They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay? – Press Release

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Jan 082016
 

Flashpoint, 916 G Street, NW, Washington DC 20001

Website:  www.aticc.org Phone: (703) 475-4036 Email: ambassadortheater@aticc.org

Washington, DC, January 17, 2016

–For immediate release—

 

Ambassador Theater

In Partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute  

Presents The Washington DC Premiere of

THEY DON’T PAY? WE WON’T PAY!

By Dario Fo

Translated by Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante

Produced by Hanna Bondarewska

Directed by Joe Martin

Featuring: Hanna Bondarewska, Moriah Whiteman, Darren Marquardt, Mitch Irzinski and Peter Orvetti

Ambassador Theater is thrilled to celebrate the 90th birthday of Dario Fo, Italian satirist, playwright, director, actor, and composer, with the DC premiere of They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

In the Nobel prize winner’s hilarious farce of civil disobedience, desperate housewives take justice into their own hands and become politically engaged. Based upon real life events — a worker’s uprising in Italy in 1974– direct action is needed when the government fails to protect citizen’s rights. Hugely popular and more relevant than ever, They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! delivers a serious message in Fo’s signature absurdly comic style.

Meet Antonia, who during a food riot takes goods from a supermarket and must hide them from her law-abiding husband Giovanni, under her friend Margherita’s coat. Follow the chaos which ensues once Giovanni and Margherita’s husband learn of Margherita’s “miracle pregnancy.” You’ll be glued to your seat watching the farcical adventures of both couples in confrontation with the forces of the law.

This play reveals Fo’s roots in Commedia dell’Arte and Boulevard theatre. In awarding him the 1997 Nobel Prize for Literature, the Nobel committee remarked that Dario Fo “emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.” His plays have been translated into 30 languages and performed on every continent.

WHERE: Mead Theatre Lab at FLASHPOINT

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: March 3 – March 26, 2016; Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Matinees Sundays at 3:00 pm

Previews (Open Dress Rehearsals) March 1, 2 at 7:30 pm;

VIP Opening March 3 at 7:30 pm, Reception follows

Press Night: Sat, March 5, 7:30 pm; Special Q&A after the show with the Special Guest, Italian Actor, longtime collaborator of Dario Fo, Mario Pirovano, director, Joe Martin and actors

TICKETS: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets

For 14 + Audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

 

 

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

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Jan 072016
 

Flashpoint, 916 G Street, NW, Washington DC 20001

Website: www.aticc.org Phone: (703) 475-4036 Email: ambassadortheater@aticc.org

Washington, DC, January 7, 2016

–For immediate release—
In Partnership with the Embassy of Italy and Italian Cultural Institute

Ambassador Theater Presents

The Washington DC Premiere of
THEY DON’T PAY? WE WON’T PAY! By Dario Fo
Translated by Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante
Produced by Hanna Bondarewska

Directed by Joe Martin

Featuring: Hanna Bondarewska, Moriah Whiteman, Darren Marquardt, Mitch Irzinski and Peter Orvetti

The Team of Ambassador Theater is thrilled to celebrate 90th Birthday of Dario Fo and present a DC Premiere of They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! (Non si paga, non si paga!) This is one of the greatest European comedies of the 20th Century, which caused the future Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo to be brought to trial for incitement. This working class farce set during a time of economic collapse, begins with an episode of mass shoplifting by working class women from food stores, due to price hikes. It soon converges with the shipping of cheap contraband food from Asia as well as work stoppages and strikes. As a result of the “liberation” of food from grocery stores, a peculiar number of pregnant-looking women in coats are being pursued by the authorities everywhere. One of these working class women, Antonia, must deal with her legalistic husband, Giovanni—a union member who plays by the rule-book. She must also explain the unexpected “pregnancy” of his best friend Luigi’s wife, Margherita, a fact that  Giovanni in turn “reveals” to Margherita’s husband. But soon the raids by authorities seeking contraband food close in on their neighborhood, and chaos ensues.

