{"id":747,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:46","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/our-lady-of-121st-street\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:18:46","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:46","slug":"our-lady-of-121st-street","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/our-lady-of-121st-street\/","title":{"rendered":"WCSU 2017 – Our Lady of 121st Street on stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 The Western Connecticut State University<\/a> Department of Theatre Arts<\/a> will present \u201cOur Lady of 121st Street\u201din eight performances from Feb. 24 through March 5, 2017<\/strong>, at the MainStage Theatre of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university\u2019s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.

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\nEvening performances will be at 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 and 25 and on March 3 and 4. Matinee performances will be at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25 and 26 and on March 4 and 5. Tickets may be purchased online at\u00a0www.eventbrite.com\/e\/our-lady-of-121st-street-tickets-30459723854<\/a>\u00a0or by calling (203) 837-8732. Student and senior tickets are available at the box office with a valid ID. <\/p>\n

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Hailed as \u201ca scorching and dark new comedy\u201d by the New York Times, \u201cOur Lady of 121st Street\u201dtells the story of Harlem Catholic school graduates reuniting for the funeral of their former teacher, the community activist Sister Rose. Motivated by rage, grief and a search for meaning, the characters\u2019 comic desperation illuminates the pain of life. The WCSU production is directed by Theatre Arts Professor Sal Trapani<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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\u201cThe play is ultimately about redemption and salvation,\u201d Trapani said. \u201cIn a universal sense, all of us are searching for what\u2019s missing in our lives, for those deep, true connections, for grace.\u201d <\/p>\n

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The cast includes student actors Justin Pesce (Balthazar), of Waterbury; Zach Federici (Edwin), of Rocky Hill;\u00a0Emily Gray (Marcia), of Southington; Ally Olynik (Marcia), of East Haven; Emma Giorgio (Sonia), of Ridgefield;\u00a0Alicia Napolitano (Sonia), of Woodbury; Luis DeJesus (Pinky), of West Haven; Howard Hendrix Powell (Flip), of West Haven; John Mudgett (Lux), of Danbury; Sydney Varick (Inez), of Waterbury; Christina Branfuhr (Norca), of North Haven; Ryan J. Taylor (Gail), of New Fairfield; Nick Raines (Victor), of Brookfield; and DJ Allen (Rooftop), of Danbury.<\/p>\n

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Allen, who plays Rooftop, said the play has a \u201cphenomenal story line about forgiveness, repentance and brutal honesty. It is a dark comedy, so be warned \u2014 we use some choice, colorful words.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The student technical crew includes Alex Allyn (costume design), of Trumbull; Abby Bueti (set design), of Brewster, New York; Zachary Charles (sound design), of Newtown; Nathan Clift (assistant director), of Trumbull; Amber Levine (assistant director), of Danbury; Claire Gaudette (principal stage manager), of Thomaston; Maya Daley (props), of Danbury; Hayley Moretti (assistant stage manager), of Danbury; Celina Kestecher (assistant stage manager), of Middletown; David Zahacewski (assistant lighting design), of Torrington; Abby Bueti (assistant set designer), of Brewster, New York; and AJ Bacik (assistant technical director), of Waterbury.<\/p>\n

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Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis\u00a0is an American writer, director and actor who won the 2015\u00a0Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play\u00a0\u201cBetween Riverside and Crazy.\u201d A member and former co-artistic director of\u00a0the LAByrinth Theater Company<\/a> of New York City, Guirgis\u2019 plays have been produced both\u00a0off-Broadway\u00a0and on\u00a0Broadway\u00a0and in the United Kingdom. \u201cOur Lady of 121st Street\u201d\u00a0originally ran in 2003 as an off-Broadway production by the LAByrinth Theater at Center Stage\/New York and then moved to the Union Square Theatre. Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, \u201cOur Lady of 121st Street\u201d received the Lucille Lortel Award nominations for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Director, the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for the John Glassner Award, and a Drama Desk Award nomination. <\/p>\n

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The production contains explicit language throughout the show, and may be considered unsuitable for young children.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities. <\/em><\/p>\n

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