Ibsen
As it was announced by Jill, the Ibsen was a workshop production by Auroville Theater Group of opera in progress. After only three weeks of hard work and rehearsals, we have had a chance to see for three nights in a row at CRIPA in Kalabhumi an amazing piece where all the actors put the efforts and energy to bring Ibsen’s last night alive infront of the eyes of audience. Libretto was done by Ronald Rand, who visited Auroville last year, music composed by Hartmut von Liers, and the production directed by Jill.
Cast of Characters: Henrik Ibsen ……….Nikolaus Deutsch The Muse ….. Heeba Shah Susannah ….. Florence Marguerite ….. Krupa Nora ……. Samta Agarwal Hedda …… Lorraine Emilie ….. Shilpi Madame Dufresny …… Fabienne directed by Jill Henrik Johan Ibsen (Norwegian: 20 March 1828 ? 23 May 1906) was a major 19th century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as “the father of realism” and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre.His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, and The Master Builder. Several of his plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when European theatre was required to model strict morals of family life and propriety. Ibsen’s work examined the realities that lay behind many faades, revealing much that was disquieting to many contemporaries. It utilized a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. The poetic and cinematic play Peer Gynt, however, has strong surreal elements. Ibsen is often ranked as one of the truly great playwrights in the European tradition.Richard Hornby describes him as “a profound poetic dramatist?the best since Shakespeare”. He influenced other playwrights and novelists such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, James Joyce, and Eugene O’Neill. RONALD RAND, librettist International Performing Artist/Playwright/Educator Alec Baldwin: ?Ronald Rand is one of the great dedicated professionals of the American Theatre.? Mr. Rand created the new work, IBSEN, which has become an opera. He is also the originator of the ?LET IT BE ART! An Educational Series, encompassing his Master Acting Workshop, Art of Transformation, and his inspiring play, LET IT BE ART! In its 11th celebrated year, ?LET IT BE ART!/Art of Transformation? has been seen by 29,000 students and audiences across 5 continents, in 18 countries and 16 states. Performed twice Off-Broadway in two critically-acclaimed runs, ?LET IT BE ART! Around the world at: Kathmandu Int?l Theatre Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal; BAFA Int?l Arts Festival (First American Artist invited) ? Harare, Zimbabwe; ?Voices of History? Int?l Theatre Festival ? Vologda, Russia (First American Artist invited); Patravadi Theatre ? Bangkok, Thailand; CPRASSIS Int?l Theatre Conference ? Kerala, Thissur, India; GIFT Int?l Theatre Festival ? Tbilisi, Georgia; Int?l Festival of Making Theatre-Athens, Greece; Palace of Culture ? Minsk, Belarus; MERCOSUR Int?l Theatre Conference-Paysundu, Uruguay; Kafka Theatre ? Buenos Aires, Argentina; Eskisehir?s State Theatre ?Turkey; Spiro Ark Theater ? London, England; Filmotheque Theater ? Paris, France; D.K. Film & Media Academy ? New Delhi, India; Internationales Theater ? Frankfurt, Germany; Anupam Kher?s Actor Prepares Acting Academy ? Mumbai, India. ?LET IT BE ART! Across America, performances include: Southeastern Theatre Conference, New England Theatre Conference, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Syracuse University, University of Missouri-Columbia, New York University, Actors? Int?l Retreat ? Seattle, Episcopal Actors? Guild of America, First New York Solo Play Festival ? New York City, Villanova University ? Philadelphia, University of the Arts ? Philadelphia, Stella Adler Academy ? Hollywood, Blair Montgomery High School ? Tacoma Park, Governor?s School of the Arts ? Norfolk, Vaudeville Muse ? Des Moines, Catalina Foothills High School ? Tucson, KZ Theatre Arts School ? Norwich, Northern Illinois University, Utterback Arts Middle School ? Tucson, Great Lakes Theatre Program ? New York City, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Penny Templeton Acting Studio, The Actors Center, The Players, Michael Howard Acting Studios, Maggie Flanigan Acting Studio, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, New Actors Workshop, Actors Movement Studio, William Esper Acting Studio, Cyrano?s Theatre ? Anchorage, Cape May Stage, North Coast Repertory ? San Diego, Invisible Theatre ? Tucson. Upcoming International Festivals include Colombia International Peace Festival, Azerbaijan International Theatre Conference, Cambodia, Singapore, The Hague, Mozambique, and Bangladesh. An Adjunct Professor of Acting at Pace University in New York City, he has been a visiting guest professor at over 75 universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, and acting schools around the world, including Academy of Dramatic Art, Zagreb; Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey; Yamchao International Theatre Festival, Pattutami, Thailand; Rustavelli State University of Theatre & Film, Tbilisi, Georgia; Belarusian State University, Minsk; BAFA International Festival of Arts, Harare, Zimbabwe; Anupam Kher?s Actor Prepares, Mumbai; Kathmandu International Theatre Festival; R.K. Film & Media