OFF-BROADWAY STALWART NEW PLACE PLAYERS TO PERFORM CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED THE MASQUE OF NIGHT IN OHIO THIS SEPTEMBER
RUBBER CITY THEATRE AND GERVASI VINEYARD
“There are a million ways that Romeo & Juliet has been performed, but there is something so uniquely sweet and endearing about The Masque of Night, that sets it apart from the rest. With an earnest cast, pitch-perfect musical accompaniment, and distinctive setting, this one-hour production of Romeo & Juliet is a delicious bite-sized confection of romance and tragedy.” – Austin Fimmano, playstosee.com
“New Place Players, the innovative actors-and-musicians ensemble that performs Shakespeare with music and without a fourth wall, presented a condensed version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Brilliantly directed by Craig Bacon and Janina Picard, the performance focused on the main scenes between the two protagonists, interspersed with modern-day songs.” - Woman Around Town
“How to infuse the most well-known of well-known Shakespeare plays with new energy, making the age-old story of star-crossed lovers as fresh and captivating as it was when the audience first encountered it (probably in high school)? The New Place Players’ The Masque of Night, a cabaret of songs (some Elizabethan, mostly contemporary) interspersed with Romeo and Juliet’s most iconic set-pieces, does just that.” - Thinking Theater NYC
“You can whittle Shakespeare down to a core, you can stage him in a living room, you can do most anything to him; in our collective imagination his characters still stand tall, their cries still ring. Directors Bacon and Janina Picard know this, and their nocturnal “masque” found the heart of Romeo and Juliet.” - BlogCritics
New York, NY - August 8, 2024 - Off-Broadway’s NEW PLACE PLAYERS is pleased to announce the limited Ohio engagement of the critically acclaimed THE MASQUE OF NIGHT, directed by Craig Bacon and Janina Picard. The “uniquely sweet,” “innovative,” and “captivating” Romeo and Juliet cabaret will take place at the enchanting Rubber City Theatre (228 E Buchtel Ave, Akron, OH 44325), a professional theater company known for its productions in Shakespeare as well as many other live performances, and a special one-night engagement of the Gervasi Vineyard (1700 55th Street NE, Canton, OH 44721).
THE MASQUE OF NIGHT offers a unique and intimate experience for theater enthusiasts, together with live music that complements the magic of Shakespeare's timeless tale. Performances at Rubber City Theatre are September 20, 21, 22; 27, 28, 29. Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2:30 & 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $40 and available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/34890/production/1209156. The performance will also take place on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00pm in Gervasi’s covered Pavilion. Tickets are $50 and will include a dessert trio and glass of award-winning red or white wine and are available at https://gervasivineyard.com/product/the-masque-of-night.
Directed by Bacon, a seasoned professional with a 40-year career in New York City and Europe, and co-directed by Picard, a talented German-born actor and director, THE MASQUE OF NIGHT seamlessly blends Shakespeare’s iconic text with chamber music and songs by David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Rufus Wainwright, and original compositions by Musical Director Flavio Gaete. The four actor-musicians will transport the audience to the very heart of the iconic lovers' timeless journey.
The show features Actors Studio lifetime member Clara Tristan as Juliet, and Maximilian Macdonald as Romeo; and Flavio Gaete (Benvolio, Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, Prince, Balthasar), a twenty-year veteran classical musician from Chile and Anna Bikales (Nurse, Benvolio), harpist extraordinaire and Actor’s Studio MFA graduate as principal musicians and supporting actors.
THE MASQUE OF NIGHT is executive produced by Leah Michalos, Michalos Management, produced by New Place Players and with General Management by The University of Akron Arts Administration Graduate Students: Gregory Hoffmeister, Sarah Saddleton, and Nova Stewart. THE MASQUE OF NIGHT features graphic design by Cristian Gastelo. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
Rubber City Theatre performances are September 20, 21, 22; 27, 28, 29.
Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 2:30 & 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm.
Tickets are $40 for THE MASQUE OF NIGHT at Rubber City Theater and available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/34890/production/1209156.
The Gervasis performance is on Thursday, October 3 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $50 and will include a dessert trio and glass of award-winning red or white wine and are available at https://gervasivineyard.com/product/the-masque-of-night.
Website:https://www.newplaceplayers.org/
Media Kit with Photos
IG: @newplaceplayersnyc
The show premiered at The Players (the old-world actors’ club in New York City founded by Edwin Booth) and then ran at Casa Clara, a former foundry and artist studio, both in Gramercy, NYC.
BIOGRAPHIES
CRAIG BACON (Co-Director) is a director, actor, and voice teacher designated by Kristin Linklater in 1998 to teach her technique “Freeing the Natural Voice.” He has taught at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University since 2011 and other faculty appointments include SUNY Purchase, Columbia University, Fordham University, NYU (Atlantic Theater Company), National Theater Institute (US and UK), The Actors Centre (London), The Linklater Center, and Shakespeare & Co. (Lenox, MA). Some of Craig’s directing work includes The Mercury Theatre in England (Macbeth, The Tempest, The Crucible); SUNY Purchase (The Winter’s Tale, By the Bog of Cats, and LAByrinth Theater Company’s One-Acts co-directed with Richard Crawford). He is the founder and artistic director of New Place Players where he directed Twelfth Night and co-directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream with James Ortiz. Some of Craig’s extensive acting work includes Prospero in The Tempest (New Place Players); Henry IV, Pt. 1; Much Ado About Nothing; Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare & Co.); Cymbeline; The Rover; Twelfth Night (Lincoln Center Inst.); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf; A Christmas Carol (American Drama Group, Europe); Kenneth Lonergan’s Borderlines; Off-Shore Wind w/William Hickey, and Sunday’s Child w/Celeste Holm (HB Playwrights). Craig trained extensively with Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof, Tina Packer, and of course his mentor, the master teacher Kristin Linklater.
JANINA PICARD (Co-Director) is a German-born actor, director, and teacher of dreamwork for artists based in NYC. With over a decade of professional experience working as a stage and film actor in both Europe and the United States, her directorial vision is deeply influenced by working with the unconscious. She assisted, trained, and studied extensively with her mentor Sandra Seacat in Los Angeles and has furthered her studies of dreamwork with the C.G. Jung Institute Berlin and the C.G. Jung Centre Dublin. She has been coaching artists privately and teaching workshops internationally since 2020.
FLAVIO GAETE (Music Director) has worked as a musician, sound designer, actor, arts administrator, and teacher for the last 20+ years. He has collaborated with a wide variety of ensembles in music, theater, film, and dance. Some of his latest collaborations have been with New Place Players as music director for Othello, film composer Renaud Barbier for his latest film soundtrack, Petit Pays, and the Orquesta de Cámara de Chile for their 2018-19 season. Flavio has been a guest lecturer at Sciences Po Paris-Reims and NY University and has taught extensively throughout NYC. He has also played with various orchestras and ensembles, including the Orquesta de Cámara de Chile, Distinguished Concerts International NY, The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, the Manhattan Camerata, Nikolett Pankovits, and various others, having performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, among others.
GERVASI VINEYARD RESORT & SPA offers an exquisite escape in the heart of Ohio, combining luxurious accommodations, world-class dining, and award-winning wines for an unforgettable experience.
NEW PLACE PLAYERS embodies the power of Shakespeare’s plays, performing in intimate, found spaces, integrated with original live chamber music. The company employs both experienced musicians and actors and recent MFA graduates, empowering a new generation of theater artists.
RUBBER CITY THEATRE’S mission is to bring affordable and professional theatre to the Akron area. Its intimate and innovative productions aim to open the eyes and the hearts of audiences in an intentionally accessible, inclusive, and safe space.
# # #