Bullets over off-Broadway Potomac Theatre Project's second summer in the Big Apple.

Author: Duggan, Grace

On July 26th the curtain went down the last time for yet another season of the Potomac Theatre Project (PTP), Middlebury College's collaborative summer theatre program that gives undergraduates an opportunity to work with professional actors. Originally based on Maryland and Washington, D.C., PTP was founded in 1987 by Professor of Theatre Richard Romagnoli, Professor of Theatre and Women's and Gender Studies Cheryl Faraone and Jim Petosa, Director of the School of Theatre at Boston University. This was PTP's second summer in New York City, one that marked a continuation of a powerful collaboration unlike any other in the United States.

This season of PTP included three shows: Howard Barker's "Scenes From an Execution," Sarah Kane's "Crave" and Neal Bell's "Somewhere in the Pacific." Romagnoli directed "Scenes From an Execution," the opening production for the summer at Atlantic Theatre Company's Stage 2. Set in 16th-century Venice, "Scenes From an Execution" focuses on Galactia (played by Tony-award nominated actor Jan Maxwell), an independent and headstrong painter commissioned to create a work commemorating the Battle of Lepanto. Conflict arises when Galactia's ideas about how to use art to depict war differ from those around her, including the Doge of Venice played Visiting Assistant Professor in Theatre Alex Draper '88.

The production also included Rachel Ann Cole '08, Allison Corke '08, Will Damron '09, Lucy Faust '09, Justine Katzenbach '08.5, Willie Orbison '08 and Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki '08.

"Crave," directed by Faraone, marks a drastic change in content compared to Barker's work. This experimental piece, one of the last written by Kane before her suicide in 1999, tracks four disjointed characters (Adam Ludwig, Rishabh Kashyap '08, Stephanie Strohm '08 and Stephanie Janssen) struggling through their respective troubled lives. Himali Soin '08 participated as Faraone's Assistant Director and dramaturg.

PTP closed out the season with "Somewhere in the Pacific," directed by Petosa. Set on a navy ship at the end of World War II, "Somewhere in the Pacific" focuses on a captain dealing with his son's wartime death as well as on his crew's running current of unease. Both Alec Strum '08 and MacLeod Andrews '07.5 participated in the production.

Overall, the works received strong, positive reviews this season, with a number of critics commenting on the interesting choice of plays. Attentive news sources included The New York Times, Time Out NY, Retrovision Media and The Village Voice.

A new change made to the program this year included spending the first two weeks of the three-week rehearsal process in Middlebury instead of New York City.

"This is something we have wished to do for a long time," said Faraone. "It immeasurably helps in the creation of an ensemble … The company and the shows were able to develop much more rapidly as a result of the Middlebury residency."

Speaking about the Potomac Theatre Project as a whole, Faraone was quick to emphasize just how valuable the opportunity can be for undergraduate theatre majors at the college.

"The partnership bridges the gap between the academic and professional worlds," said Faraone. "It invigorates the more seasoned company members and it has created a theatrical model very much like European ensembles. It allows Middlebury to justifiably articulate to the world at large a deep commitment to arts in the liberal arts…We look forward to increased faculty-staff involvement and to a greater profile in the community."

Katzenbach echoed Faraone when talking about her first summer with PTP. "I think that PTP certainly proided me with some answers to questions that I had about the field and my hopes for involvement with it after college," she said. "I can't stress enough how grateful I am to PTP for helping me obtain this type of experiential knowledge before graduation."