ARTicles vol. 2 i.2: Welcome

This issue of ARTicles is devoted to Snow in June, the second production of the A.R.T.’s 2003/2004 season. Snow in June is in many ways emblematic of the work we strive to produce for you at the A.R.T. A world premiere, the production unites the talents of three major artists–director and adapter Chen Shi-Zheng, writer Charles L. Mee Jr., and composer Paul Dresher–who have been developing the text, music, and staging for the past fourteen months in a series of workshops with members of our acting company, students from the A.R.T. Institute, and the musicians of Andromeda, a Boston-based quartet. It combines elements from an ancient dramatic text with a contemporary sensibility, and was born from the visions of both Chinese and American artists. The text and production of Snow in June have been developed from the heart of our institution and community, and we’re proud that you, our audience, are playing a central role in its creation.

After Snow in June plays in Cambridge, we are hoping to tour it to other theaters, both in this country and internationally. Whenever possible we extend the life of our productions by introducing the work of the A.R.T. to other audiences. Last season’s production of The Sound of a Voice, for example, is currently enjoying a successful run at the Court Theatre in Chicago, and has been invited to a festival in Warsaw next summer. Our upcoming production of The Miser will open in Cambridge, then play in several other theaters across the country, including Theatre de la Jeune Lune’s home in Minneapolis. From time to time we will likewise present the work of other companies, whose artistic mission is similar to ours, and whose work would not otherwise be available to audiences in the Boston area.

The rest of the 03/04 season is already in motion. Martha Clarke is leading a workshop for the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in New York in November, and begins rehearsals in Cambridge early in December. Martha has asked the composer Richard Peaslee, best known for his score for Marat/Sade, to write original songs for the production, which will also feature aerial choreography by three dancers who have worked many times with Martha and who are experts in stage flying–Erica Berg, Lisa Giobbe, and Paola Styron.

Music will play an equally important part in The Birthday Party and Oedipus. For The Birthday Party, director JoAnne Akalaitis is working with the acclaimed sound designer and composer Bruce Odland, whose other productions at the A.R.T. included The Tempest, Henry IV, and Henry V. Evan Ziporyn, an internationally celebrated, Somerville-based composer and the chair of the music and theater department at M.I.T., is composing an original score for Oedipus, which will be performed live by an eclectic chorus of musicians and singers.

The cast of The Birthday Party includes major roles for members of our resident acting company, including Remo Airaldi, Thomas Derrah, Will LeBow, and Karen MacDonald. The Miser unites the talents of our own acting company with members of the Theatre de la Jeune Lune, an international theater company based in Minneapolis, and founded on the physical training of the legendary Jacques Lecoq School in Paris. Jeune Lune frequently travels the country with its unique and virtuosic productions–the ensemble is currently enjoying a successful revival of its Hamlet at the New Victory Theatre in New York City.

We are currently finalizing our plans for the 04/05 season, and look forward to announcing our program to you in the spring. In the meantime we hope that you enjoy Snow in June, and that you will continue to write and call us with your comments and reactions to our work. We love hearing from you.

With best wishes,

Robert Woodruff, Artistic Director

Robert J. Orchard, Executive Director

Gideon Lester, Associate Artistic Director