Fairfield University's Theatre Fairfield presents Festival '04 | Press Releases

Fairfield University's Theatre Fairfield will present Festival '04, April 21-25 at the PepsiCo Theatre. Students will get the opportunity to show off their talent and creativity in student-written and student-directed one act plays.

All students involved in Festival '04 applied to direct, design or script the shows. The scripts, written by two Fairfield University undergraduates and one graduate of the class of 2003, were chosen by a play-reading committee and the students in the theatre department and were assigned to the three senior directors.

Director Alex Pavone is a double major in marketing and theatre from Albany, N.Y. He has been involved in every Theatre Fairfield production since his freshman year. In addition to his theatre work, Pavone can be found singing in three singing groups, The Fairfield University Glee Club, Chamber Singers, and Sine Nomine, a four-part a cappella group. Pavone is directing a show called "The Audition," written by Paul DeSena '03. It is a play about the relationship between a mother and her son and revolves around the son's piano audition.

"The goal of Festival is for students to have a hand in creating theatre as a student community. The faculty serve as advisors," said Pavone, who believes that Festival really allows students to get their hands dirty, using previous mainstage production involvements as learning tools.

"Mrs. Something-Or-Other," a play directed by Danny Williams and scripted by junior Cait Davis, is a romantic comedy about a love triangle between an engaged woman, her fiancé and the man with whom she is truly in love. Hailing from Long Island, N.Y., Williams is also not a stranger to the stage and as a Marketing major and Theatre minor, has worked on every Theatre Fairfield production since his freshman year.

"It's actually my favorite production because it's all about the students. We get to apply everything we've learned. It's a great opportunity to celebrate our creative talents," remarked Williams about Festival.

Williams is also a member of the Fairfield University Glee Club. He is a Eucharistic Minister, involved in Campus Ministry, part of On the Spot, the campus improvisational group, and an intern at Straw Hat, a company for summer stock theatre. Currently auditioning for summer theatre work in Boston and New York, Williams hopes to eventually end up in New York working in public relations or marketing.

Paul Robinson is the director of the hilarious "15 Minutes of Fame, Shame, & a Ruler's Demise: A Comedy," written by freshman Jared Mezzocchi. Robinson is excited to be directing again for a piece that he refers to as "drop-dead funny - literally." The show picks up after the end of the Sophocles' "Antigone," and takes the audience back in time in an attempt to mend the past of the ruler Creon. Characters come back to life as Creon fixes his mistakes of the past.

An English major and Theatre minor, Robinson is from Wayland, Mass. He is a member of On the Spot and also directs an improvisational group. Robinson looks forward to moving to Chicago to pursue his passion for improvisation.

"The neat thing for me is that I had never acted before I came to Fairfield and Festival my freshman year was the first show I ever acted in," said Robinson. This makes his directing experience for this show even more special. Robinson says that Festival creates a "good vibe" because of the student involvement.

"It's a really awesome opportunity for people who don't have a lot of experience, but are maybe hesitant to act, to get their foot in the door," commented Robinson who attributes this to the casual and comfortable, yet professional way in which Festival is run.

Festival '04 runs Wednesday, April 21-Friday, April 23 at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 24 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $6 for seniors and staff, and $12 for general admission and are available by calling the Quick Center for the Arts Box Office at (203) 254-4010, or toll free 1-877-ARTS-396.