Circle Theatre Presents Bach at Leipzig, Previews Begin 8/19

Circle Theatre is pleased to present the North Texas premiere of Bach at Leipzig, written by Itamar Moses. Preview performances are Thursday, August 19; Friday, August 20; and Saturday, August 21 (matinee). The production officially opens Saturday evening, August 21 at 7:30pm, followed by a post-show party with the cast & crew.

Under the direction of Robin Armstrong, Bach at Leipzig features Andy Baldwin* (Lenck), David Coffee* (Graupner), Chris Hauge (Kaufmann), David H.M. Lambert** (Schott), Stephen Levall** (Steindorff), Art Peden (Telemann), and Steven Pounders* (Fasch).

Production team members for Bach at Leipzig are: Sara Harris*, Stage Manager; Clare Floyd DeVries, Set Designer; Robin Armstrong, Costume Designer; David H. M. Lambert, Sound Designer; John Leach, Lighting Designer; and John Harvey, Props Designer.

* Member of Actors' Equity Association **Equity Membership Candidate

Circle Theatre's Executive Director, Rose Pearson, says, "Baroque is in the air in Fort Worth these days. Coincidentally, both Circle Theatre and The Fort Worth Symphony are presenting productions tied to that historic period during the month of August. Circle opens Bach at Leipzig August 21 and The Fort Worth Symphony will present its Great Performances Festival: A Baroque Celebration August 27-29. Our organizations are in the midst of a lively dialogue about how we can collaborate on creative cross-promotional activities."

Summary

In 1722, six of the finest musicians of the age gather to audition for the coveted post of organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The position they are competing for may be housed in a cathedral, but nothing is sacred in this historic battle of egos.

History

Johann Kuhnau really was the organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. When he died, there was an audition to select a replacement. This play's characters were some of the organists who received invitations. But Bach at Leipzig is largely a work of fiction, merely inspired by the barest outline of a few real events.

Bach at Leipzig was first produced at the Hangar Theatre, Ithaca, NY in 2002, directed by Kevin D. Moriarty. It had its New York premiere in 2005 at the New York Theatre Workshop, under the direction of Pam MacKinnon.

Author

Itamar Moses is the author of the full-length plays Outrage, Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us, Yellowjackets, Back Back Back, Completeness, and The Den, a collection of short plays titled Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used To It), as well as various one-acts. He is presently adapting Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude for the stage with composer Michael Friedman, and director Daniel Aukin. His work has been produced Off-Broadway and at regional theatres across the country; and in Canada, France, and Brazil; and has been published by Faber & Faber, Heinemann Press, Playscripts, Inc., Samuel French, and Vintage. He has received new play commissions from McCarter Theatre Center, Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Wilma Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, and Lincoln Center Theater. Itamar holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from New York University, and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, MCC Playwrights Coalition, Naked Angels Mag 7, and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. He is currently a staff writer on Ray Romano and Mike Royce's Men of a Certain Age. He was born in Berkeley, California, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Author

Robin Armstrong is excited to be back at Circle Theatre, having previously directed the Theatre's productions of Snake in the Grass, Unnecessary Farce, and Incorruptible. She will be returning to Circle immediately following Bach at Leipzig to direct our upcoming production of Bright Ideas. Robin directed productions of Vincent River, Macbeth, Betrayal, Hay Fever, The Day After the Fair, and No Sex, Please, We're British! for Theatre Britain. Her production of Snake in the Grass was cited in Fort Worth Weekly's Best of 2007. Robin garnered two awards for Best Direction 2009 by the DFW Critics Forum for Incorruptible and Vincent River. Incorruptible also made Theater Jones Best of 2009 list and Vincent River made the Dallas Voice Best of 2009 list. Robin earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre from Louisiana State University.

Circle Theatre
Circle Theatre's mission is to present contemporary and innovative productions in its intimate 125-seat setting. The Theatre is partially supported by the City of Fort Worth, the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For further information, please visit our fan page on Facebook, www.CircleTheatre.com, or Twitter at CIRCLE_THEATRE.

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