January 26, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Lara Hoyt, Coordinator for Public Relations and Alumni Affairs
Rutgers Theater Company presents "The Country Wife" New Brunswick, NJ – In 17th century London, a notorious ladies’ man hatches an outrageous deception that succeeds in seducing the women of fashionable society. But will it work as easily on an unsophisticated country bride?
This battle of wit versus naïveté is at the heart of William Wycherley’s “The Country Wife,” says Cigdem Onat, who directs the Rutgers Theater Company production opening February 2 at New Theater.
"Our consciousness seems to be wired to define in terms of higher and lower, acceptable and unacceptable, and so on,” says Onat. “This play is a beautiful demonstration of the fashion of the times; wit as the superior attribute to own and strive for, to belong to the circle of wits a demonstration of one’s high status in society.”
Considered by many to be one of Wycherley’s finest plays, “The Country Wife” is a satiric attack on a value system filled with hypocrisy, greed, and the corruption of town manners. The dialogue bursts with sharp lines, clever puns and bold humor. Who will have the last laugh?
Performances are February 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and February 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 for the general public, $20 for Rutgers alumni and employees and seniors and only $15 for students with valid ID. New Theater is in the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center, 85 George Street (between Route 18 and Ryders Lane), on the Douglass campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
For more information on any Mason Gross event, visit www.masongross.rutgers.edu or call the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center ticket office at 732-932-7511.
About Rutgers Theater Company
Dennis Baker (Dorilant – MFA I) is from Los Angeles and received his BA in theater at Azusa Pacific University. Recent professional credits: Bobby in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Paul in Moon Over Buffalo, Peter in Diary of Anne Frank, and Launcelot Gobbo in Merchant of Venice.
Josh Clayton (Mr. Sparkish – MFA III) is from Jackson, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a BS in marketing. Rutgers Theater Company credits include Lobby Hero (Jeff), Scapin (Octave), Venus (The Baron Docteur) and As You Like It (Silvius). Previous credits include The School for Scandal (Charles), I Hate Hamlet (Andrew) and Moon Over Buffalo (Howard).
Julie Cotton (Mrs. Margery Pinchwife – MFA III) is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and holds a BA in theater from Grand Canyon University. Rutgers Theater Company credits include: The House of Bernarda Alba, Imagining Brad, Our Lady of 121st Street, As You Like It, and False Start. Favorite roles: Baker's Wife (Into the Woods), Tracy Lord (Philadelphia Story).
Alana Dauter (Mrs. Squeamish – MFA II) is from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She received her BS in communication/theater arts from Eastern Michigan University. Mason Gross credits include My Sister in This House, Hoops, Proof and The House of Bernarda Alba. Other credits include: Honey Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Holly Anton in Show Business, Bonnie Hurly Burly.
Nick Farco (Mr. Pinchwife - MFA II) is from Brooklyn, NY. He received a BFA in acting from Ithaca College. Rutgers Theater Company credits: Our Lady of 121st Street, Peace Prize and Cloud 9. Additional credits: Parade, The Importance of Being Earnest, Forever Plaid, Born Yesterday (Findlay Playhouse), Owed to My First Love (Premiere Stages) and Joseph…. (N.J. State Theater).
Christopher Halladay (Mr. Horner – MFA III) is from West Chester, Pennsylvania. He has graduated from George Washington University, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and British-American Drama Academy, Oxford University, UK. He has appeared in film, television, and many theaters in Los Angeles. Rutgers credits: Claw, 5th Planet, Mud, The Lonesome West, The Scams of Scapin and Proof.
Kristen Hansen (Lucy – MFA II) is from Los Angeles where she received her BA in theater from California State Northridge. Favorite roles include: Mouth in Not I, Clytemnestra in The Greeks, Bella in Lost in Yonkers, and Yvette in Mother Courage. Rutgers credits include My Sister in This House and Hoops.
Ben Jeffrey (Sir Jaspar Fidget – MFA I) hails from Kansas City Missouri. Ben’s credits include: Yankee Pot Roast in …And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi (Dallas Theater Center) and Rochester in Jane Eyre (Abilene Civic Center).
Ryan O’Nan (Mr. Harcourt - BFA IV) was raised in San Diego, California. Rutgers credits include Harry/Gerry in Cloud 9, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing; Ensemble in I’d Rather be Falling, Torch in Beirut, Ensemble in The African Extravaganza, The Murderer in Fair Rosamand and Her Murderer.
