Columbia University MFA Students to Present THE SEAGULL and MAD FOREST

Columbia University School of the Arts is proud to present its graduating class of MFA Acting students, appearing in a pair of thesis productions in its new theatre at the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

This year, director Andrei Serban tackles Anton Chekhov's classic The Seagull, an ode to the trials of art and love, and director Pirronne Yousefzadeh brings us Caryl Churchill's absurdist meditation on the Romanian dictatorship, Mad Forest.

The Seagull explores themes of writing, politics, aging, and, of course, romance. In this reimagining, gender-bent casting explodes Chekhov's traditional love triangles to reinvigorate this first of his major plays.

In response to the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Caryl Churchill's Mad Forest shows the people of Bucharest in chaos. When a demonstration erupts into revolution and the oppressive Communist silence is broken, euphoria and confusion overtake the lives of ordinary people. Churchill captures this volatile period in Romania's history through a mosaic of domestic moments, street testimonials, and absurdist interludes.

The acting theses will premiere in repertory at the Lenfest Center for the Arts at 615 West 129th Street. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lenfest.arts.columbia.edu/calendar.

*Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

THE SEAGULL

By Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul Schmidt

Lenfest Center for the Arts

615 West 129th Street

New York, NY 10027

Performances:

October 11 @ 8:00pm

October 13 @ 8:00pm

October 14 @ 2:00pm

October 19 @ 8:00pm

October 21 @ 8:00pm

Tickets: $15/ $5 Seniors/ FREE with Student ID (enter code: "STUDENT").

Ticketing Info: lenfest.arts.columbia.edu/calendar

MAD FOREST

By Caryl Churchill

Lenfest Center for the Arts

615 West 129th Street

New York, NY 10027

Performances:

October 12 @ 8:00pm

October 14 @ 8:00pm

October 18 @ 8:00pm

October 20 @ 8:00pm

October 21 @ 2:00pm

Tickets: $15/ $5 Seniors/ FREE with Student ID (enter code: "STUDENT").

Ticketing Info: lenfest.arts.columbia.edu/calendar

For tickets and up-to-date information, visit lenfest.arts.columbia.edu/calendar, or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ColumbiaStages and Twitter: @CUStages.