Showing March 23-April 15 at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City
Final production of Gilbert Street Season
Collected Stories
by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies will mark the 6th
and final show of Riverside Theatre's Gilbert Street Season and will feature
artistic director Jody Hovland and a newcomer to Riverside's stage, New York
actor Shamis Beckley. The show will open
March 23 and run through April 15.
Tickets range from $12 to $23 and are available for purchase by phone at
(319)338-7672 or on-line at www.riversidetheatre.org.
Collected Stories,
directed by Riverside associate artist Kristin
Horton, explores the conflict between the established artist and the adulatory
student who becomes a friend and confidante - and finally a threatening rival. Ruth, a prominent short-story writer, takes
on Lisa Morrison as a protégé. But when Lisa's first novel - which appears to
have cannibalized Ruth's life experiences - is published to much critical acclaim,
the resulting duel between the two formidable characters is a dramatic
tour-de-force.
"This play brings up so many fascinating
questions concerning authorship and copyright. Do we own exclusive rights to
our experiences and stories? When do our stories become fair game for others to
tell? As a theater artist who is in the business of telling other people's
stories for a living, this is of tremendous interest to me" says Horton. Horton
is a New York based director and current
Artistic Fellow at the Lark
Play Development
Center. She is a
recipient of the 2005-07 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors and a
2007 Directing Residency at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Artistic Director Jody Hovland, who plays Ruth Steiner, is
drawn to Margulies' characters. "These
are two very smart, strong women who share both funny and tender moments as
well as have some great battles. That
kind of emotional playfulness is a great attraction for the actor and
compelling, I think, for the audience."
