April 26, 2005
Contact: Pamela Malkin
(804) 756- 6071
Cal Poly to Stage ‘Crimes of the Heart’ May 12-14; May 19-21
SAN LUIS OBISPO – “Crimes of the Heart,” the final production of the Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department’s 2004-2005 season, will play at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 12-14 and May 19-21, in the Spanos Theatre on campus.
Beth Henley’s 1981 Pulitzer-Prize winning play, “Crimes of the Heart,” has been widely praised as a darkly comic masterpiece. It chronicles the wildly eccentric Magrath sisters of Hazelhurst, Miss., in l974, “five years after Hurricane Camille.”
The three sisters cope with their troubled histories, small-town gossip and quirky relationships as they attempt to recover from the crimes of the heart that have been committed against them.
Pamela Malkin, associate chair of the Theatre and Dance Department is the play’s director. She is a longtime member of the Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department and has directed several university productions, including “Guys and Dolls,” “All My Sons” and “The Glass Menagerie.”
Tim Dugan, interim chair of the Theatre and Dance Department, serves as the scenic and lighting designer. Kathy Dugan, a lecturer in the department, designed the l970s costumes. Staff member Howard Gee is the show’s technical director, and theatre arts majors Konnie Marie Baker and Elisabeth Steen are serving as stage managers.
Alexis Morann, a junior theatre arts major from Orange, plays Lenny, the eldest Magrath sister who transforms from a moody, hilarious fussbudget into a self-possessed young woman. Morann also appeared in the Theatre and Dance Department’s world premiere of “Living Stones.”
The promiscuous, deeply troubled middle sister, Meg, will be portrayed by Dina Lucchesi from Danville. A senior theatre arts major, Lucchesi has appeared in a variety of Theatre and Dance Department productions, including “A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Babe, the strangely disconnected sister and accused murderer, will be played by freshman theatre arts major Kerry DiMaggio. A Cambria native, DiMaggio was active in the theatre program at Coast Union High School.
Chick Boyle, the Magrath’s annoying first cousin, will be portrayed by senior theatre arts major Kristin Wall, who also appeared in “Living Stones.” Wall hails from San Jose.
Rounding out the cast are Duncan Calladine, a freshman theatre arts major who plays Doc Porter, Meg’s long lost love interest. Ryan Cordero, a sophomore theatre arts major, is cast as Barnette Lloyd, the young lawyer trying to free Babe.
Tickets to “Crimes of the Heart” are $12 for the public and $10 for students and senior citizens. They are available from the Performing Arts Center at (805) 756-2787.
For more information, call 756-6071.
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