Nuwandart Gallery * 258 A Street, Suite 2 * Ashland, OR * 97520 * (541)488-4ART

January 2002

"Anthropomorphic Works" by Ketzia Schoneberg,

"Virginia Woolf" in Black Box Theater

A night of song with Deidrie Henry

Ashland gallery Nuwandart launches 2002 with a 12-piece show, "Anthropomorphic Works," by Ketzia Schoneberg, six nights of the classic drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", and a one woman cabaret show with Festival actress Deidrie Henry!

Schoneberg's exhibit features nine mixed-media paintings and three sculptures and opens at 5 p.m. on First Friday, January 4th.

Schoneberg said the series, which includes ceramics, oil, acrylic, pastel and charcoal, explores "the connection between humans and other sentient species."

"I was exposed to Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish mysticism and mythology while I was growing up, both in a visual sense and in terms of learning about these ancient traditions," Schoneberg explained. "I draw on this early education in creating this body of work."

The opening will feature portions of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which will be in production January 11-13 and 18-20 at the gallery's black box theater, 258 A Street, Suite 2, in Ashland. Nuwandart co-owner Rob Pendell directs and produces this production which features local actors Michael Jordan as George, Ardis Faith as Martha, Daniel Portillo as Nick and Elissa Dunn as Honey.

Jordan, a longtime Oregon Shakespeare Festival goer, recently moved to Ashland with his wife. He's recently acted at Talent's Actors Theater, and was Charles in Ashland Community Theater's production of "Getting and Spending."

Faith considers her most meaningful role to be Lily and four other characters which she portrayed in the Laguna Beach, California production of "As Is," which raised $20,000 in 1990 to benefit AIDS sufferers. She is dedicating her performance at Nuwandart to the memory of a fellow actor, David Napie, who died of AIDS shortly after "As Is" closed.

Portillo, an Ashland native, has appeared locally in "Bent," "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," "Abundance," and "Black Elk Speaks." Dunn is a junior at SOU, majoring in theater. She played Jane in Christopher Durang's "Identity Crisis" at Mersen College in Boston, and spent last summer   as an intern actor and understudy in the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production of "She Stoops to Conquer."

Pendell said the play is about the "functionally dysfunctional" relationship of the two main characters, George and Martha, who have been married for 23 years. The play is an adult-oriented heavy drama, according to the cast and director.   "It's very well written in terms of the humorous points. It's a thinking person's drama," remarked Jordan. The play is over three hours long with two intermissions, and is not recommended for children under twelve.

"It's a very powerful play, especially considering some of the world issues that we are dealing with now, some of the interpersonal issues that we are always dealing with," Pendell commented. "It's very poignant even today, 30 years after it was written." Pendell, who is making his first foray into serious theater, called himself something of an unorthodox director. Jordan disagreed. "He's given each of the actors the opportunity to grow into the roles," Jordan said. "That's given me the opportunity to really sink my teeth into this particular role and I really appreciate that."

Martha and George are in a destructive relationship, "and yet there is this undercurrent of real love that they have with each other. And how they manifest that love is something that isn't easy to show. I find that the process is a very important element of this whole experience," concluded Jordan.

Tickets for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" are ten dollars and are available at Paddington Station and Nuwandart. The performances are scheduled for 8 PM Friday and Saturday, January 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th, and at 2 PM on Sunday, January 13th and 20th. The theater will seat 65, so get you tickets early, as they may sell out.

Pendell is dedicating the play to his friend Ruben Davis of Ashland who broke his back a few weeks ago. Nuwandart will take donations to help assist the family.

Festival actress Deidrie Henry will present her one woman show "When I Think of Home. . ." on Thursday, January 17th at Nuwandart Gallery. Tickets are $12 and are available at the gallery. This is a one night event, so get your tickets early, as they may sell out!

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