Villanova launches Abbey Theatre Exchange with WOMAN AND SCARECROW

Villanova Theatre has announced the Philadelphia premiere of Woman and Scarecrow, a fierce and funny new play by Ireland's leading female playwright, Marina Carr. The play, directed by Fr. David Cregan, will be the first production under the new partnership between Villanova University and Dublin's world-renowned Abbey Theatre.

In Woman and Scarecrow, a woman on her deathbed faces the regrets of a life half-lived. At once highly theatrical and richly poetic, Woman and Scarecrow stages an epic confrontation between a mother of eight and the specters of her haunted past. The central character (known only as "Woman") is accompanied by a mysterious figure (known only as "Scarecrow") with a sharp tongue and an acerbic wit. Something dark beckons from beyond as Woman confronts the phantoms of her spiritless existence. Lauded by critics as "powerful," "moving," and "lyrical," Marina Carr's mesmerizing script is less about the loss of life than it is about the power and profundity of our time here on earth.

According to Cregan, "The play is simultaneously funny and frightening, beautiful and ugly, serious and absurd. It is precisely this juxtaposition -paired with the universal theme of life and death- that makes Carr's script so compelling."

Marina Carr is considered to be at the forefront of the newest generation of Irish playwrights, and is firmly at the head of an aesthetic movement in the contemporary theater. Her at-once breathtaking and soul-stirring plays achieved rapid success, gaining worldwide recognition for their haunting imagery and metaphorical universality as well as their ability to redefine traditional notions of the landscapes of character, plot and theme. In 2003, Carr was appointed Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova, where she taught graduate classes in playwriting. Villanova Theatre produced By the Bog of Cats..., a retelling of Euripides' Medea in 2003, while Carr was in residence.

This production of Woman and Scarecrow marks the beginning of a historic exchange program between Villanova University and The Abbey Theatre, Ireland's National Theatre. The collaboration will bring Ireland's preeminent theatre practitioners to the University's campus to offer graduate and undergraduate courses, as well as workshops, conferences, lectures and other events that will be open to the public. The new joint venture will also enable a scholarly exchange giving Villanova students the opportunity to travel to Dublin to intern and study at The Abbey Theatre. The program extends a long-standing commitment to performing and studying Irish plays and in hosting prominent Irish playwrights, writers and poets through the Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Chair of Irish Studies.

"The partnership with The Abbey Theatre is a fantastic opportunity for Villanova to strengthen its Irish heritage," Cregan said, "and a wonderful way for the Theatre Department to grow through artistic and intellectual exchange."

Cregan directs a cast of four versatile actors in Carr's emotional tour-de-force. Second- year acting scholar Felicia Leicht, last seen as Adriana in The Comedy of Errors, plays one half of the title role, Woman. Leicht recently received the Brian G. Morgan Award for distinction in the field of theatre. The other half, Scarecrow , is played by second-year acting scholar Jessica O'Brien, last seen in Bat Boy: The Musical as MerEdith Parker. Ahren Potratz, a first-year acting scholar, last seen as Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, plays Him, with Lizzy Dalton-Negron in the role of Auntie Ah.

The award-winning creative team behind Villanova Theatre's production includes two outstanding graduate students: Vandy Scoates (Scenic Design) and Valerie Eichelberger (Costume Design), as well as resident designers Jerold Forsyth (Lighting Design) and Parris Bradley (Sound Design).

Woman and Scarecrow takes the stage at Villanova Theatre from November 8-20, 2011 with press opening on Wednesday, November 9th. Villanova Theatre is located on the Villanova University campus in Vasey Hall (at Lancaster & Ithan Avenues.). Performances will be held Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets run $21-$25, with discounts available for seniors, students and groups. Tickets may be purchased at the Villanova Theatre Box Office (M-S, 12 -5 p.m.) in person, by phone: (610) 519-7474, or online at www.villanovatheatre.org.

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