lighter fare before the late show.

Tickets are $15, $10 for students. In addition, Yale Cabaret offers flexible, 10-ticket flexible memberships.  Food and drinks are priced separately.

Yale Cabaret is located at 217 Park Street between Chapel and Edgewood Streets in downtown New Haven.

For more information, please contact Jacob Padrón at jacob.padron@yale.edu.