Academy, New Delhi; Espacio Blanco Leis Studio, Buenos Aires; New York University; University of Alaska; Northern Illinois University; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of San Diego; Stella Adler Studio, New York City; Last Frontier Theatre Conference, Valdez; Great Plains Theatre Conference, Omaha; Utterback Middle School, Tucson; Cape May Stage; Orange County Community College; Stella Adler Academy, Hollywood; Governor?s School of the Arts, Norfolk; Ocala Community College; Last Frontier Theatre Conference; New England Theatre Conference; Great Plains Theatre Conference; and Southeastern Theatre Conference, and Kennedy Center National Play Festival. Mr. Rand co-wrote the film, THE GROUP about The Group Theatre, with renowned filmmaker, Joan Micklin Silver. Founder & Publisher of ?The Soul of the American Actor,? (12th year ? it is the only Newspaper in America dedicated to the art of the theater ? www.SoulAmericanActor.com). Author of “Acting Teachers of America” (Random House), the most comprehensive book published on acting teachers in America. Mr. Rand began his acting career at age six in Florida, appearing in over 250 plays at a professional children?s theatre. His Off-Broadway debut in Julius Caesar at BAM with Richard Dreyfuss, was followed by numerous appearances Off Broadway including Hamm in Endgame, directed by Joseph Chaikin, Perfect Crime, Servant of Two Masters directed by Stuart Vaughan, and Ma Rainey?s Black Bottom at the Classical Theatre of Harlem. He also performed as the Fool in King Lear (five month European tour), and starred in LUV at New Hampshire?s Barnstormers Theatre. Over one hundred film and television appearances include Emperor?s Club, In & Out, Jerky Boys, Rude Awakening as President Nixon, Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford, all Law & Order shows, O?Keefe and Steiglitz (American Playhouse) with Christopher Plummer, Saturday Night Live, and Homeless opposite Yoko Ono. Mr. Rand?s plays include LET IT BE ART!; A System of Government; Consequences; Ode to the Moon; The Site of Human Life; A River, A Seed. A Cloud, A Lamp, The Wind; THE GROUP! about the famed Group Theatre (World Premiere ? Northern Illinois University); The Great Society; and his newest work: IBSEN. He also directed THE GROUP! with students at Pace University, and a workshop of The Group! at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has had many readings of his plays Off-Broadway, at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference & Great Plains Theatre Conference. Currently editor for Jean-Claude van Italie?s Memoirs, and re-translated Inigo Ramirez de Haro?s play, Holy Consecration from Spanish into English with the playwright. As a producer, Mr. Rand?s presentations in New York City include A Tribute to Harold Clurman & Robert Whitehead with Roy Scheider & Joseph Wiseman ? Stella Adler Studio, at The Players Club: An Evening of Exceptional Poets with Ruby Dee, Hasna Muhammad, and Irene O?Garden; Janis Stevens in Vivien Leigh; An Evening with Vijay Tendelkar (India?s foremost playwright); Libby Skala in LiLiA!; John Rothman in The Impossible H.L. Mencken; Cheer from Chawton: Jane Austin with Karen Eterovich; Andrea Reese in Cirque Jacqueline; Rose McClendon starring Vinie Burrows; new plays by Dale Wasserman and Ty Jones; with CUNY at 34 St., Manhattan ? A Tribute to Jean-Claude van Itallie with Brian Murray, Laila Robins, Roger Rees; and Acting Teachers of America with Lee Grant, Olympia Dukakis, and Marian Seldes. Co-translator & Producer of famed Spanish playwright, of the U.S. Premiere of Inigo Ramirez de Haro?s most famous play at La MaMa in New York City. Mr. Rand mentors include Stella Adler (5 years), Harold Clurman, Bobby Lewis, Joseph Chaikin, and Jerzy Grotowski. Graduate of NYU?s Tisch School of the Arts ? BFA, RADA Member – The Actors Studio Playwright/Directors Unit, The Dramatists Guild, Listed in Who?s Who of America. www.ClurmanThePlay.com www.SoulAmericanActor.com Hartmut von Lieres, composer Originally from Hamburg, Germany Piano Study in the field of classical western music and jazz for over 12 years with Andreas Stephan, an absolvent of the concert pianist-class of the Hamburg University of Music Studies in Historical Science of Music at Hamburg University, Germany Lives in Auroville, India ?where he writes music for the Auroville Theatre Group and in Germany in the community LebensGut Pommritz. For the past 3 years,gives piano concerts across Germany with his own compositions October, 2011 ? his first symphony,?Schloss Hffe,? about the history and environment of the baroque castle Hueffe near Bielefeld, Germany near Bielefeld, performed by the Lueb-becker Symphony Orchestra under conductor, Heinz-Hermann Grube. November, 2011 ? composing music for the nature movie ?Eine Chronik ungewoehnlicher Ereignisse? from Robin Jaehne. The Music is an orchestral opus for the movie about a heavy three days long thunderstorm in Germany. March 2012 ? composing music for the Isiis Theatre Helsinki for the production of ?Helene?. A production about the painter Helene Schjerfbeck, her life and works. May 2012- Concert-Tour in Ecuador with piano-concerts in Quito, (Casa de la Musica, Humboldt-Association and Collegio Aleman) and in RioBamba (University of Riobamba)