Penn Players, Intuitons open new shows

Where in the woods are Cinderella and Snow White? And why is Jack off the Beanstalk? The twisted plot centers on several favorite childhood characters -- Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and the Baker and his wife with a modern twist for the modern audience. Each character is developed within the first act, to a "happily ever after" status. The Prince gets Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk gets his riches, and everyone is happy -- until the second act, that is. "Act two [is] the day after," said College senior Courtney Spikes, who plays the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella. "After the cow, hair, cape, and golden slipper, it is time to evaluate placement, focus, and love." To help adapt the Broadway play for the University stage, the group hired Danny Peak, the assistant artistic director of the Delaware Theatre Company, to give the production a professional touch. Peak, a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, has directed a number of dramatic productions in his 12-year career, including The Fantastics, Cotton Patch Gospel, and Arsenic and Old Lace. "I want people to leave with something to think about," Peak said. "I hope it stays with them through their own journeys." Producing the play itself posed some great challenges. The main difficulty cast members said they had was portraying their fairy-tale roles in a manner that would remain true to life. "Into the Woods," premieres tonight in the Harold Prince Theatre at the Annenberg Center. The play will continue on November 15 and 16 and November 21 through 23. Tickets may be purchased on Locust Walk and at the Annenberg box office. · An air of anarchy and mystery will hang over Intuiton's opening night performance of The Secret Agent tonight in the Houston Hall Auditorium. Director Yasmin Tuazon adapted the play's script from the Joseph Conrad novel of the same name, and preserved the book's plot and principle themes. The story is about the Verlocs, a family living in London, and their involvement in an attempt to blow up a Greenwich observatory. The play will be performed "in the round" with the stage situated in the center of the auditorium and the audience surrounding it on all sides. Tuazon said this will better draw the audience into the play. "Audience [members] will have the actors in their faces," Tuazon said. Tuazon chose to adopt The Secret Agent into a play because the novel possessed "strong characters" and "the plot plays with the readers without their noticing it." One such character is Adolf Verloc, played by College junior Chris Stillwell, who said his role is like playing "three different characters at one time." College freshman Stephen Houghton said he faced other challenges as a gay actor playing the roles of two heterosexual men, Vladimir and Stevie. He said he had to develop "a whole different way of thinking and acting." Most castmembers said this show is not as abstract as many of their previous performances. But most agreed that the show should prove to be a mystifying and unconventional experience. One interesting feature of the show should be the set, which is composed mostly of string. The Secret Agent will be performed November 14 through 16 and 21 through 23 at 8:00 p.m. in the Houston Hall Auditorium. Tickets cost five dollars and are available on Locust Walk, at the Annenberg Box Office and at the door before the show.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.