Whidbey Island Center for the Arts presents Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard ("Shakespeare in Love" screen-writer), directed by Katherine Woodzick. Performances continue at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Avenue, through Saturday, February 21.
Tickets range in price from $12 to $16, with discounts available for students and groups, and are available from www.WICAonline.com or 360.221.8268 - 800/638.7631.
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the outrageously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play. In Tom Stoppard's best-known play, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.
Max Cole-Takanikos and Kenton Therien lead the cast as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The ensemble also includes Morgan Bondelid (Player), Evan Elwell (Tragedian/Horatio), Leah Green (Gertrude), Ed Halloran (Soldier), Kent Junge (Polonius), Zora Lungren (Ophelia), Athena Michaelides (Tragedian), Eric Mulholland (Hamlet), Nicholas Schneider (Alfred/Ambassador), Zachary Schneider (Tragedian/Player-King), Lisa Sparks (Tragedian), and Dwight Zehm (Claudius).
Katherine Woodzick (Director) is a recent transplant from the Midwest. She received her BA in Theatre and
Dance from Luther College. Whidbey directing credits include assistant directing The Good Doctor at WICA,
music directing and choreographing Twelfth Night for the Whidbey Island Theatre Festival and directing the
2008 Vagina Monologues. She has also directed Jack and the Beanstalk, Beyond Therapy, All in the Timing
and Impromptu.
Ian Marsanyi (Composer) is a senior at South Whidbey High School. He has played music since he was five, starting on the piano with teacher Kathy Fox. He studied classical piano for 12 years with Kathy, where he, among
other awards, participated in the Washington State Music Teachers Association State Honors Recital in Pullman Washington. In 5th grade, he began studying percussion, and by 6th grade, he was in the Middle School Jazz Band. He studied with Bill Martin for many years, and has studied with Steve Korn of Seattle. His drum performance recognition includes numerous outstanding musician and outstanding soloist awards, from festivals
and competitions such as the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival and the Bellevue Community College Jazz Festival. Ian's compositional history includes a collaborative original score for WICA's production of Nosferatu, as well as numerous pieces for class work and for his jazz combo, Blue Matter. This composition is the culmination of his Senior Project.
"...incidental music, composed expressly for this production... was the highlight of the evening. Performing the score live offstage on xylophone, percussion, synthesizer, piano and vocals were Marsanyi and his father, Robert Marsanyi. Matching perfectly the mood of various scenes of the play, the exquisitely timed melodies and sound effects at times elegiac and at others playful, equaled the whorl of Stoppard's script." The South Whidbey Record
Ann CW Deacon (Production Design) has recently returned to Whidbey Island from Central New York where she studied at Syracuse University for Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre. She holds a BA from Washington State in Theatre and did an internship with Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company and School. She was Technical Director at Marlboro College in Vermont, and worked with Flatrock Children's Theatre in North Carolina.
Gretchen Cole (Costume Design) moved to Whidbey Island six years ago, lives, and works in Langley.
She designed and built costumes for WICA's production of Three Sisters, as well as several of Sally Bowles'
costumes in WICA's Cabaret. She spent some of her formative years on the stage, but at this point, she prefers the action behind the scenes and loves the collaborative process of the theatre.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Opening Night Reception
Friday, February 06 following the 7.30pm performance.
The Edgecliff Restaurant will host the Opening Night (post-show) reception at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The Edgecliff Restaurant and Lounge is Langley's first choice for tasty meals and an amazing atmosphere. The Edgecliff has a full bar and lounge that stays open late!
Post-Play Talk
Sunday, February 15, 4pm
On Sunday, February 15, the Production Team and Company will engage in a discussion following the 2pm matinee performance; the event will be free and open to the public. Additional information about the discussion, including speakers and other participants, will be announced at a later date. Patrons interested in attending only the discussion should arrive at WICA at 4pm.
