Arizona Theater Company to Present Art
Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Received 8/30/00

Arizona Theatre Company opens its 2000-2001 season with the Tucson premiere of Art, the provocative Tony Award-winning comedy by Yasmina Reza. Art, an engaging and hilarious look at the meaning of modern art and old-fashioned friendship, has played to audience acclaim all over the world since it premiered in Paris in 1995. Art has won numerous awards, including the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1997 Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Directed by ATC's Artistic Director, David Ira Goldstein, Art begins previews September 9, opens to the press on September 15 and runs through September 30 at the Temple of Music and Art in downtown Tucson. It will continue its run in Phoenix October 5 through 22 at the Herberger Theater Center. Production underwriters are Janice and Jack Copeland & Mary Jo Ghory, MD in Tucson and SRP in Phoenix.

Art tells the story of three friends whose relationship is shaken to the core by a controversial piece of modern art. Serge buys an all-white painting for a great deal of money. His friend Marc, who fancies himself an art buff, is appalled. To settle their squabble, both try to enlist the help of Yvan, who has other things (like his upcoming wedding) on his mind. The controversy sparks hilarious comedy as they discover that in art, as in friendship, there are few absolutes.

"The genius and popularity of Art lies in the universality of its characters, themes and humor," says director David Ira Goldstein. "We've all had friends like Marc, Serge and Yvan - and we've all had our friendships tested by our choices. In fact, if we're perfectly honest, we each have a little bit of Marc, a portion of Serge and a smidgeon of Yvan in us. In a very witty way, Yasmina Reza has created a play where the rewards and the costs of friendship can be explored, tested and celebrated."

YASMINA REZA (Playwright) began as an actress, appearing in several new plays as well as plays by Moliere and Marivaux. In 1987 she wrote Conversations After a Burial, which was directed by Patrice Kerbrat and won the Moliere Award for Best Author, SACD New Talent Award, the Johnson Foundation Award and was subsequently performed across Europe and in South America. Following this, she translated Kafka's Metamorphosis for Roman Polanski and was nominated for a Moliere Award for Best Translation. Her second play Winter Crossings won the 1990 Moliere Award for Best Fringe Production, and her next play, The Unexpected Man, enjoyed successful productions in London's West End, France, Scandinavia and Germany. In 1995, Art was premiered in Paris and went on to win the Moliere Award for Best Author. Since then it has been translated into twenty languages. The London production received the 1996-97 Olivier Award and Evening Standard Award and continues to play at the Wyndham's Theatre. The Broadway production received the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play, the 1998 Drama Critics Award for Best Play, as well as the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominations for Best Play. Screenwriting credits include See You Tomorrow and her first original screenplay, Lulu Kreutz's Picnic, which will be on screen next spring. In September 1997, her first novel, Hammerklavier, was published and adapted for the stage to great critical acclaim. Her second novel Une Desolation is due to be published in France this fall and her play Conversations After a Burial opens in London in September. CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON (Translator) Credits include When Did You Last See My Mother (Royal Court Theatre and Comedy Theatre), The Philanthropist (Royal Court), Hedda Gabler (Stratford Ontario Festival, revived at the National Theatre), Savages (Royal Court), A Doll's House (Lincoln Center and West End), Treats (Royal Court), Tales from Hollywood (Mark Taper Forum and Royal National Theatre), Sunset Boulevard (West End and Broadway) and Yasmina Reza's The Unexpected Man (RSC and Duchess Theatre). Film credits include A Doll's House, Tales From The Vienna Woods, The Honorary Consul, The Good Father, Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly,
Total Eclipse, Carrington and The Secret Agent, the last two of which he also directed.

FRANK CORRADO (Marc) makes his ATC debut in Art. He has extensive credits in theatres throughout the country. In recent years he has appeared in leading roles at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, Denver Center Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, Sacramento Theatre Company and Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. Past collaborations with David Ira Goldstein have included acclaimed productions of Glengarry Glen Ross and Breaking the Silence at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle. DAVID PICHETTE (Serge) has previously appeared at ATC as Adrian in the world premiere of Steven Dietz's Private Eyes, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Renfield in Dracula. He has just completed an acclaimed run at A Contemporary Theatre in David Hare's one-man play Via Dolorosa. Other recent appearances include Prospero in The Tempest at Tacoma Actors Guild; Nixon in Nixon's Nixon at San Jose Repertory Theatre; Oh! Coward at Seattle Repertory Theatre; Ziggy in Side Man, Coulmier in Quills and Harold in Communicating Doors at A Contemporary Theatre; Chater in Arcadia at Alliance Theatre Company; and Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Portland Center Stage. BOB SORENSON (Yvan) returns to ATC after appearing in last season's The Mystery of Irma Vep. Previous appearances at ATC include How I Learned to Drive, the title role in Scapin, The Two Gentleman of Verona, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Noises Off. He recently appeared in the hit run of The Wallace and Ladmo Show at Desert Foothills Theatre in Phoenix. Mr. Sorenson has received five ariZoni Awards and has appeared in more than 60 plays ranging from Billy Bishop Goes to War to All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. He has worked extensively in film and television where his credits include the feature film Madhouse, the television series "Coach" and the TV movies-of-the-week "Legend," "Desperado" and "Shattered Innocence."

