The Civilians, an exhilarating New York City production company blending cabaret, comedy, experimental theater and human experience, performs its acclaimed "Gone Missing" from Thursday, Feb. 9, through Sat., Feb. 11, at 8 p.m. at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Part documentary, part musical cabaret, "Gone Missing" offers a comic and thoughtful look at things lost and found in a post-9/11 world. Performed by six actors playing more than 30 characters and peppered with Michael Friedman's irreverent songs, it uses imaginatively edited true stories as inspiration to tread the line between fact and fiction, seeking the extraordinary in everyday life.

Since its founding in 2001, The Civilians has created five original shows, including the critically praised "Canard, Canard, Goose?" "Nobody's Lunch," and "Paris Commune." The company works with a multidisciplinary group of associate artists who generate ideas and collaborate to develop new works. In 2004, it won the prestigious Village Voice OBIE grant for Off Broadway theater, which was presented by actress Swoozie Kurtz.

"In its brief history, this company has already created cheerful, cheeky works about geese, French revolutions, wives of dictators, and stuff that gets lost," she said. "Do they rock? You betcha."

Comparing "Gone Missing" to works by both comedian George Carlin and novelist Tom Wolfe, The New York Times called the production "cunningly constructed and charmingly performed" and "packed full of theatrical pleasures."

American Theatre Magazine profiled The Civilians in its 2004 year-end list "Hot, Hip and on the Verge: A Dozen Young American Companies You Need to Know."

Steve Cosson is the founding Artistic Director of The Civilians. Before joining the company, Cosson directed the U.S. premiere of "Attempts on Her Life," as well as "The Communist Dracula Pageant" and "Marge," with Soho Repertory Theatre. Regionally, he oversaw the U.S. premieres of Sarah Kane's "Phaedra's Love," Peter Morris' "The Square Root of Minus One," and new plays by Erik Ehn and John C. Russell. He has worked with the American Conservatory Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival and has presented original work with ASK Theater Projects and San Diego Repertory. Cosson was resident director at New Dramatists.

Friedman has been steadily making a name for himself on the New York songwriting scene. In 2003, Time Out New York named him one of the 25 New Yorkers it predicted would make their mark in 2005 and he's certainly given them plenty of reasons to take note. In addition to his work with The Civilians, Friedman wrote music for Christopher Durang's "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," Melissa James Gibson's "Suitcase," Neal Bell's "Spatter Pattern" and many more. He also composed the score for the documentary film "On Common Ground" and worked on the dramatic composition for the recent Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun."

Tickets are $25. For ticket, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 01-13-2006 10:01 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 137