ART/WNY presents Aaron Posner's STUPID F**CKING BIRD

The second production scheduled for American Repertory Theater of WNY's 2017-18 season features American playwright Aaron Posner's 2013 adaptation of Anton Chekhov's 1896 play THE SEAGULL entitled Stupid F**CKING BIRD. Directed by ART/WNY alumni Michael Lodick (JESUS HATES ME), STUPID F**CKING BIRD will open on October 19th and run to November 11th.

Highlighting upon the ideological clash between the classic and new expressions of theater found in Chekhov's classic work, this delightfully quirky adaptation by Posner also offers a tongue-in-cheek insight into the ongoing conflict between artistic vision and how theater should play into our lives. Connor Graham, who makes his ART/WNY debut, is in charge with the protagonist 'Conrad' and his ongoing internal struggle with the unrequited love of 'Nina', portrayed by Emily Yancey (last seen in ART/WNY's CARRIE, THE MUSICAL), and the overt conflict with his mother (and more importantly a diva movie-star) 'Emma Arkadina'-featuring the return of ART/WNY alumni Diane DiBernardo. Adding a cynically laced music background, is 'Mash' (pronounced 'mosh', like the pit) who pines and pies away her devotion for 'Con'. Entrusted with this goth black cloud role is ART/WNY alumni Candice Kogut who's singing and eukleia skills will be on display throughout SFB.

Adding to the lovelorn is 'Dev' and his own thwarted affections for the above doom 'n' gloomer, Rick Lattimer returns to ART/WNY as this nice guy friend who does his best to advise 'Con' then has to stay afloat during the emotional flooding only to be rewarded in the end by cake and children named after goth-bands.

On the peripheral of Posner's Brechtian "distancing effect" work, are two character whom define nothing, but serve equally in the playwright's rejection of vapid entertaining roles. ART/WNY alumni Scot Katanowski takes on the role of the humane searching 'Doctor Eugene Sern' who creeps slowly to his own mortality without anyone noticing. Thomas LaChiusa returns once again to ART/WNY to take on the role of genius writer 'Doyle Trigorin', and with Trig's' successful HAMLET pickup lines starts this whole ball of hot mess rollin' downhill, over the dock, and into the lake.

Celebration kicking off not only ART/WNY's eleventh season but also the city's diverse theatrical season. This and the vitality of the city's Dramatic Arts scene seems to be gaining strength. In a recent The Buffalo News article theater journalist Colin Dabkowski points out, "This season, local professional and semi-professional companies, as well as road houses like Shea's Performing Arts Center, will mount more than 100 productions...the season currently features 44 dramas, 33 musicals, 13 comedies and seven shows for children." Indicators that the Buffalo theater scene isn't fading or becoming saturated but, contrarily, gaining momentum with a diversity of theater choices that no other city, outside of major ones like NYC or Chicago, can match.

But what happens when a theater scene is trying too hard be to diverse? When diversity means reinventing theater? The answer comes in the form of contrary questions raised by protagonist 'Con' in Aaron Posner's STUPID f-ing BIRD. He asks "Why do we need to reinvent theater? Why not simply "improve it" by doing it better?"
In a post-modern approach to theater complete with multi-media spectacles, over-the-top Disney-fied musicals with no substance and the rehashing of the 70's audience participation "happenings", Posner firmly plants his tongue in cheek, holds up a mirror to both stage & seats then offers his own question to Con's, are you being entertained?
STUPID F**ING BIRD opens on October 19th and runs until November 11th. Tickets for the production go on sale September 24th but for more info please visit www.artofwny.org.

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