Sight Unseen
Nov. 4 - 20, 2005
Professional Equity Theatre Presentation
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 Gary Littman as Jonathan with Dina Ann Comoli as Patricia |
Obie award winning play, Sight Unseen, written by Donald Margulies, opens at Centenary Stage Company on November 4, 2005.
An absence of faith marks the dilemma of the main character in the Obie Award-winning play, Sight Unseen, by Donald Margulies. Jonathan Waxman is a celebrated artist who, despite immense popularity, is a man who has lost his moorings in life. In denial of his heritage, Waxman embarks on a quest for something more meaningful in his life.
His soul-searching leads him to visit Patricia his former lover whom he dismissed in favor of his career over a decade before. In this provocative and moving drama about how success changes an individual, playwright Margulies examines the complexities of cultural heritage in this age and the impact of materialism on quality of life.
Director: Steven Dennis
| Reviews "...acclaimed 1992 play that's getting an engrossing production at Centenary Stage Company." "The play has been vividly directed by Steven Dennis. He's making his New Jersey debut, and if this is typical of his work, theatergoers would be fortunate if he returned to stage many other Garden State shows. He's infused into this production such energy that every scene crackles with excitement. That's more than can be said of the lackluster production Broadway saw of Sight Unseen last year." "Gary Littman gives Jonathan charm and confidence..." "...Barron, though, soon shows the character's substantial backbone, turning the man from taciturn to garrulous..." "...Dina Ann Comolli, in the most endearing performance of the season thus far...Though Patricia is a well-written character, Comolli brings her to life with a lightning-rod poke." Full Review BY PETER FILICHIA Star-Ledger Staff "Sight Unseen, the unusually compelling Donald Marguiles play at Centenary Stage, conveys a strong sense of introspection and honesty." "Sight Unseen plays far more powerfully in the confines of Centenary's intimate theatre than it did in its 2004 Broadway production...the performances of the roles of Jonathan, Patricia and Nick are uncannily spot on." "Steven Dennis seems to have captured every nuance of Marguiles text. Dennis has elicited a seamless ensemble performance from his fine cast... one of his finest plays." "...an exemplary, illuminatingly acted and staged production..." "...one of the dramatic highlights of the current NJ theatre season, and well worth your time and attention." Full Review BY BOB RENDELL www.talkinbroadway.com "...makes one wonder if he wrote Sight Unseen, which dramatizes the life crisis of an artist of similar age, as an autobiographical piece. Then again, you may not care, because the characters onstage are so fascinating and three-dimensional, you'll be too absorbed to worry about people who aren't there." "...tautly directed by Steven Dennis and enlivened by a superb cast." Full Review BY WILLIAM WESTHOVEN Special To The Daily Record "Centenary College here has no archaeology major but there is a first-rate excavation in progress..." "The work... is a shining example of the craft of playwriting and Centenary's cast does it justice..." Full Review BY NEIL GENZLINGER New York Times |
The Playwright: Donald Margulies
 Steven L Barron is Nick, Dina Comolli is Patricia and Gary Littman is Jonathan Waxman in the Centenary Stage COmpany production of Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies, Nov. 4 - 20, 2005. |
The subject of art is close to playwright Donald Margulies' heart, who was himself a graphic design major at the Pratt Institute before succumbing to his "guilty pleasure" of writing plays. Rumour has it that Margulies was describing the work of contemporary artist Eric Fischl when he was writing the character of Jonathan Waxman.
Margulies went on to win not only the Obie Award for best new American Play in 1992, but also the Pulitzer Prize for Dinner with Friends. He is a playwright "who is always pursuing the deeper realities of life" (Romulus Linney).
The Cast
Gary Littman as Jonathan
Dina Ann Comolli as Patricia
Steve L. Barron as Nick
Shannon Noecker as Grete
STUDENT MATINEE
/ Discussion Following
Regional schools are invited to attend "Sight Unseen" at the special student matinee performance, Wednesday, Nov. 16th at 11 A.M. The performance will be followed by a discussion of the play and the production with the cast and director. A special discounted ticket price of $10 will be offered to student groups attending that performance.
The CSC MAX program will also be available for this production. MAX (Maximizing the Arts Experience) allows motivated students to meet with designers and the director during the rehearsal process to explore the artistic aspect of creating meaning through metaphor in the theatre.
Open-Captioned PerformanceNov. 20th at 2:30 PM
 ACCESS service available: Open-Captioned performance - October 23, 2005 |
This October, the Centenary Stage Company (CSC) , a professional, Equity theatre in residence on the campus of Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ, will inaugurate its second wave of ACCESS services for patrons with disabilities by offering CSC’s first Open-Captioned Performances of the plays in the season. The Open Captioned performances for the first two productions of the season will be October 23 at 2:30 PM for Tartuffe, and Sunday, Nov. 20th at 2:30 PM for Sight Unseen.
Performances
| Nov. 2005 - Sight Unseen | ||||||
| Wed. Stu. 11am |
Wed. Mat. 2:30pm |
Thurs. Eve. 7:30pm |
Fri. Mat. 2:30pm |
Fri. Eve. 8pm |
Sat. Eve. 8pm |
Sun. Mat. 2:30pm |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 "First Sundays" |
|||
| x | 9 | 10 Family Night |
x | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 16 | x | 17 Family Night |
x | 18 |
19 |
20 Open- Captioned |
Gary Littman as JonathanDina Ann Comoli as Patricia Steve L. Barron as Nick Shannon Noecker as Grete |
Individual Tickets
Individual Tickets
Plays:
Saturday: $17.50 for adults, $15 for seniors/students and
$12.50 for children under 12
Tickets for matinee showings: $20.00
All Concerts:
Subscription Values
Centenary Stage Company is often referred to as "the
best deal in the state." Though our season has already started,
this event can still be purchased as a part of a discounted season
subscription purchase. Centenary Stage Company offers several subscription
plans for its season with the mission of making arts affordable for all.
Series B Subscription, priced at $60, allows patrons to purchase a season subscription for the remaining five events in the CSC season.
The Interview - Sight Unseen |
How to Purchase Tickets
Individual Tickets (and Subscription Purchases, when available) can be purchased
through our Secure
Online Ordering System or by calling the Centenary Stage Company Box office
at 908-979-0900. Tickets are also available at Greene's Beans Coffee Shop on
High Street in Hackettstown.
| Past Patron Comments about our Secure Online Ticketing: |
Secure Online Tickets/Ordering
| Annual programming at the Centenary Performing Arts Guild are made possible in part through the generous support of the The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (Penn PAT) , Heath Village, Coldwell Banker and Arts Guild Members and Sponsors. |
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