Friday, March 9, through Sunday, March 11
Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
With the New York Times calling it “the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word,” author Annie Baker's thoughtful comedy Circle Mirror Transformation will be staged at Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center March 9 through 11 – the annual presentation for which students from the theatre department’s Play production class were responsible for auditioning, casting, directing, scenic design, lighting and sound design, costume design, and stage management.
Taking place in the small town of Shirley, Vermont, Circle Mirror Transformation finds five strangers gathering to embark on a creative drama class for adults. Taught by the free-spirited and supportive Marty, the group – Schultz, a recently divorced, emotionally vulnerable carpenter; Teresa, an earnest and vibrant former actress; James, Marty’s quiet and genial husband; and Lauren, a reserved and self-conscious high schooler – moves through a series of acting exercises ranging from the heartbreaking to the ridiculous. Through seemingly trivial games, quiet wars are waged and emotional wounds are nursed, resulting in a work that Variety magazine called “orchestrated with a subtlety and unfailing naturalness that makes the play's small revelations disarming and unexpected.”
Third-year student Natalie Brown serves as Circle Mirror Transformation's director, with her cast including Jack Harris, MJ Mason, Maddie McCobb, Emily Minarik, and Jonathan Quigley. And seven fellow students from Augustana's THEA 350 course round out the show's crew: Amanda Caputi, Maddy Cuasay, Alexis Downey, Angelica Fernandez, Devin James, Jake Pecaut, and Jayrd Whitmore.
Circle Mirror Transformation will be staged in the Brunner Theatre Center's Honkamp Black Box Theatre, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $3-5, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
