Thursday, October 28, 2010

The University of North Carolina Wilmington presents Pippin, Nov. 4-7 and 11-14 in the Mainstage Theatre of the Cultural Arts Building. A joint production of the departments of theatre and music, this hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairly tale captivated Broadway audiences and continues to appeal to the young at heart everywhere.

Young prince Pippin longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment, which he seeks through the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power, including disposing of his father King Charlemagne the Great. In the end, he finds it in the simple pleasures of home and family.

Pippin is directed by Frank P. Trimble, with music direction by Nancy King, Lynn O'Connell and Bob Russell, and choreography by Nancy Podrasky Carson and Trimble. Trimble and Carson are UNCW theatre faculty members, and King and Russell are music faculty. O'Connell is an active member of the Wilmington theatre community, who previously served as music director for UNCW's production of A Year with Frog and Toad.

Trimble noted similarities between the experiences of the student actors he directs in this production and those of the character of Pippin.

"Working with an all student cast and crew reminds me that, as university instructors, we have the good fortune to influence and witness the professional and personal trials, triumphs and ultimate growth of young people during a vital phase of life," said Trimble. "Like Pippin, students—and all of us for that matter—continue to seek, pursue, evaluate and prioritize. Pippin's journey is ours as well."

Design and technical personnel roles will also be filled by theatre department faculty, with Gregg Alyn Buck designing scenery and lighting, Mark Sorensen in charge of costume design and Max Lydy overseeing sound and technical direction. Sorensen noted that in addition to its period costume design challenges, the show provided an opportunity for creativity and hands-on learning for students in his costume crafts class.

"I was fortunate to have help from these students in creating armor, shields, chain mail and helmets from a variety of unusual kitchen and hardware supplies," he said. "The class also learned about the Japanese art of Shibori, an ancient form of resist dye techniques. All the hard work of the students and costume staff has created a dynamic and exciting visual element to the show."

Originally produced on the Broadway stage by Stuart Ostrow and directed by Bob Fosse, the book for Pippin was written by Roger O. Hinson. The energetic, pop-influenced score by three-time Academy Award-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz bursts with one show stopping number after another, from soaring ballads to infectious dance numbers.

The student cast for Pippin includes Tre Cotton as the Leading Player, Joey Stephens as Pippin, Eddie Ledford as King Charles (Pippin's father), Brit Garner as Fastrada (Pippin's stepmother), Sophie Amelkin as Berthe (Pippin's grandmother) and Nate Kistler as Lewis (Fastrada's son and Pippin's stepbrother).

Pippin will run Nov. 4-7 and 11-14, with shows at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance Sunday. Tickets are $12 general public, $10 UNCW employee/alumni or senior citizens and $5 students. Tickets are available in advance through the Kenan Auditorium Box Office at 910.962.3500, online at www.etix.com (surcharge applies) or at the Cultural Arts Building Box Office 90 minutes prior to the performance on day of show. All seating is general admission.

For group rates or special accommodations, call 910.962.2061 or e-mail theatre@uncw.edu.

Remaining 2010-11 Department of Theatre productions include:
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Renée Vincent
February 24-27, March 3-6
Mainstage Theatre

Trojan Women by Euripides
Directed by Paul Castagno
April 7-10, 14-17
Mainstage Theatre

Media contact: Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu

Media are welcome to attend production rehearsals and take video or still photos, or do a live preview. Rehearsal schedule available by request.

Photo captions:

Pippin 1: Left to right, Tre Cotton at the Leading Player, Brit Garner as Fastrada, Eddie Ledford as King Charles and Joey Stephens as Pippin

Pippin 2: Joey Stephens as Pippin and Tre Cotton as the Leading Player

Pippin 3: Joey Stephens as Pippin and Tre Cotton as the Leading Player

Pippin 4: Tre Cotton as the Leading Player

Pippin 5: Left to right, Brit Garner as Fastrada, Tre Cotton as the Leading Player, Joey Stephens as Pippin and Eddie Ledford as King Charles