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Press Release
Naropa University MFA in Contemporary Performance
Collaborates with Renowned Theater Ensemble the SITI Company
SITI Company's One-Month Residency Culminates in Performance
of New Work
Evening-Length Work Runs From April 30 Through May 7
BOULDER, Colo. (April 26, 2005)—As the culmination of a one-month residency
with the Naropa University MFA in Contemporary Performance, preeminent theater
ensemble the SITI Company will present a new evening-length work together
with performers in the Naropa MFA program.The interdisciplinary piece, entitled "Where
Do I Begin: The Journey," is based on original ideas and text by SITI
Company guest artist J. Ed Araiza, with dramaturgy contributed by the ensemble.The
original piece interweaves text from Euripides, Rumi and various mythological
traditions into an exploration of the language of ancient myth and its relationship
to the modern concept of a personal journey to self discovery.The work is
directed by J. Ed Araiza, with assistance from Ellen Lauren, another member
of the SITI Company who has been in residence at Naropa University during
the past month.
"Where Do I Begin: The Journey" runs from Saturday, April 30 through
Saturday, May 7, 2005, except Monday May 2, and will take place in the MFA
Studio Lab at Naropa University's Nalanda campus, 6287 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder.
All shows begin at 8 p.m. except Sunday, May 1, when the show begins at 3 p.m.
Students with a valid ID will be admitted for $4; general admission is $8.The
show is open to the public. As seating is limited, reservations are encouraged.
To make reservations and for more information, the public may call 303-546-3519.
The SITI Company is an ensemble-based theater company led by Anne Bogart.
Founded in 1992 by Ms. Bogart and the Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki, the
original company goal was to redefine and reinvigorate contemporary theater.
SITI performs its original repertory all over the world, and is known for its
rigorous physical training, combining the Suzuki Method of Actor Training --
which develops the actor's inner physical sensibilities, builds the will, stamina
and concentration -- and the Viewpoints training, originated by the post-modern
choreographer Mary Overlie.
Viewpoints comprises a set of tools that enables actors to focus their awareness
on the physical and environmental aspects of performance, specifically space,
time, shape and kinesthetic sensation as opposed to the psychological focus
of traditional acting .
Wendell Beavers, the artistic director and chair of the MFA in Contemporary
Performance at Naropa University, was a pioneer in adapting these techniques
to contemporary theater. As a founding faculty member and early director of
New York University's Experimental Theater Wing (ETW), he was a principal architect
of ETW's unique dance/physical theater cross-curriculum, drawing on innovative
techniques of physical acting and the Viewpoints technique. He taught at NYU
from 1978 to 2002.
Guest artist Araiza has extensive and varied experience working on multicultural
and cross-disciplinary projects as a writer, director and performer. For the
last twelve years he has been a member of the SITI Company with which he continues
to perform, tour and teach. Ellen Lauren, the associate artistic director for
SITI, performs extensively in SITI productions. She is an ongoing faculty member
at the Julliard School of Drama (New York City) and is the associate director
of the Summer Training program, Toga, Japan.
The Naropa University MFA in Contemporary Performance, in its first year,
has immediately taken its place as a visionary conservatory style program,
attracting an ensemble of professional artists and a faculty which includes
some of the best known and most important innovators of new techniques, aesthetics
and theater education that have emerged over the past 25 years. The program
is devoted to innovative research and rigorous training supported by Naropa
University's unique commitment to contemplative education. In addition, the
MFA program is committed to presenting both reinvented classics and provocative
original work, and to furthering the reintegration of theater, dance and music
within Naropa University's contemplative context.
Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa
University is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian liberal arts institution
dedicated to advancing contemplative education. Contemplative education is
an approach to learning that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational
traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively
with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and
graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental studies, psychology,
religious studies, and creation spirituality. It offers BA, BFA, MA, MFA, MDiv
and MLA degrees, as well as professional development training and classes for
the community. In addition, the university runs study abroad programs in Sikkim,
India and Prague, Czech Republic.
Contact:
Jane Rubinstein
Manager, Public Relations
Naropa University
PH 303-245-4643
FAX 303-245-4676
Jrubinstein@naropa.edu
www.naropa.edu
Photos available upon request
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