Though the piece has been called a “comedy of hunger,” it is also about the bigger financial farce that results if the victims of financial collapse—brought about by capitalism run-amok—are asked to pay for the disaster while the guilty parties are bailed out. This play by a master playwright and performer, is both physical comedy and a comedy of wit, sometimes in “boulevard” style. Fo has roots in Commedia dell’Arte, and the influence shows in this modern farce. In awarding him the Nobel Prize for Literature—there is no theatre category!—the Nobel committee remarked in 1997 that Dario Fo “emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.”
WHERE: Mead Theatre Lab at FLASHPOINT916 G Street NW, Washington DC
WHEN: March 1 – March 26, 2016; Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Matinees Sundays at 3:00 pm
Previews March 1, 2 at 7:30 pm;

VIP Opening & Reception follows March 3 at 7:30 pm
Press Night: Sat, March 5, 7:30 pm; Special Q&A after the show with the Special Guest, Italian Actor, longtime collaborator of Dario Fo, Mario Pirovano, director, Joe Martin and actors
TICKETS: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets

For 14 + Audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

SMARTPHONES, A Pocket-Size Farce

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Sep 222015
 

Washington, DC, September 20, 2015

–For immediate release—

In Partnership with the Embassy of Spain and SPAIN arts & culture  

Ambassador Theater Presents

SMARTPHONES, A Pocket-Size Farce

By Emilio Williams

…One of the funniest and cleverest pieces of absurd theater…

Produced by Hanna Bondarewska

Directed by Joe Banno, Helen Hayes awarded director

Music/Sound by Gabriel Dib

Set & Lights Design by David Ghatan

Costumes by Lynly Saunders

Production Stage Manager Michelle Taylor

Featuring:

Ariana Almajan, Moriah Whiteman, Shravan Amin, Tekle Ghebremeschel and Hanna Bondarewska

WHERE: Mead Theatre Lab at FLASHPOINT

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: October 20 – November 15, 2015; Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Matinees: Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 pm

Oct. 20, 21 Previews at 8 pm; Oct. 22 at 8 pm, Opening & Reception follows

Press Night: Sat, Oct. 24, 8 pm; Special Q&A after the show with the author, Emilio Williams, director, Joe Banno and actors

TICKETS ONLINE: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets

For 16 + Audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

Welcome to the World of the Absurd and the Ridiculous and get ready to reflect on your own, in Emilio Williams’s quirky pocket-size farce ‘Smartphones’. Two couples addicted to social media and self-gratification get too close for comfort stuck in a house of their elusive friend, who may never arrive. While waiting for Fede and pestering their smartphones to ‘death’, the group begin to lose their cool. The lies are exposed, masks dropped, secret desires revealed in this fast paced comedy too ridiculous to be true, or is it?

The Team of Ambassador Theater is thrilled to present the play, Smartphones, by a Spanish playwright and director Emilio Williams. Williams’ plays have been produced in Spain, Argentina, France, Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States (including productions and performances in Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles). His most recent comedy “Your Problem with Men” was produced by Teatro Luna in Chicago, and has traveled to New York City, Los Angeles and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2012, his one woman show “Medea’s Got Some Issues” received “Best International Show” at United Solo Festival, Off Broadway, New York City. That same year, his comedy “Smartphones – a pocket-size farce,” received its world premiere at Trap Door Theatre in Chicago. The book was published as part of the anthology New Plays from Spain by Siegel Center. In 2010, his “dramedy” “Tables and Beds, an unromantic comedy“was selected among 80 plays from 12 countries as the winner of the 4th Premio el EspectáculoTeatral. Emilio has degrees in journalism and in film and video. In the 1990’s, he worked for CNN in Atlanta and Washington. He worked for The Johns Hopkins University between 2001 and 2011. In 2011, he moved permanently to Chicago, the city where his father was born. He currently works for The University of Chicago developing the international business of its healthcare enterprise.

Ambassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States.

Contact: Hanna Bondarewska, Artistic Director

(703) 475-4036; HannaB@aticc.org

or Eliza Anna Falk, Literary Director

(703) 618-1160; eliza.falk@aticc.org

ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit www.aticc.org

Contact: Hanna Bondarewska, Artistic Director

(703) 475-4036; HannaB@aticc.org

or Eliza Anna Falk, Literary Director

(703) 618-1160;

eliza.falk@aticc.org

Washington, DC, September 20, 2015

–For immediate release—

In Partnership with the Embassy of Spain and SPAIN arts & culture

Ambassador Theater Presents

DC Premiere of

SMARTPHONES, A Pocket-Size Farce

By Emilio Williams

…One of the funniest and cleverest pieces of absurd theater…

Produced by Hanna Bondarewska

Directed by Joe Banno, Helen Hayes awarded director

Music/Sound by Gabriel Dib

Set & Lights Design by David Ghatan

Costumes by Lynly Saunders

Featuring: Ariana Almajan, Moriah Whiteman, Bruce Rauscher, Shravan Amin, and Tekle Ghebremeschel

