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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2010 Contact: Osheen Jones [email protected] Columbia University School of the Arts, Theatre Arts Program Presents LOVE’S LABOR’S LOST Written by William Shakespeare & THREE SISTERS Written by Anton Chekhov Translated by Paul Schmidt Directed by ANDREI SERBAN November 11—21, 2010 Presented in Repertory The Riverside Theatre 91 Claremont Avenue Between 120th and 122nd Streets $15 General Admission/ $5 Seniors FREE with Columbia University ID or any other valid student ID Renowned Romanian stage director Andrei Serban introduces two bold new productions, developed with a cast of Columbia University actors emerging from an extended ensemble training process helmed by the director himself. Two great works by two of history’s most admired playwrights—Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost and Chekhov’s Three Sisters—will be presented in repertory at The Riverside Theatre from November 11 through 21. Known for his iconoclastic interpretations of classic plays, Serban has had great international success, presenting acclaimed productions at Lincoln Center, the A.R.T., the Public Theater, the Metropolitan Opera and La MaMa as well as at numerous international houses. His seminal production of The Cherry Orchard at Lincoln Center in 1977 was hailed by the New York Times as “a celebration of genius, like the cleaning of a great painting, a fresh exposition of an old philosophy.” Serban is known for reinvigorating the classics while honoring the text, saying himself: “We need to find new images that are fresh. It’s interesting for me to try something traditional and still to keep it alive, surprising.” Serban, who heads the Acting MFA program at Columbia, occasionally encounters a class of students with whom he particularly connects. Fifteen years ago he directed a graduate thesis production of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle at La MaMa where it received glowing reviews: “Thanks to Mr. Serban’s nimble staging… and the passion of a disciplined troupe of graduate acting students from Columbia University, this revival comes as pleasant a surprise as an unexpected day off from school… There is a piquant immediacy, a poignant freshness, in the actors’ portrayals that suits Brecht’s see-through characters” (the New York Times). Serban feels that the Acting class of 2011 is just as promising; he reorganized his schedule to work particularly long hours with the students. These productions represent a unique artistic collaboration that has come into being as a result of the class’s prolonged training. Returning from a busy summer directing Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri at the Opera National de Paris and Three Sisters at the National Theater in Budapest, Serban is now in rehearsal at Columbia for both shows. Love’s Labor’s Lost, an intelligent comedy full of philosophical reflection, will be staged with a strong choral element and an emphasis on the language’s natural poetry. Serban’s revolutionary take on Three Sisters emerges from a year’s gestation of work on the play with the young company. The production, which uses popular music and an unconventional casting approach in which several actors play each part, retains the humor, solemnity, and absurdity of Chekhov’s masterpiece while making it feel refreshingly modern. Tickets for events at The Riverside Theatre can be purchased online (www.ColumbiaStages.org) or by visiting the box office of The Riverside Theatre. Box Office hours are Thursday-Saturday, 4-8pm; Sunday 12-4pm and 1 hour prior to all performances. Performance Schedule: (all performances at The Riverside Theatre, 91 Claremont Avenue between 120th and 122nd Sts.) Thursday, November 11 at 8pm Saturday, November 13 at 8pm Sunday, November 14 at 2pm Sunday, November 14 at 7pm Tuesday, November 16 at 8pm Wednesday, November 17 at 8pm Thursday, November 18 at 8pm Friday, November 19 at 8pm Saturday, November 20 at 2pm Saturday, November 20 at 8pm Sunday, November 21 at 2pm Sunday, November 21 at 8pm Love’s Labor’s Lost Three Sisters Three Sisters Love’s Labor’s Lost Love’s Labor’s Lost Three Sisters Love’s Labor’s Lost Three Sisters Three Sisters Love’s Labor’s Lost Love’s Labor’s Lost Three Sisters Columbia Stages is the producing arm of the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies of Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Columbia Stages presents a season of graduate actor and director productions as well as an annual festival of new plays by emerging playwrights. The theatre program offers MFA degrees in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, stage management, and theatre management and producing. The goal of the program is to provide each student with the foundation for a career in professional theatre as well as the tools to embrace an ever-changing theatrical landscape and shape the future of the theatre. For more information, visit www.ColumbiaStages.org