Red Opens Sept 5

Iowa City – Riverside Theatre opens the season with John Logan’s Red, the electrifying play about American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko; winner of six Tony Awards including Best Play. Directed by Sam Osheroff. Featuring Jim Van Valen (A Steady Rain) and Christopher Peltier (Hamlet).

Shows run Thursday – Sunday, September 5 – 28, 2014. Tickets: Adults, $28-30; Youth, $18, Student Rush, $20. Details at riversidetheatre.org, or by phone at 319-338-7672. Riverside Theatre is located at 213 N. Gilbert Street, Iowa City, Iowa.

About the Play
Synopsis: American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko and his young assistant feverishly prepare paintings for one of the biggest commissions in modern art in the 1950’s (The Seagram Murals), while passionately debating the meaning of art and of life. The stage is transformed into Rothko’s studio, giving the audience an intimate glimpse into the working life of an artist.

Director Sam Osheroff says about the play, “Red delves into the soul of a man whose ideas were inseparable from his art. We meet Rothko at the height of his powers, ten years before his suicide, angry, brilliant, driven by equal measures of despair and passion. He rages, lectures and grapples with his demons, sure, but most of all he works. We see stretchers built, paint mixed, and, in an exhilarating sequence, a blank canvas primed in brilliant, messy red. It's a play of big ideas and soaring emotions solidly grounded in the sensual world of the artist’s studio.” Osheroff is Riverside Theatre’s Artistic Director Designee for the 2015-16 Season.

Red is brought to life by professional designers David Thayer (Lighting Designer), Kevin Dudley (Scenic Designer) and Osean Perez (Costume Designer). The actors trained in painting techniques with visual artist and educator Christian Aanestad.

RED PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Fri, 9/5, 7:30pm
Sat 9/6, 7:30pm
Sun 9/7, 2:00pm

Thurs 9/11, 7:30pm
Fri 9/12, 7:30pm
Sat 9/13, 7:30pm
Sun 9/14, 2:00pm

Thurs 9/18, 7:30pm
Fri 9/19, 7:30pm
Sat 9/20, 7:30pm
Sun 9/21, 2:00pm

Thurs 9/25, 7:30pm
Fri 9/26, 7:30pm
Sat 9/27, 7:30pm
Sun 9/28, 2:00pm

Show times: All Thurs-Sat shows, 7:30pm; Sunday shows at 2:00pm

Post-performance Talkbacks: Sunday, September 7 & Friday, September 12. Stay after the show on these dates to discuss the play with the actors.


Source: Riverside Theatre Press Release