Top troupe will perform over fall break
'The Comedy of Errors,' 'Iliad' are Aquila's planned performances
Joel Pavelski
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Arts
Nationally acclaimed Aquila Theatre Company will perform two different plays at Hillsdale College Oct. 8 and 9, and some students are cancelling fall break vacation plans to attend.
Aquila, called "one of the most inventive and daring theater companies in the country" by the Lincoln Journal Star, will present Homer's "Iliad" Oct. 8 and "The Comedy of Errors" Oct. 9, both at 8 p.m. in the Sage Center for the Arts.
Professor of Theatre George Angell said the company books its schedule a year in advance, before the college's calendar gets finalized.
"We didn't know it was going to be the first day of fall break," he said. "They're a really famous act, so when they announce their tour, if you want them you have to book them."
Sophomore Kirsty Sadler said the troupe's visit to campus influenced her decision to stay at school during fall break.
"I've heard that both shows are very good," she said. "I'm really excited to see 'Comedy of Errors.' "
Since many students don't leave school during break, the theatre department decided the shows would provide them with alternatives to sitting around in a dorm room, Angell said.
"Everyone I've talked to has said that they would stay," he said.
Aquila, founded in London in 1991, is a well-known and well-reviewed permanent American group run by Englishmen and based in New York, Angell said.
They perform with physical theatre, a technique which minimizes set and costumes and concentrates on the performers' bodies.
Their first show, "Iliad," was inspired by the cover of Stanley Lombardo's translation of the classic work, a photograph of the D-Day landings entitled "Into the Jaws of Death."
The New York Times called the show "a performance of staggering power ... stunning, stirring, and memorable."
The Thursday night show, "A Comedy of Errors," is a vibrant, high-powered romp through the Shakespeare classic.
"It's about the funniest thing I've ever seen in the theatre," Angell said. "It's just as bawdy as Shakespeare wrote it, and it's just a scream."
The shows are being offered free of charge.
"As almost the only cultural outlet in the county, we almost feel it's our duty to provide quality cultural entertainment free of charge," Angell said.
Aquila company members will also teach a master class on performing Shakespeare in the dance studio Oct. 8. at 2 p.m.
Aquila, called "one of the most inventive and daring theater companies in the country" by the Lincoln Journal Star, will present Homer's "Iliad" Oct. 8 and "The Comedy of Errors" Oct. 9, both at 8 p.m. in the Sage Center for the Arts.
Professor of Theatre George Angell said the company books its schedule a year in advance, before the college's calendar gets finalized.
"We didn't know it was going to be the first day of fall break," he said. "They're a really famous act, so when they announce their tour, if you want them you have to book them."
Sophomore Kirsty Sadler said the troupe's visit to campus influenced her decision to stay at school during fall break.
"I've heard that both shows are very good," she said. "I'm really excited to see 'Comedy of Errors.' "
Since many students don't leave school during break, the theatre department decided the shows would provide them with alternatives to sitting around in a dorm room, Angell said.
"Everyone I've talked to has said that they would stay," he said.
Aquila, founded in London in 1991, is a well-known and well-reviewed permanent American group run by Englishmen and based in New York, Angell said.
They perform with physical theatre, a technique which minimizes set and costumes and concentrates on the performers' bodies.
Their first show, "Iliad," was inspired by the cover of Stanley Lombardo's translation of the classic work, a photograph of the D-Day landings entitled "Into the Jaws of Death."
The New York Times called the show "a performance of staggering power ... stunning, stirring, and memorable."
The Thursday night show, "A Comedy of Errors," is a vibrant, high-powered romp through the Shakespeare classic.
"It's about the funniest thing I've ever seen in the theatre," Angell said. "It's just as bawdy as Shakespeare wrote it, and it's just a scream."
The shows are being offered free of charge.
"As almost the only cultural outlet in the county, we almost feel it's our duty to provide quality cultural entertainment free of charge," Angell said.
Aquila company members will also teach a master class on performing Shakespeare in the dance studio Oct. 8. at 2 p.m.
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