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Lane Community College
From the Department of Music, Dance and Theater Art
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Michael Weller's Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes
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Michael Weller |
Northwest Premiere
Runs Nov 5-21, Thurs.-Sat., with Sun. Nov. 15 matinee
The Student Productions Association of Lane Community College will stage Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes, a comedy in two acts by Michael Weller.
Performances are in the Blue Door Theater at L.C.C.'s main campus, Thursday through Sunday, November 5-6-7; 12-13-14; and 19-20-21 (8:00 P.M.) There will be one matinee, Sunday, November 15 (2:00 P.M.)
The play's run happens to coincide with the "Superheroes" exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum at the University of Oregon.
Dwarfman is an unpublished work, produced only twice before - at Chicago's Goodman Theater; and in 1995 at Eugene's Lord Leebrick Theater, where the cast included the theater's co-artistic directors, Randall Lord and Christopher Leebrick. Director Judith Roberts says: "I'm glad the students chose this play - it's completely off-the-wall."
In the play, comic-book creator Stanley Dorfman is having a nervous breakdown due to his constant pressure to meet deadlines, create a new villain, pay child support, and attend to his lawyer wife, who is pregnant. As he loses his grip on reality, his wild and hapless cartoon characters come alive, to help and plague him. They include Stanley's alter-ego, the superhero Dwarfman and his partner Elektra, mad scientist Dr. Azabov, and the formidable Roach King. In the midst of Stanley's desperate search for his own identity, he retreats to a remote cabin in Maine, where his dead father pays him a visit.
Michael Weller is renowned for his plays Moonchildren and Loose Ends and the screenplays for Ragtime and Hair. He is founder/director of a program for young playwrights in New York, which each year produces several of the new works professionally. Mr. Weller has been in Eugene as a guest artist at the University of Oregon and L.C.C., and he plans another visit during the run of Dwarfman, where he will conduct a play writing workshop on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12 noon in the Blue Door Theater.
Chad Kushuba makes his local acting debut as cartoon-artist Stanley Dorfman. Before his recent move to Eugene, he was the artistic director of The Abreact, a cutting-edge theater group in Detroit, Michigan.
The comic-book hero Dwarfman is played by multi-talented dancer/choreographer Marc Siegel. He is the co-director of Dance Theater of Oregon, and has been a frequent guest artist at L.C.C.
The cast also includes community actor Don Aday, and students Rhiannon Catalanello, Steven Coatsworth, Kyle Cooper, Rhea Gates, Andrew Ghai, Adam Leonard, Mark Mullaney, Rachel Paslay, and Donna Wyrick.
Cartoon art for the play was created by Juan Fierro, chosen from numerous artists who submitted samples through Craigslist.
Director Roberts says, "At its heart, Dwarfman is about an artist who needs to escape the burden of his own public success. Playwright Weller injects the artist's struggle with hilarity."
Tickets are $10 for general admission; $8 for seniors, students and staff. Reserved ticket holders will have preferred seating. For more information and tickets, call 541-463-5761 go online to buy advance tickets at 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/tickets.
Lane Community College is an E
Dwarfman is an adult fantasy - audience members must be age 10 or older to be admitted.
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Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Contact: Rhea Gates or Adam Leonard 541-463-5761
