Arsht Center And U Of M Partner For Aspiring Theater Professionals

THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PARTNERS WITH

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

TO CREATE A PRE-PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

FOR ASPIRING THEATER PROFESSIONALS 

Bridge program will offer students an opportunity to work alongside theater experts on a

professional production of Lorca's famed masterpiece

The House of Bernarda Alba

October 13-30, 2011  

Now celebrating its Fifth Anniversary Season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County announced an innovative, new artistic partnership with the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts that provides outstanding young acting and theater production majors at the University an opportunity to work with seasoned professionals in creating a professional production of The House of Bernarda Alba, Federico García Lorca's 20th century masterpiece.

THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA will have a three-week run at the Carnival Studio Theater from October 13-30, 2011 as part of the Adrienne Arsht Center's Theater Up Close 2011-2012 season in the Carnival Studio Theater as well as the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre 2011-2012 Season.

"This creative collaboration with one of the premier performing arts centers in the southern United States, which also happens to be in our own backyard, offers students a paid, real-world working experience on a world-class stage and ensures that they will have a competitive edge upon graduation," said Henry Fonte, Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Miami and Producing Artistic Director of its Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.

THE House of Bernarda Alba is one of Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca's most influential works. A devastatingly powerful story of a domineering woman obsessed with maintaining the honor of her family's name against the forces of brutAl Small-town society, the play explores Bernarda's iron-fisted oppression of her five daughters, transforming their rural home into a powder keg of tension, jealousy and fear.

While the key adult roles - Bernarda Alba and La Poncia - will be performed by professional actors working and living in South Florida, the production will also feature UM's talented student actors in the roles of Alba's daughters. Also students majoring in technical theatre and design will work side-by-side with the Adrienne Arsht Center's production team - helping to create professional sets, costumes and lighting design; assisting stage managers and other key production positions.

"This partnership is at the core of the Adrienne Arsht Center's mission to enlighten, educate and entertain. Working in tandem with the University of Miami, the Center has an opportunity to play an impactful role in the future of the arts by helping to develop the next generation of theater professionals right here in Miami," said Scott Shiller, Executive Vice President of the Adrienne Arsht Center.

With students at their side in supporting roles, the Adrienne Arsht Center team will provide the physical production of the THE House of Bernarda Alba, with key UM faculty rounding out the creative and design team. Henry Fonte, a 30-year veteran actor, director, playwright and producer, will direct the play. Fonte has directed more than 70 Actors' Equity Association productions across the country-from intimate venues Off Broadway (The Cherry Lane) to 5,000-seat amphitheatres (Indianapolis Starlight, Best Director Award). A graduate of Miami High School and University of Florida, Fonte moved to D.C. upon completing his education, cutting his teeth in regional theatres such as Arena Stage and The Folger Company before moving to New York, which was home base for his peripatetic career until he joined the University of Miami last year.

This partnership is a student-focused addition to the Arsht Center's robust roster of collaborations that support and expand the performance opportunities for stellar local artists and arts organizations. Recent and ongoing partnerships include co-presentations with Mad Cat Theatre, M Ensemble, and Brazz Dance Theater; the premiere engagement of Miami's newest artistic collaborative, Zoetic Stage; and ongoing partnerships with City Theatre and Teatro Avante.

Visit www.arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information for details and schedules.

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