The Poetry Of Pizza
Feb. 24 - Mar. 12, 2006
Professional Equity Theatre Presentation
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 (closer view) |
The world premiere of The Poetry of Pizza by celebrated playwright Deborah Brevoort opened February 24th at the Centenary Stage Company.
Review But
it is the unlikely chemistry between the lovers that sneaks up on
you and gives you a big warm fuzzy when you least expect it. Frizzy-haired
Ferguson is tall enough to see her reflection in Pisapia's shiny
bald head, but the physical mismatch makes their coupling even cuter.
And Pisapia's gentle, understated performance, sweet smile and puppy-dog
eyes are enough to make Toby Keith want to hug him." |
 (closer view) |
The Poetry of Pizza is part of Centenary Stage Company's renowned Women Playwrights Series. Now in its 14th season, The Women Playwrights Series has been recognized for its commitment to give women playwrights, facing limited production opportunities, an environment to bring new works from development to production.
When American University professor Sarah Middleton arrives in Denmark to teach at Copanhagen University, her life is irrevocably thrown off-course when she suddenly and unexpectedly falls in love with a Kurdish pizzamaker, in the new romantic comedy by Deborah Brevoort, The Poetry of Pizza. In this comic and touching new play, the unlikely courtship of the two romantics from different cultures arouses the curiosity and passions of everyone around them, setting in motion a rash of culinary courtships and a chaotic comedy of errors.
The Director
CSC artistic and producing director Carl
Wallnau
The Cast
 (closer view) |
 (closer view) |
The Cast will feature:
| Katrina Ferguson (Morristown) as Sarah J.C. Hoyt (Morristown) as Ule Eli Ganias (New York) as Rebar Michele LaRue (Secaucus) as Inga |
Wendy Peace (New York) as Pam Joseph Pisapia (Old Bridge) as Soran Mark Simmons (Verona) as Heino Angela Della Ventura (Watchung) as Olga |
Rehearsal
photos:
Cast
Photo
Ceremony
Group
photo over the pizza
Three
- in rehearsal
Katrina
Ferguson and Joseph Pisapia in rehearsal
Director, Carl Wallnau, with Playwright, Deborah Brevoort, in rehearsal for The Poetry Of Pizza. (closer view) |
The Playwright
Another 'Jersey Story!'
Deborah Brevoort is an internationally known award winning playwright
and librettist/lyricist best known for her play The Women of Lockerbie,
which will be playing at New Jersey Repertory theatre later in March.
Brevoort holds MFAs in playwrighting from Brown University and Musical
Theatre writing from NYU's Tish School of the Arts, where she currently
teaches. In New York, Brevoort also teaches Lyric Writing at Columbia
University and Playwrighting and Production at the New School's Eugene
Lang College.
The
Women of Lockerbie was presented in New York in 2003 by The Women's
Project and The New Group Theatre, and which garnered the Kennedy Center
Fund for New American Plays Award. Her many works for the stage include
Signs of Life (winner of the 2002 Jane Chambers Award), Into
the Fire (which won the 1999 Arnold Weissberger Award), Blue
Moon Memphis (winner of the Lee Korf Award) , and her recent The
Blue Sky Boys (commissioned by the Ensemble Studio Theatre in conjunction
with the Sloan Science Project). In musical theatre, Brevoort is the librettist
of King Island Christmas, an oratorio for the stage, with composer
David Friedman, which won the 1997 Frederick Loewe Award. She has received
grants and commissions from the NEA, the Rockerfeller Foundation, the
New York Foundation on the Arts, and Banff Playwrights Colony, among many
others.
 (closer view) |
Playwright Deborah Brevoort was raised in Ridgewood, New Jersey and graduated from Ridgewood High School. While she was growing up, her parents performed in the Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera company, and she and her brothers all attended, and sometimes worked backstage. After high school, Brevoort headed to Kent State University, where she majored in English and Political Science, and subsequently received her Masters Degree in Political Science. Brevoort moved to Alaska to work with the Alaska’s Governor’s office, at the same time that the Perseverance Theatre was getting started. She shortly “jumped tracks”, in her career, quitting her job in the Governor’s office to help get the theater started. She hasn’t left the theatre since! Also bitten by the theatre bug, her brother Greg is a director currently living in Los Angeles. Brother, John, a banker, lives in Ohio. Her parents enjoy the Jersey Shore life, living on Long Beach Island.