June T. Patterson (Mrs. Dainty Fidget – MFA III) is from Penns Grove, New Jersey. She received her undergraduate degree from Douglass College. She recently took part in the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Minnesota. Rutgers credits include: Claw, The Shape of Things, Imagining Brad, and The House of Bernarda Alba.
Katie Renn (Old Lady Squeamish – MFA I) is from Pleasantville, New Jersey. She holds a BA in Theatre Studies from Montclair State University. Past credits include Quincy Quince in An American Daughter, Teenage Greek Chorus in How I Learned to Drive, and M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias.
Teresa Stephenson (Mrs. Alithea - MFA III) is from New Orleans, Louisiana. She earned a BA in theater studies at Vanderbilt University. Rutgers Theater Company credits include Audrey, Venus, Trash Bag Tourist and Cloud 9. Professional credits include The Tempest and As You Like It at The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey.
Joesph Tisa (A Quack - MFA I) is from Seattle, Washington. He received his BA in Philosophy and English from the University of Washington. His recent credits include Stanley in The Birthday Party and Clark in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Beth Wittig (My Lady Fidget – MFA III) is from Albany, New York. She received her BA in English from Binghamton University. Mason Gross School of the Arts credits include: Proof, The House of Bernarda Alba, The Shape of Things, My Sister in This House, and Peace Prize. Other credits: Dolly in Hello Dolly! and Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town.
Cigdem Onat (Director) is an internationally renowned actress and master teacher. Drama Desk nomination, Theatre World Award for The Time of the Cuckoo. Guest actress and director at numerous international festivals. Ongoing work acting and directing at the State Theatre of Turkey, Istanbul City Theatre and other professional companies. She recently performed the title role of "Claudia Lazlo," a new play by Arthur Laurents for which she received critical acclaim. She currently lives in Manhattan and teaches acting and directs at the NYU Masters program.
Jisun Kim (Set Designer – MFA III) is from Korea. She received her BA from Chung-Ang University. She designed Proof, Our Lady of 121st Street in Levin Theater and As You Like It in New Theater last year. Jameson Project credits include Down the Road, Dolores and Fifth Planet. She also designed Browntown for Fringe NYC.
Samantha Fromm (Costume Designer – MFA III) hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and received her BFA from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Designs at Rutgers include Stonewater Rapture, Fifth Planet, and Dolores. Most recently she worked with Devon Painter on DTC's production Turn of the Screw and The Studio Theatre of DC's production The Long Christmas Ride Home.
Victoria Miller (Lighting Designer - MFA II) is from Fremont, New Hampshire. She received her BA in theater design and technology from Plymouth State University. Her Rutgers credits include: Cloud 9, Siren Song, and Venus. Recently she designed at KAT Company in New Hampshire and the Mississippi Summer Arts Intensive.
Theresa A. Zicolello (Sound Designer - BFA II) is from Ewing, New Jersey and is a Stage Management major. This is her first show as a Sound Designer. Previous Mason Gross School of the Arts Credits as a Production Assistant include: Our Lady of 121st Street and Proof. Theresa also did Costume Maintenance for the production of Mud.
Isaac Klein (Assistant Director) is a director, actor and playwright with a BFA in Drama Matthew R. DiCarlo (Stage Manager – BFA IV) is from Hillsborough, New Jersey and just returned from his fall semester in London. Previous credits at Mason Gross School of the Arts include The Shape of Things, Dolores, La Traviata (Opera at Rutgers), Down the Road, and Hollywood Hits. Recent work as production assistant at Papermill Playhouse includes Nutcracker, Carnival, and Cinderella.
The Mason Gross School of the Arts’ Department of Theater Arts combines rigorous studio class work with a demanding production schedule to provide students with in-depth training and practice in theater. The Rutgers Theater Company is the resident company of student actors, designers, directors, playwrights, stage managers and technicians whose work is guided by master teachers and accomplished professionals. These conservatory students are enrolled in the three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programs. The department also offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) theater major through the undergraduate colleges of Rutgers University. About Mason Gross School of the Arts Founded in 1976, Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and is home to the departments of dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts. Its faculty and alumni rosters include arts professionals recognized nationally and internationally. The school's enrollment of 625 undergraduates across four departments and 250 graduate students across three departments, combined with a faculty of 140, assures students the opportunity to work closely with accomplished artists within their fields.
About Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey A comprehensive research institution with more than 50,000 students on three main campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, Rutgers comprises one of the major state university systems in the nation. Chartered in 1766 in New Brunswick as Queen's College, Rutgers is the eighth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation and now comprises 29 degree- granting divisions, including 16 offering graduate programs of study.
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