Ƶ University Theatre Presents “Medea” March 31 to April 8
The Ƶ University Theatre and Dance Program will present “Medea,” the classic tragedy by Euripides, translated by Frederic Raphael and Kenneth McLeish, March 31 to April 8 in the William Granger Ryan Theatre, Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. Tickets are $16, with student and group rates available. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on March 31. There will be a talkback with the cast following the matinee performance on April 2. Call the Ƶ Performing Arts Center Box Office for tickets at 724-552-2929 or purchase tickets .
Medea is an immigrant with a past. She has staked her life and future on Jason, the hero who captured the Golden Fleece. When Jason’s affections begin to shift, Medea resorts to desperate measures. Euripides classic tragedy examines the precarious condition of the outsider and the devastating power of revenge.
Performances: March 31, April 1, 6, 7, 8: 8 p.m.; April 2: 2 p.m.
The Ƶ student cast of “Medea” includes Elena Bravo of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Ian Denham of Bunola, Pa.; Elena Falgione of Glenshaw, Pa., Tasha Matthews of Springdale, Pa.; Angela Mazzocco of Imperial, Pa.; Travis Miller of Greensburg, Pa.; Cameron Nickel of Bethel Park, Pa.; Rhiannon Owen of Nottingham, Md.; Paige Overly of North Huntingdon, Pa.; Jamie Pasquinelli of Jefferson Hills, Pa.; Halle Polechko of Harrison City, Pa.; James Scharer of Greensburg, Pa., and Jacob Westwood of Irwin, Pa.
The roles of Medea and Jason’s sons are played by Lindsey Grant and Mia Jordan. Mia Jordan, 10, lives in Scottdale and attends school in the Southmoreland School District. She also participates in the Ƶ Community Arts program. This is her first play. Lindsey Grant, 11, lives in Penn Township and attends Penn Middle School. She also attends the Ƶ Community Arts Program. This is her first play.
The Ƶ student design and technical staff includes Katie Adler of Springdale, Pa., lightboard operator; Jessie Belding of Waynesburg, Pa., scene shop crew; Luc Bouille of Greensburg, Pa., stage manager; Molly Carbone of Allentown, Pa., lighting and sound crew; Nicole Castelli of Canonsburg, Pa., hair and makeup stylist; Victorious Collymore-Bey of Spring Valley, N.Y., dresser; Amelia Heastings of Bethel Park, Pa., assistant stage manager; Maddie Kocur of Oakmont, Pa., dresser; Julie Lang of Pittsburgh, Pa., child wrangler; Gwen Little of Mechanicsburg, Pa., audio engineer; Malcolm McGraw of Pittsburgh, Pa., house manager and costume shop crew; Colleen Malley of Trafford, Pa., hair and makeup design manager; Greg Messmer of Jefferson Hills, Pa., lighting design; Taylor Puc of North Huntingdon, Pa., wardrobe manager; James Scharer of Greensburg, Pa., lighting and sound crew; Trenae Waller of Laurel, Md., paint charge, sound design and prop/paint crew; and Noah Zaken of Pittsburgh, Pa., assistant stage manager.
The Ƶ Theatre and Dance production of “Medea” is directed by Melissa Hill Grande, a freelance director and educator based in the Pittsburgh area. She holds three degrees from Ohio University (Athens, Ohio): a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Production Design and Technology, with an emphasis in costume design; a Master of Arts in Theater History and Criticism; and a Master of Fine Arts in Directing. She spent more than a decade on faculty at Marietta College (Marietta, Ohio), and served as the Associate Artistic Director and Director of Marketing for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT) under founding Artistic Director Andrew S. Paul. In 2014 she directed Charles Mee’s Big Love for Ƶ University. Other credits include such productions as Beckett’s Rockaby for Corningworks, Garden (part of the two-play event House and Garden) and J.M. Synge’s When the Moon has Set for PICT, The Giver and Animal Farm for Prime Stage Theatre, Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats for Centenary College (Shreveport, La.), Well by Lisa Kron for Off the Wall Theatre (Carnegie, Pa.), Pan: The True Story of Peter Pan for the Gilbert Theater (Fayetteville, NC) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Walls, and Northanger Abbey for Westminster College.
Professional artistic staff for the production includes Ken Clothier, assistant professor of theatre, lighting and sound design; Thomas K. Crowley, technical director; Karen Glass, assistant professor of theatre, scene design and Kristina Miller, adjunct instructor of theatre, costume design and costume shop manager.
Venue Information: All Ƶ Theatre performances are held in the William Granger Ryan Theatre in Ƶ’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. The Performing Arts Center is a fully accessible and climate-controlled facility. Parking is available in four nearby Greensburg parking areas: the Bell Parking Garage on North Otterman Street (across the street from the Performing Arts Center), the Hellman-Ghrist lot on North Main Street, the Albert Grillo lot on Ƶ Drive and the Wib Albright lot off West Otterman Street.
Ticket Information: Single admission tickets are $16. Ƶ students (with valid ID) can purchase tickets for $5. Non-Ƶ students (with a valid school ID) can purchase advance tickets for $13. Students from any school can purchase rush tickets five minutes before curtain, subject to availability, for $5 (with valid school ID). Groups of six or more can purchase tickets at a rate of $11 each with a reservation and advance payment. Order tickets , by phone at 724-552-2929, or by mail at SHUPAC Theatre Box Office, Ƶ University, 1 Ƶ Drive, Greensburg, Pa. 15601-1599. Box Office Hours, by telephone: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Extended hours on performance days: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday.
Ƶ University’s Performing Arts Center is 73,000 square feet of everything a performing arts major needs to move from student to professional. The Center houses two dedicated, flexible performance spaces, the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall and the William Granger Ryan Theatre. The Center also includes a performance studio, new classrooms, rehearsal rooms and technical areas that include the best equipment for learning and performing, from Steinway pianos to the latest in lighting, sound, video and acoustics. The Center is located in downtown Greensburg, putting it squarely in the middle of the city’s cultural district yet still only minutes from Ƶ’s main hilltop campus.
Photo: Elena Falgione as Medea and Cameron Nickel as Jason in the Ƶ University Theatre and Dance Production of “Medea.”