WHERE: Mead Theatre Lab at FLASHPOINT

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: October 20 – November 15, 2015; Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Matinees: Saturdays & Sundays at 2:00 pm

Oct. 20, 21 Previews at 8 pm; Oct. 22 at 8 pm, Opening & Reception follows

Press Night: Sat, Oct. 24, 8 pm; Special Q&A after the show with the author, Emilio Williams, director, Joe Banno and actors

TICKETS: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets

For 16 + Audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

Be prepared for the Absurd and the Ridiculous, as well as moments of thoughtful reflection, in Emilio Williams’s quirky pocket-size farce ‘Smartphones’. This modern surreal play deconstructs relations between four egocentric individuals addicted to social media and self-gratification. Two couples and their precarious worlds get too close for comfort stuck in a house of their elusive friend, who may never arrive. While waiting for Fede and pestering their smartphones to ‘death’, the group begin to lose their cool. The lies are exposed, masks dropped, secret desires revealed in this fast paced comedy too ridiculous to be true, or is it?

The Team of Ambassador Theater is thrilled to present the play, Smartphones, by a Spanish playwright and director Emilio Williams. Williams’ plays have been produced in Spain, Argentina, France, Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States (including productions and performances in Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles).

His most recent comedy “Your Problem with Men” was produced by Teatro Luna in Chicago, and has traveled to New York City, Los Angeles and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2012, his one woman show “Medea’s Got Some Issues” received “Best International Show” at United Solo Festival, Off Broadway, New York City. That same year, his comedy “Smartphones – a pocket-size farce,” received its world premiere at Trap Door Theatre in Chicago. The book was published as part of the anthology New Plays from Spain by Siegel Center. In 2010, his “dramedy” “Tables and Beds, an unromantic comedy“was selected among 80 plays from 12 countries as the winner of the 4th Premio el EspectáculoTeatral. Emilio has degrees in journalism and in film and video. In the 1990’s, he worked for CNN in Atlanta and Washington. He worked for The Johns Hopkins University between 2001 and 2011. In 2011, he moved permanently to Chicago, the city where his father was born. He currently works for The University of Chicago developing the international business of its healthcare enterprise.

Ambassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States.

ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit www.aticc.org

US Premiere of THE TRAP

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Apr 122015
 


Contact: Hanna Bondarewska
(703) 475-4036; HannaB@aticc.org
or Eliza Anna Falk
(703) 618-1160;
eliza.falk@aticc.org
Literary Associate

Washington, DC, April 8, 2015

–For immediate release—

In Partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland                                                                                        And the Department of Theatre and Dance at the George Washington University                                                                          Ambassador Theater Presents US Premiere of                                                        

THE TRAP

By Tadeusz Różewicz

...One of the most provocative and original of European playwrights of the post-war period….

Translated by Adam Czerniawski

Produced and Directed by Hanna Bondarewska

Music by Jerzy Satanowski

Sound by Paul Oehlers

Set Design by Carl Gudenius

Media Design by Riki Kim

Lighting Design by Michael Stepowany

Costumes by Sigridur Johannesdottir

Featuring: Matthew Payne, Colin Davies, Benjamin Koonz, Morganne Davies *, Alexander Rolinski, Ariana Almajan, Melissa Robinson, Madeline Burrows, Emily Gilson, Abigail Ropp, John Brennan, Peter Orvetti, Sue Schaffel, Ed Klein, Marlowe Vilchez, Michael S. Heller and Tiffany Pindell


WHERE: XX Bldg
814 20th Street NW, Washington DC
WHEN: May 28 – June 21, 2015
May 26, 27 Previews at 8 pm
May 28 at 8 pm, Opening & Reception follows
Saturday, 30, 8 pm Press Night
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Matinees: Sundays at 3:00 pm

TICKETS: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets
For 16 + Audiences
Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

Please be advised there is a momentary nudity!

