6th Street Playhouse Presents THE CHAIRS, 3/19-4/11

Listen carefully. Audiences of "The Chairs," playing at the Studio Theatre of the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa from March 19 to April 11, 2010, can expect a very unique, theatrical experience.

Directed by David Lear, Eugene Ionesco's daring and timeless farce "The Chairs," features two of the North Bay's finest veteran actors, Eliot Fintushel and Elizabeth Fuller, on stage at the 6th Street Playhouse for the first time.

Also making his 6th Street Playhouse debut is sound designer for "The Chairs," Albert Casselhoff, a multi-media artist working in theater, radio and film. Casselhoff's theater work includes sound design and original music composition. He has created radio programs which have been distributed nationally through NPR, APM and PRI and broadcast internationally in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Casselhoff's film projects include documentaries, fairytales and experimental works for use in live performance.

Casselhoff has re-wired the Studio Theater at the 6th Street Playhouse with a sound system that will allow audiences to connect directly to the minds of Ionesco's characters, an elderly couple who spend their time sharing old stories and entertaining imaginary guests.

"Ionesco's script is brilliant, funny and politically savvy and is an endless, bottomless well of riches. The elderly couple represents a universe of characters and a range of emotions," Casselhoff. "Think of an ice cream sundae and its rich, delicious discoveries. It's topped with nuts (some pretty crazy nuts in this case) and the deeper you spoon into it, the more delicious things you'll find."

"The sound design in this production represents imagination of the two characters in the play. Audiences will hear the sounds of their boundless imagination on a multi-channel sound system," said Casselhoff.

Cheryl Itamura, 6th Street Playhouse Managing Director, recently visited a rehearsal of "The Chairs" to take a listen.

"I found myself completed immersed in the sound. Albert has created a 360 degree sound 'scape' with music and sound effects. The sounds become a character all their own. This is the first time we've had our 99-seat Studio Theatre wired for this range of sound effect. Audiences will be enthralled with this new kind of theatrical experience."

"The Chairs," opens March 19. For ticket or more information visit the website at www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Photo by Eric Chazankin

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