Also see our
Interview
with the Playwright, Deborah Brevoort
| First
Sundays Symposium: "Meet The Playwright" Feb. 26, 2006 / after 2:30 pm Matinee As part of CSC's "First Sundays Symposium" Series, playwright, Deborah Brevoort will speak with CSC audiences on the inspiration for her work, as well as her many other plays and project in the theatre on February 26th, following the 2:30 p.m. matinee performance. Audience members are invited to join Brevoort, CSC's cast and director Carl Wallnau for a lively discussion about life in today's theatre world. |
| Writing
Workshop Mar. 4, 2006 / 2 pm The Centenary Stage Company will offer a special two hour writing workshop with award-winning playwright Deborah Brevoort, on Saturday, Mar 4 at 2 PM. Writers interested in participating should bring a short scene from their work ( approximately 5 pages) which will be read and developed with Brevoort during the workshop. This workshop is designed to advance the playwright's skills in the development of a working script. Writers are encouraged to register early in order to receive instruction from the playwright prior to the workshop process. The cost of the workshop will be $15, payable in advance, which may be deducted from the price of a ticket to the World Premiere of Brevoort’s "The Poetry of Pizza" , at the Centenary Stage Company from Feb. 24 through Mar 12, 2006. For more information, contact Program Director Catherine Rust at 908-979-0900 x5. |
Performance Schedule
The Poetry of Pizza will open of Friday February 24th and run until
Sunday March 12th. The performance schedule for CSC plays is Friday and
Saturdays at 8 p.m.., Sundays at 2:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
There will also be Wednesday matinee performances offered on Wed. March
1st at 2:30 p.m., and Wed. March 8th at 11 a.m.
| Feb. - Mar. 2006 - The Poetry Of Pizza | ||||||
| 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 |
| 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 Meet The Playwright |
|||
| x | 1 | 2 Family Night |
x | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8 | x | 9 Family Night |
x | 10 |
11 |
12 Open Captioned |
New "Access" Services
 Open Captioned Performance for The Poetry Of Pizza Mar. 12, 2005 / 2:30 pm |
As part of a continued effort by CSC to make theatre accessible to all Americans, there will be an Open Captioned performance offered for the March 12th matinee. Open Captioning (often referred to as OC) derives from the text-based access to television broadcast programs, and offers theatre audiences with hearing impairment to view the dialogue in text-based unit mounted near the stage.
Tickets for The Poetry of Pizza are $20 for adults and $17.50 for seniors and students on Saturday evenings, $17.50 for adults and $15 dollars for seniors and students all other evening performances. Tickets for matinee showings will be $15 dollars.
For more ticket information please contact the Centenary Stage Company box office at 908-979-0900.
Tickets
Tickets for The Poetry of Pizza are
| Season Plays: | |
| Saturday: | $22.50 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/students and $15 for children under 12 |
| Friday | $20.00 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/students and $15 for children under 12 |
| Other Evening Performances: | $17.50 for adults, $15 for seniors/students and $12.50 for children under 12 |
| Matinee showings | $17.50 |
| Thursday (2 for 1 at the door the day of the show only): | $20 |
| All Season Concerts: | $20.00 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/students
and $15.00 for children under 12 |
 (L-R) Katrina Ferguson, Angela Della Ventura, Joseph Pisapia (closer view) |
Women Playwrights Series
The Women Playwrights
Series will reconvene in April once again, bringing three new plays
in workshop presentations to the CSC audiences. For three Wednesday evenings,
audiences will be invited to experience the talents of three exciting
new women authors from around the country, and to play their own part
in the development of new work through lively discussions with the playwright
and cast following each presentation.
2006 Schedule:
April 5 - The Queen's Two Bodies by
Jeanne Murray
Walker
April 12 - TBA
April 19 - TBA
The
Women Playwrights Series and additional programming are made made possible
in part through the generous support of the The
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The
New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and American
Airlines (the official airlines of the Centenary Stage Company). Additional support for programming at the Centenary Performing Arts Guild is provided by Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (Penn PAT) , Heath Village, Coldwell Banker and Arts Guild Members and Sponsors. |
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