FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2020
Contact Jason Hogue, Peru State College Marketing and Communications, 402-872-2429

 

Peru, Nebraska – the Spring Semester is shaping up to have a strong collection of shows presented by the Peru Theatre Company.

Starting in February, the company will present “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” by Nassim Soleimanpour. It is a special weekly show in the V.F. Jindra Fine Arts Building’s Black Box Theatre, and specializes in having no rehearsals, no directors, featuring a different actor every night. Two of the shows will be preceded by workshops led by special guest artists.

Wednesday February 5 at 6:30 p.m. featuring Laura Lippman.

Laura Lippman is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts. Previously, she taught acting, directing and introduction to theater classes at the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln here she received the Dr. Morgan Recognition Award for her teaching and service.  She has also taught acting and directing at the University of Arizona School of Theater, Film and Television; Rollins College and Carnegie Mellon University. Lippman has professional directing, acting and production experience. She also has a special interest in, theater for youth and community outreach activities.  She received a Master of Fine Arts in directing from Carnegie Mellon University.

Wednesday February 12 at 6:30 p.m. featuring special guest artist Trey Martinez.

Martinez will also lead an improvisation workshop from 5 to 6 p.m.

Martinez is an experienced director with experiences in acting, stage direction, improvisation and house management. He has directed with Angels Theatre Company and played Gary Botter in “Gary Botter and the Divining Sphere.” He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Wednesday February 19 at 7 p.m. featuring special guest artist Ryan Kathman. Kathman will also lead a stage combat workshop in the Performing Arts Center from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Ryan Kathman is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Nebraska Wesleyan University. His favorite projects include: creating and performing a one-man version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet called One-Ham Manlet and premiering it in two states; being on set as an actor with directors Robert Altman (in A Prairie Home Companion) and Alexander Payne (in Election); directing original adaptations of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; directing the original one-woman show Blue Collar Diaries at the Minnesota Fringe Festival; producing/directing original Canterbury Tales adaptation Toward Canterbury in Minnesota (after premiering it as a student at NWU); the Chicago premiere of original short play From Grace; performing on Minnesota’s Jungle Theater, Playwright’s Center, Illusion Theater, and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater stages, Memphis’ Playhouse on the Square and Theatre Memphis’ stages, and as a lead in the feature film Vipers in the Grass with Dean Winters  and Harley Jane Kozak.

Wednesday February 26 at 6:30 p.m. featuring special guest faculty member Jude Wright.

Dr. B. Jude Wright is an Assistant Professor of English at Peru State College.  He has also taught at Quinnipiac University, Goodwin College (Connecticut), the University of Hartford and the University of New Haven. Wright received his PhD in English from the University of South Florida. His interests include Victorian literature and metacognitive pedagogy.

About the playwright

Nassim Soleimanpour is an independent multidisciplinary theatre maker from Tehran, Iran. His plays have been translated into 20 languages. Best known for his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, written to travel the world when he could not, his work has been awarded the Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance, Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award and The Arches Brick Award (Edinburgh Fringe) as well as picking up nominations for a Total Theatre and Brighton Fringe Pick of Edinburgh Award. By the time Nassim was permitted to travel for the first time in early 2013, his play “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” had been performed over 1000 times in 20 languages.

Additional spring performances

In March, the Company will present “Fin a one-woman clown show about grief” by Angela Horchem, Laura Lippman & Hannah Turner. The show is directed by Laura Lippman, and will be held in the V.F. Jindra Fine Arts Building’s Black Box Theatre.

The show will run Tuesday, March 17 to Wednesday, March 18 with both shows at 6:30 p.m.

Special workshops will be hosted by special guest Angela Horchem preceding each show. Tuesday’s workshop will run from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday’s workshop will be from 4 to 5 p.m.

In April, the Peru Theatre Company will produce the fourth annual “Disco Citizens” production. “Disco Citizens features 30 original short plays performed in sixty minutes. If the plays go over time, the audience receives free pizza. Each night is different with plays performed in a changing order based on audience suggestion.

Showtimes include 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. performances on April 22 and 23, with two additional performances on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m.

To learn more about the Peru Theatre Company and their upcoming shows, contact Professor Laura Lippman at Llipman@peru.edu

About Peru Theatre Company

The purpose of the Peru Theatre Company is to provide all Peru State College students with the opportunity to participate in an active and enjoyable group, as well as gain experience in the performing arts by participating in plays, giving speeches and any other method of performance presented to an audience of their peers.

###

Quentin Victor contributed to this release.