Ithaca College Theatre Presents ‘The Wild Party’
Ithaca College Theatre will stage Andrew Lippa’s musical “The Wild Party” in
early November. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. on Nov. 4, 6-8, 12 and 14-15.
Matinees will be offered at 2 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 15. All performances will take place in
the Hoerner Theatre at Dillingham Center. This musical is intended for mature audiences.
Tickets for “The Wild Party” range from $4.50 to $10 and can be purchased from
the Ithaca College Theatre ticket office in Dillingham Center or by calling (607) 2743224. Tickets can also be purchased at the Ticket Center at Clinton House by calling
(607) 273-4497 or online at www.ithacaevents.com. Group discounts are available.
Based on Joseph Moncure March’s popular 1928 epic poem of the same name,
“The Wild Party” features characters Queenie and Burrs, a passionate pair of 1920s
vaudevillians. Queenie throws a party to put some fire back into their relationship,
inviting a prizefighter, a hooker, a theater producer, the flamboyant and incestuous
d’Armano brothers and other sordid creatures of the night. Fueled by prohibition booze,
cocaine and mad dancing, the party heats up and things get ugly as the two lovers test
each other’s limits.
“ ‘The Wild Party’ ” has none of those sweet, saccharine ingénues who endear
many of us to our favorite musicals,” said director Norm Johnson, associate professor of
theatre arts. “Instead, ‘The Wild Party’ conveys the reckless lifestyle that propels
Queenie and her party guests to the brink of the 1929 economic collapse and the Great
Depression that would change the United States forever. These characters are living like
there is no tomorrow. It was the ‘Roaring Twenties’, and they kept on roaring right until
the stock market crashed. I want the visual sense that the characters’ world is about to
implode.”
IC Theatre’s production of “The Wild Party” is inspired by the German
Expressionists and the theories of German playwright Bertolt Brecht, who wanted
audience members to stay emotionally detached from the characters on stage. He
achieved this through unusual lighting, the use of song, and other techniques. As director,
Johnson has chosen to emphasize the vaudeville form to present songs from “The Wild
Party,” reminding the audience that what they are watching is simply a stage musical.
The cast of “The Wild Party” includes Meredith Beck ’09 as Queenie, Eric Morris
’10 as Burrs, Michael Haller ’10 as Mr. Black, Catherine Stephani ’09 as Kate, Ryan
DeNardo ’10 as Eddie, Jamie Amos ’11 as Mae, Eric Carsia ’09 as Phil, Jeff Schara ’09
as Oscar, Kyle Johnson ’09 as Max, Emily Brazee ’10 as Madeline True, Rebecca
Futterman ’11 as Delores, Steven Moore ’11 as Jackie, Patrick Hunter ’10 as Sam, and
Lindsey Bullen ’11 as Nadine.
The choreographer for “The Wild Party” is assistant professor of theatre arts Adam
Pelty. The music director is assistant professor of music performance Brian DeMaris. The
design team includes scenic designer Kelly Syring ’09, costume designer Alexander
Woodward ’09, lighting designer and assistant professor of theatre arts Steve TenEyck,
assistant lighting designer Max Doolittle ’11, and sound designer and assistant professor
of theatre arts Don Tindall. The technical director is Mary Beth Barnes ’09. The stage
manager is Kristin Loughry ’10.The assistant director is Robyn Nagorsky ’09 and the
assistant choreographer is Dana Shapiro ’09.
A nationally recognized professional theater training program, the Department of
Theatre Arts attracts students from across the United States. Through Ithaca College
Theatre and the production season, undergraduate students present all aspects of theater
in a professional model. Ithaca College Theatre has been a cultural resource for
Tompkins County and the region for more than 70 years.
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