…anxieties and nightmares of an artist …Franz Kafka…

Inspired by life and work of Franz Kafka, “The Trap is a collage of events, images and sounds that deeply affected the artist.  Fears and nightmares, Kafka’s real life companions, found their way into many of his short stories and novels which continue to fascinate and baffle readers all over the world. The play, one of Różewicz’s last, is not only his poetic farewell to Kafka and a psychological portrait of an artist, but also his unique vision of Kafka’s destiny. To realize the vision, the avant-garde playwright alters traditional conventions of time and space and traps Kafka in the ultimate nightmare of the 20th century- the Holocaust.

Are you ready to witness cruel destiny in the making? Are you ready to step into the artist’s mind and experience his deepest fears and desires? Come and see The Trap and reflect on fragility of life and artistic creation. Join the Ambassador Theater’s team in discovering the world of an artist and experience a unique ‘open theatre’ of Tadeusz Różewicz.

Ambassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States.

ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit www.aticc.org

 

 

 

 

US Premiere of Rage

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Sep 222014
 

Contact:

Hanna Bondarewska

(703) 475-4036; HannaB@aticc.org or

Eliza Anna Falk: Eliza.Falk@aticc.org

(703) 618-1160;Literary Associate

Washington, DC, September 17, 2014

–For immediate release—


Ambassador Theater Presents

US Premiere of

RAGE

By Michele Riml

Will “justifiable” violence or passive resistance win the day? Who will survive?

Produced by Hanna Bondarewska

Directed by Joe Banno

Helen Hayes awarded director

Featuring: Ariana Almajan as Laura Whalen

Marlowe Vilchez as Raymond Stitt

WHERE: Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: October 22 – November 16, 2014

October 22, 2014 Preview at 8 pm

October 23, 2014 at 8 pm, Opening  & Reception Follows

Saturday, October 25, 8 pm Press Night

Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Matinees: Sundays at 2:00 pm

TICKETS: $8 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/category/get-tickets

For 16 + Audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

“A riveting work by the Canadian author, Michele Riml, recipient of the JESSIE RICHARDSON AWARD 2008!

In Rage a pacifist school counselor is tested to the limits when confronted by a radical, suicidal student. How far would she go to defend her principles?A gripping duel between an adult and a teenager. A violent clash of values and viewpoints. Peace vs violence and fear vs courage. Extreme circumstance, extreme choice and a shocking finale.

Ambassador Theater is happy to present a Canadian author, Michele Riml, to American audiences, as a follow up of 2013 Helen Hayes Canadian Partnership Award. Michele Riml is a critically acclaimed playwright from Vancouver, Canada. Her plays include Under the Influence, Poster Boys, RAGE, Souvenirs, On the Edge, The Amaryllis, Henry and Alice: Into the Wild and the international hit Sexy Laundry, which has been produced in Canada, Poland, Germany, New Zealand, Iceland, Mexico and the USA. Originally produced by Green Thumb Theatre in Vancouver, RAGE was the winner of the 2005 Sydney Risk prize for Outstanding Original Play and has also been translated into French and German. Her plays for young audiences include The Skinny Lie, The Invisible Girl and Tree Boy. Michele was nominated for the 2008 Siminovitch Prize. She is represented by Colin Rivers at Marquis Entertainment in Toronto.

Ambassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States.ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit www.aticc.org

World Premiere of Happily Ever After

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Feb 192014
 

 

Washington, DC, February 14, 2014

–For immediate release—

In Partnership of the Embassy of Spain and SPAIN arts & culture

Ambassador Theater Presents World Premiere of

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

By Cristina Colmena

Directed by

Hanna Bondarewska

Featuring

Karin Rosnizeck as She

Doug Krehbel as He

WHERE:

Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: March 12 – March 30, 2014

March 12, 2014 Preview at 8 pm

Opening March 13 at 8 pm

Press Night: Wednesday March 14 at 8:00 pm

Friday, March 14 Special Q&A with the author after the show at 8 PM

Thursday, March 27 World Theatre Day Celebration after the show!

Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Matinees: Sundays at 2:00 pm

TICKETS: $20 – $40 Online: http://www.aticc.org/home/box-office

For mature audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

In Happily Ever After by Cristina Colmena, one and one not always equals two. The couple and its complicated arithmetic are exposed through three stories where characters want to be happy but they don´t know how. When you get stood up, when you wake up beside a stranger, when after thirty years you don´t know what to speak about. The loneliness of sleeping alone and of sleeping with someone. Why one plus one may equal nothing?