DAVID IRA GOLDSTEIN (Director) is in his ninth season as Artistic Director of Arizona Theatre Company. Previous ATC credits include Side Man, The Mystery of Irma Vep, How I Learned to Drive, Scapin, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shadowlands, Noises Off, Little Shop of Horrors, Dreams From A Summer House (co-director), as well as the world premieres of Rocket Man, Private Eyes and Dracula by Steven Dietz, and One Crazy Day or The Marriage of Figaro by Roger Downey. He will also direct H.M.S. Pinafore and the world premiere of Inventing Van Gogh later this season. He has directed at theatres all across the country including Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Empty Space Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Alaska Rep, Mixed Blood, The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Illusion Theatre, Portland Rep and Tacoma Actors Guild. WILLIAM FORRESTER (Scenic Designer) designed ATC's productions of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Valley Song, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Convict's Return, Dracula and Shadowlands. He has designed sets for a number of theatres including A Contemporary Theatre, The Empty Space Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Portland Center Stage and Tacoma Actors Guild. Mr. Forrester's designs have also been seen at Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Yale Repertory Theatre, Utah Festival Opera and Utah Shakespearean Festival. KISH FINNEGAN (Costume Designer) has been with ATC since 1989 and is ATC's costume design manager. Her ATC design credits include Seamarks, Mascara, Valley Song and the workshop production of Before Death Comes for the Archbishop. In Los Angeles, Ms. Finnegan designed for California Institute for the Arts, The Burbank Repertory and the Chamber Theatre, where she won the LA Drama-Logue Award for costume design. TRACY ODISHAW (Lighting Designer) has designed the lighting for many ATC productions including Side Man, How I Learned To Drive, Valley Song, Scapin, Lips Together, Teeth Apart; La Malinche; A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Road to Mecca. Most recently, she designed the lighting for Othello at Idaho Shakespeare Festival, was Associate Lighting Designer for The Things We Do for Love at Old Globe Theatre and for Milwaukee Repertory Theater's world premiere of Steven Dietz' Paragon Springs. BRIAN JEROME PETERSON (Sound Designer) is in his 15th season with ATC. He has designed sound for many ATC productions, including Master Class, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Scapin, the world premiere of Rocket Man, Seven Guitars, The Illusion, the world premiere of The Holy Terror, The School for Wives and Other People's Money.

Production Stage Manager for Art is Glenn Bruner, Assistant to the Stage Manager is Suzie Haufle and Fight Choreographer is Samantha K. Wyer.

Tickets range in price from $22 to $35 and are available at the ATC Box Office with discounts for seniors, students and the military. Half price Rush tickets are available for all performances one hour prior to curtain at the ATC Box Office (subject to availability). For more information or to charge tickets, call ATC at (520) 622-2823. For group discounts, call (520) 884-8210.

ATC will offer a Pay What You Can performance on Tuesday, September 12 at 7:30 PM. A limited number of tickets will go on sale at the Temple of Music and Art at 10 AM on the day of the performance and are limited to two tickets per order with a suggested donation of $5.

ATC offers audio described performances for patrons with visual impairments Thursday, September 21 at 7:30 PM and Wednesday, September 27 at 2 PM. Each performance will include a tactile tour one hour prior to curtain. Braille and large-print playbills are available upon request from the House Manager. American Sign Language interpreted performances are offered Thursday, September 21 at 7:30 PM and on Sunday, September 24 at 7 PM. Patrons with hearing impairments will receive a biography of the interpreters, a description of the play and name signs of each character. Tickets for the audio described and ASL interpreted performances are available through the ATC Box Office at (520) 622-2823. Patrons with hearing impairments may access the box office via Arizona Relay at (800)
367-8939 (TTY/ASCII).

Art continues its run October 5 through 22 at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe in Phoenix. Tickets are available at the ATC Box Office. For more information, call the ATC Box Office at (602) 256-6995.

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