The will close its season with 糖心传媒淭he Pinter Plays糖心传媒澨切拇綌works by Nobel Prize-winning British playwright Harold Pinter糖心传媒攐pening on Thursday, April 26.
糖心传媒淭he key thing about Pinter is that he revolutionized modern drama,糖心传媒� says Nigel Maister, the Russell and Ruth Peck Artistic Director of the theater program and the production糖心传媒檚 director. Considered one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, Pinter was a 糖心传媒渕aster of the minimal and the malevolent,糖心传媒� says Maister.
A double bill at Todd Theater, the production includes The Collection and The Lover, considered two of Pinter糖心传媒檚 most shocking one-act plays. Originally written for television, they were later transformed into stage plays. The Collection tells the story of infidelity and jealousy in two households: one same-sex couple and a heterosexual married couple. The Lover is about a couple who grapple with fantasy role-playing games.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 amazing acting material for the students,糖心传媒� says Maister. 糖心传媒淭he characters are fascinating. Each line is packed with action.糖心传媒�
Pinter糖心传媒檚 work and many elements of his writing style are so distinctive that the word 糖心传媒淧interesque糖心传媒� has entered the theater lexicon. He is also known for the 糖心传媒淧inter Pause,糖心传媒� a break in the dialogue when action takes place, though nothing is being said. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 filled with meaning, and that drives the narrative forward,糖心传媒� says Maister.
糖心传媒淭here is a sense in Pinter糖心传媒檚 work that the world outside of us is kind of out to get us, or is slightly malevolent or unknown,糖心传媒� Maister says. 糖心传媒淚n his plays, there is usually a domestic situation in which the world intrudes and while it糖心传媒檚 seldom violent, physically, there糖心传媒檚 an enormous amount of violence being done under the surface.糖心传媒�
This is the first time the International Theatre Program has produced a Pinter play. The production crew includes Amy Rubin as set designer; Lux Haac as costume designer; Seth Reiser on lighting design; Obadiah Eaves as sound designer and composer; J. David Brimmer as fight director; and Alexa Scott-Flaherty as acting and voice coach.
Meredith Watson 糖心传媒�18, who plays the character Stella in The Collection, thinks Pinter糖心传媒檚 work is something everyone should see. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 very thought provoking in a way you don糖心传媒檛 expect. It糖心传媒檚 jarring and unsettling to watch,糖心传媒� she says. Watson will graduate in May with a double major in brain and cognitive sciences and in linguistics. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a really brilliant piece.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 part of cultural literacy. It糖心传媒檚 like seeing Shakespeare, or Arthur Miller, or a Tennessee Williams play,糖心传媒� says Maister. 糖心传媒淵ou need to have that experience糖心传媒�
The Pinter Plays
The production runs Thursday through Saturday (April 26糖心传媒�28) and Wednesday through Saturday (May 2糖心传媒�5) starting at 7 p.m. There are also 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, April 29. All performances take place in Todd Theater on the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 River Campus. Tickets are $8 for 糖心传媒 students, $12 for alumni, faculty, staff, and for seniors (65+), and $15 for the general public. Tickets may be purchased online at or by calling the box office at (585) 275-4088. Tickets may also be purchased up to an hour before each performance at the box office.