Three couples of different ages, representing a lifetime of romantic struggles, are crippled by fears and insecurities and unable to find fulfilment in love. We see young lovers bound by a powerful attraction yet destined to part; cynical middle aged ‘one night standers’ failing to act on a promising encounter; and an older, deeply unhappy couple keeping up appearances after thirty years of marriage.

The compelling dark comedy and it’s high emotional resonance present a chance for self-reflection and an opportunity to learn from the characters’ mistakes. All three ‘un-love’ stories are poignant reminders that if we keep sitting on the fence, fearful and pessimistic, happiness may never come!

The play was written in 2013 by Cristina Colmena, a writer and playwright born in Spain, currently living in New York.  She writes short stories, articles and film reviews.  Her plays, Typing and Happily Ever After, were included in the New Plays from Spain series as part of the PEN World Voices Festival 2013. We are happy to partner with the Embassy of Spain and its cultural program SPAIN, arts and culture to present one of the newest play written by Cristina Colmena! Do not miss an opportunity to meet Cristina Colmena, who will be in attendance for both preview and opening nights on 12 and 13 of March, as well as on Friday March 14, which will feature a Question and Answer session after the performance.

 

 

About the Author

Cristina Colmena Writer and playwright, she has lived in New York since 2010. She has published a book of short stories, La amabilidad de los extraños (The Kindness of Strangers), and several of her short stories have appeared in literary magazines. Her plays, Typing and Happily Ever After, were included in the New Plays from Spain series as part of the PEN World Voices Festival 2013. She holds Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication and Journalism and has worked as a director and screenwriter for television. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Spanish and Portuguese Literature. She is also a contributor of articles and film reviews for various publications.
About Ambassador TheatreAmbassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States.  ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit http://www.aticc.org

More information about the play:http://www.spainculture.us/city/washington-dc/happily-ever-after/

DIONYSIA Celebration of Greek Culture

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Jan 042014
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 3, 2014

DIONYSIA: Celebration of Greek Culture

PLACE: The George Washington Masonic Memorial Theatre, 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria VA 22301

DATES: Sat., Jan. 18, 2014 at 7:30 PM and Sun., Jan 19,  2014 at 5:00 PM and Jan. 30 – Feb. 2 (Anacostia Arts Center)

The award-winning Ambassador Theater is presenting the second in a series of annual cultural festivals at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Old Town Alexandria. The performances take place on January 18th and 19th and feature traditional Greek dancing by the Georgetown-based dance company Dynami along with a performance of the ancient Greek comedy, Dyskolos. The performances are sponsored in part by a grant from the City of Alexandria and are presented in association with the Embassy of Greece.  Following the performances in Old Town, the play will be staged at the Anacostia Arts Center in Southeast DC.

The first cultural festival hosted by Ambassador Theater, Hopa Tropa Kukerica, featured Bulgarian culture and won the 2012 best family show award from MD Theatre Guide. This year’s Dionysia festival follows in the successful footsteps of Hopa Tropa Kukerica by bringing together Greek dance, theater, and culture in an enjoyable event for a wide audience. The auditorium of the George Washington Memorial Masonic Temple, with its Greek and Roman influenced style, is a fitting venue for this festival. Dynami showcases the best of Greek dance through their authentic and engaging performances. Truly pan-hellenic, Dynami performs an assortment of diverse dances, accompanied by music and costumes from all across Greece and its many islands.

Ambassador Theater proudly presents its own production of Menander’s Dyskolos, an ancient Greek comedy of romance, fools, and schemers. Menander, although not well know to general audiences today, is considered by many scholars to be the most influential writer of antiquity after Homer, and the inventor of modern comedy. The play was first performed at the Festival of Dionysus in Athens in 316 BC where it won first prize. Despite Menander’s popularity, his works were all lost by the end of the Roman era and not discovered again until, amazingly, a papyrus of some of his plays was discovered in the sand of Egypt in 1957. Everyone from Shakespeare and Moliere to the Marx brothers and the Three  Stooges owes a debt to Menander and Dyskolos. The play follows the adventure of a wealthy young man who falls magically in love with a poor farmer’s daughter. With the help of friends and servants he struggles to overcome the objections of her misanthropic father. Meanwhile, servants try to prepare a feast nearby, but are met with endless difficulties. Full of slapstick comedy and light-hearted jokes, Dyskolos is just as fun today as it was thousands of years ago.

In addition to the performances in Old Town, Dyskolos will travel to Southeast DC for shows on January 30th to February 2nd. The performances will take place in the beautiful new Anacostia Arts Center at 1231 Good Hope Rd, SE.

