"A compelling, gut-wrenching, and surprisingly funny one-man play about the search for a family history in the aftermath of WWII Russia." - New York Magazine

Stamford resident, Paul Rajeckas brings his highly acclaimed, world-traveled, collaborative one-man show, "Notes To The Motherland" to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14 at 3 p.m.

Written with George L. Chieffet, who also directed, "Notes To The Motherland" evolved out of Rajeckas' "desire to write something semi-autobiographical about the rich immigrant experience" he had growing up in Queens, New York surrounded by the colorful characters in his Lithuanian family. He is clear about the fact that, although "I am the creator of "Motherland" ... it is not my story." He has taken his experiences and his astute observations and transformed them into an energetic and richly memorable evening.

Rajeckas employs a full palette of theatrical conventions: eccentric movement, original music, sound effects, mime, song, dance and three-dimensional characterization to recount his creation.

"Motherland" played the 2007 FringeNYC International Festival in Aug. and, with 4,500 artists participating in the largest multi-arts festival in North America, Rajeckas received this four-star review in TimeOut New York , "The overarching tale - involving his mother's abetting of Nazi atrocities - is a dark one, but the spry performer's remarkable physicality and offbeat humor make the show as endearing as it is cathartic."

Nominated for the "Best Actor Award" at the Edinburgh Fringe 2005, "Motherland" garnered some of the finest notices in the UK, among them, the Sunday Herald's Mark Brown wrote, "This powerful excavation of a family's disturbing second world war history ... interweaves the most profound personal emotions with political and historical events, (and is) assembled with great skill and undeniable honesty ... this piece is justified in claiming the mantle of Charlie Chaplin."

Tickets are $30 and are available online at www.quickcenter.com or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 09-17-2007 10:09 AM

Volume: 40 Number: 46