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Press Releases
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2009
For more information, contact
Stuart Soloway
(585) 395-2797
ssoloway@brockport.edu
Brockport Faculty Appear in New Production
Brockport, NY – Three faculty members from The College at Brockport’s Department of Theatre have joined forces as Ad Hoc Theatre in order to mount the New York premiere of Nagle Jackson’s Bernice/Butterfly: A Two Part Invention on Thursday and Friday, July 9 and 10, at 7:30 pm at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre’s performance space at 172 West Main Street, Rochester.
Richard St George, a professor of theatre, and Susan Hopkins, an associate instructor, will be performing the roles of Randall and Bernice in the new play, under the direction of Frank Kuhn, an associate professor of theatre at Brockport. Also appearing in the production is Andrew Antao, a student at the College.
The play is in two parts; the first of which is concerned with the life and dreams of Bernice, played by Hopkins, a waitress in a small-town diner in Kansas. The second part consists of a philosophical lecture delivered by the eccentric Randall K. Kleinfelter (St George) that spins out of control with Kleinfelter revealing, and discovering, more than he intended.
Director Kuhn notes that the play “is essentially a quirky comedy about the human need to feel valued.” He, St George and Hopkins have been planning this production for some time. “I read the play in manuscript form four years ago, and immediately brought it to Richard and Susan; but our various schedules didn’t mesh until this summer. It’s an extraordinary piece of theatre that requires the kind of virtuosic acting that Susan and Richard bring to the roles. And we’re having a great time working on it together.”
St George agrees. “Working on Bernice/Butterfly has been a fascinating and challenging experience. The character of Randall K. Kleinfelter is complex. He rails about his condition, and then has a moment of enlightenment and finally ‘gets it’ — from a totally unexpected source. Of course, working with Frank and Susan has sweetened the project considerably. It has been particularly interesting working on the play in the summer, when the many and varied duties of my day job (teaching) are greatly reduced.”
Ticket prices for Ad Hoc’s production of Bernice/Butterfly: A Two Part Invention are $10 for general public and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, call Frank Kuhn at (585)709-4346.
The College at Brockport, State University of New York
350 New Campus Drive * Brockport, New York 14420-2931
(585) 395-2754 * FAX (585) 395-2723 *
www.brockport.edu