DYSKOLOS at Anacostia Arts Center Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, 2014

Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM, Matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM

TICKETS: $15 – 30 ONLINE

# # #

If you would like more information, please contact Hanna Bondarewska at (703) 475-4036 or email at ambassadortheater@aticc.org.

 

PROTEST – Press Release

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Oct 212013
 

–For immediate release—

In Partnership with the Embassy of the Czech Republic and Mutual Inspirations Festival

Ambassador Theate­­­­­r Presents

PROTEST

By Vaclav Havel

Translated by Vera Blackwell

Directed by Gail Humphries Mardirosian

Music by Jerzy Sapieyevski

Set Designed by Jonathan Rushbrook

Costumes by Sigrid Johannesdottir

Sound Design by George Gordon

Light Design by Zachary Dalton

Movement by Benjamin Cunis

Stage Manager Jim Vincent

Featuring:

Michael Crowley as Vanek Sissel Bakken as Vankova

Ivan Zizek as Stanek Hanna Bondarewska as Stankova

WHERE: Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G Street NW, Washington DC

WHEN: November 19 – December 15, 2013

November 19, 2013 Preview at 8 pm

Opening November 20, 2013 at 8 pm, Reception Follows

Press Night: Saturday Nov. 23 at 8:00 pm

Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm

Matinees: Saturday and Sundays at 2:00 pm

TICKETS: $20 – $40 On line: http://www.aticc.org/home/box-office

For mature audiences

Media/Press: please e-mail us to reserve your tickets!

No performances during the week of Thanksgiving: Nov. 27 – 30

In PROTEST, we meet a dissident on return home from prison and a person deeply involved in a campaign to protest against the government by getting people to sign a petition calling for a change in the political system. One character is the protesting artist who suffered for his beliefs, the other a compromising and compromised playwright. In this unique interpretation, the two male characters of Stanek and Vanek will have counter egos — characters echoed in two females, emphasizing the universality of the characters.The play was written in the 1978 by acclaimed human rights activist and the first president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, and is an indictment of individuals who refuse to protest corrupt political systems and collude for their own personal advantage.  It is also an investigation of human behavior and an exploration of artistic prowess exerted through circumstances of personal adversity. Havel challenges us in this play with pertinent questions:  What is the connection between the arts and social responsibility/citizenry?  What choices do we make as individuals when faced with circumstances of extreme volatility—what would we do if we had to make a choice between survival, compromise or revolution?   How would you act in the midst of these extreme choices?Vaclav Havel is being honored by the Embassy throughout the year as a celebrated playwright, humanitarian and a world leader as part of their yearlong mutual inspirations festival. He was a prominent literary figure, described as Prague’s leading avant-garde writer, and a popular statesman. After years of victimization, Havel served as his country’s president, helping to realize changes in the government policy he had written about for so long. He was recognized with various prestigious international awards, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Prince of Asturias Award, and the International Gandhi Peace Prize.
Ambassador Theater’s mission is to build international cultural awareness, provide a high standard of international repertoire based on close relations with the diplomatic and cultural representatives of different countries in the United States, and provide international interactive educational programs for the youth of the District of Columbia, the D.C. Metro area, and around the United States. ATICC is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. For more information, visit www.aticc.org

The performances are part of HAVEL’S TRILOGY, connected to the “Vaněk plays,” as part of the Mutual Inspirations  Festival 2013 – Václav Havel, celebrating the life and legacy of the former president, playwright, and human rights  advocate. For more information about the festival, please visit: www.mutualinspirations.org.

 

 

 

 

ANTIWORDS – Press Release

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Aug 202013
 

In Partnership with the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Mutual Inspirations Festival 2013

- Vaclav Havel

Ambassador Theater presents

International Artist Series

Spitfire Company (Cz) and Sivan Eldar

in

ANTIWORDS

Based on Václav Havel’s Audience and its legendary film adaptation

Featuring: Miřenka Čechová and Jindřiška Křivánková

Saturday, September 21, 2013 8:00PM

Sunday, September 22, 2013 2:00PM

At Mead Theater Lab at FLASHPOINT, 916 G Street, NW, Washington DC 20001

The Ambassador Theater presents the Spitfire Company (Cz) and Sivan Eldar in Antiwords, inspired by Václav  Havel’s celebrated one-act play Audience and performed by prominent Czech  physical theater actresses MiÅ™enka ÄŒechová, whose show S/he is Nancy Joe was  named the “Best of 2012 in Contemporary Dance” by the Washington Post, and  JindÅ™iÅ¡ka KÅ™ivánková in the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint. This original  work by MiÅ™enka ÄŒechová explores the issue of individual integrity, morality and  responsibility, employing a collage of visual imagery, poetry, voice, and music to  create an impression.

