FEBRUARY 18, 2010 ISSUE
Prelude to a Kiss Presented at ASU February 24 to 28
ASU’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents Prelude to a Kiss, a play by Craig Lucas, Wednesday to Sunday, February 24 to 28, at Valborg Theatre. Performances begin nightly at 7:00 p.m., except on Sunday, when the play begins at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, by calling 828-262-3063 or by clicking to www.theatre.appstate.edu/performances. The box office is open weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and one hour prior to show time.
Faculty member Anna Ward directs the play, with senior theatre major Jarrod Sacco as assistant director, Michael Helms as light and sound designer and Martha Marking as costume designer, assisted by student Stephanie Grasso. Tom Brigham serves as stage manager, Sarah Hinson as assistant stage manager, Alissa Steele as scene designer and Carry Vaughan as prop manager.
“It’s a play about relationships and life,” Ward said. “There are multiple ways to interpret it, multiple messages.”
Depending on an audience member’s age and stage in life, he or she will “get something different out of it,” she said.
The cast of 11 includes Ed Pilkington, a professor emeritus who retired nine years ago, who will play the role of “Old Man.” He has provided unique insights into the play, Ward said.
Pilkington said he is looking forward to returning to campus as an actor after spending time “working in different theatres around the state and [in] Canada.”
Prelude to a Kiss won the Outer Critics Circle Award in 1990 and was nominated for numerous awards, including best play, the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award, Pilkington said.
“At the time it was done, it was certainly one of the top plays,” he said.
The script was made into a romantic comedy film of the same name starring Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin in 1992.
The upcoming February performances mark the play’s debut at ASU, Ward said.
“I think it can appeal to a lot of people generationally,” she said of the play. “It has a universal theme of love and what life is about…aging, being young, being old. It’s kind of like a modern-day fairy tale.”
“It’s a fascinating play,” Pilkington said, explaining that his character and the character of a young bride “switch souls—he becomes her, she becomes him.”
Difficulties ensue, and “the new husband is trying to figure out what’s wrong with his new wife,” Pilkington said. “It’s quite hilarious how things work out in the end.”
Pilkington said he finds it interesting to “see yourself in someone else” and try to portray another character, as he and the girl in the play do.
Attendees will “enjoy the twists and turns,” he added.
On Thursday, February 25, a “talk back” with the cast and director, facilitated by dramaturge Paulette Marty, will take place after the performance, Ward said.
Saturday, February 27, is alumni night and will feature a reception after the performance, she said.
“We’re hoping people who know Ed and students of Ed’s will come out that night,” she explained.
Pilkington taught students who went on to perform on Broadway, and he also directed the outdoor drama Horn in the West for 20 years during his time as a professor at ASU, he said.
Valborg Theatre is located at 480 Howard Street, behind the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Parking is available on campus in faculty lots, the parking garage behind the Carol G. Belk Library and behind the Turchin Center.
For more information, click to www.theatre.appstate.edu/performances.
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