Antiwords gives us an insight into the artist’s process of creation as a poet, as a  dissident playwright, as an alienated man writing letters to his wife, as well as a person for whom responsibility, truth and honesty were as indispensable as “a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions”. Based on a play ‘Audience’ and its film adaptation, Antiwords will surprise and thrill you with its unique ways of expression and original music composed specifically for the performance. Noise of writing and speech combined with silence; music, dance, absurd humor; use of collage and prollage; huge heads in place of actors’ faces are skillfully used on stage to bring Havel’s restless and inquisitive persona, his talent, wisdom, absurd humor and integrity, to life, for us to savor and reflect.
Under communism, Havel’s plays were banned in theaters; therefore, his work was performed in the living rooms, barns, pubs, and other unexpected places, which was often called “apartment theater.” In the intimate space of Flashpoint Gallery, enjoy this very special “apartment style” theater of Antiwords.

The performances will be complemented by a special selection of photographs by Oldřich Škácha, a close friend and photographer of Václav Havel. The photographs give an inside look into Havel’s dissident life.        

At the opening show on September 21, savor a complimentary Pilsner Urquell, a favorite beer of Václav Havel, who spent some time working in a brewery during his dissident years, which served as inspiration for his own play “Audience.”

Location: Flashpoint Gallery, Mead Theatre Lab , 916 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Tickets: www.aticc.org/home/box-office | Admission is $20-$35

For Press Tickets, please e-mail at ambassadortheater@aticc.org

The performances are part of HAVEL’S TRILOGY, connected to the “Vaněk plays,” as part of the Mutual Inspirations  Festival 2013 – Václav Havel, celebrating the life and legacy of the former president, playwright, and human rights  advocate. For more information about the festival, please visit: www.mutualinspirations.org.


Ambassador Theater Presents “The Third Breast” – Press Release

 Press Releases  Comments Off
Jun 012013
 


Washington, DC, May 31, 2013

–For immediate release—

Contact: Hanna Bondarewska
(703) 475-4036
artisticdirector@aticc.org
or Rachel Silvert
ambassadortheater@aticc.org

Ambassador Theate­­­­­r Presents

US Premiere of

The Third Breast

Obsession, power, sex and love….an intriguing story with a twist …

By Ireneusz Iredyński

Translated by Sylvia Daneel

Directed by Hanna Bondarewska

Set Designed by Antonio Petrov

Costumes by Sigrid Johannesdottir

Music & Sound Design by Paul Oehlers

Asst. Sound/Visual Effect by George Gordon

Stage Mng. Rachel Silvert

Featuring:
Sissel Bakken as Eva

Christopher Henley as Thomas

Matthew Ingraham as George

 

WHERE:

Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint

916 G Street NW, Washington DC

July 10– August 4, 2013

TICKETS: $20 – $40

On line: http://www.aticc.org/home/box-office

For mature audiences

Media: Please e-mail or call to reserve your seats

WHEN:  July 10 – August 4, 2013

Preview: July 10 at 8 p.m.

Opening: July 11, 8 PM

Press Performance: Saturday, July 13 at 8 pm

Thursdays – Saturdays, 8 PM

Sundays, 2 PM

Ambassador Theater invites you on a very special spiritual journey to achieve perfection.  Is it even possible? Is there a place on earth where our problems can disappear? A place where money is of no value? A place where we can truly be ourselves?  These questions are asked by the characters of “The Third Breast”, who attempt to escape from everyday life in search of true identity. The play written in 1975 by one of Poland’s ‘angry young men,’ Ireneusz IredyÅ„ski (1939-1985), explores such themes as addiction to power; fear of the other; the search for an absolute; love and erotic fascination; the consequences of blind faith.

Iredyński’s fame stemmed from his non-conformist streak, and his anti-communist views soon found their way into his writing.  He would later say that his literary characters were a projection of his imagination, dreams, anxieties, knowledge, viewpoint and subconscious.


 

 

 

 

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