Meet Caroline!

Hey everyone! My name is Caroline Hertz, and I'm a proud member of the recently graduated Princeton class of 2015. As this is my first summer as company member, it's been a wonderfully insane few weeks getting acclimated to the way things work here at PST. A little bit about me: Originally, I hail from a little semi-rural town in Virginia, and I've spent every summer for as long as I can remember doing theater in some capacity. At Princeton, I studied English and Theater - my acting thesis was Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive - and I plan to pursue a career in acting. In addition to my identity as an actor, I'm also an avid horseback rider and a poet. Back in Virginian horse country, I spend a lot of my time training horses and writing embarrassing Facebook poetry.

Now that we've closed our first show of the season - Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses - our company is eager to fully immerse ourselves in the equally splashy, ridiculous, and prim world of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. I have the absolute pleasure of playing both Mrs. Pierce (Henry Higgins's housekeeper) and Clara Eynsford-Hill. Early on in the process, I made the choice to vocally differentiate my characters by giving Mrs. Pierce a Scottish brogue. As a result, a huge part of my character work for both roles has been dialect-related. It's been an incredibly exacting and challenging process, but a very rewarding one as well!

When this summer comes to a close, I plan to take the next year or so for myself to prepare for MFA program auditions. It looks like I'll be working in theater administration in Philadelphia and using the weekends to audition for regional theater companies in the area. PST has been a fantastic transition between the world of college theater and the world of professional theater. Here within the walls of the Hamilton-Murray Theater, I'm learning all about how to be a member of a company of actors, how to budget myself on an actor's salary, and how to take care of my voice and body so that I can successfully carry out performances every weekend. And when, in a few short weeks, I officially enter the world of professional theater, I'll wear my experiences here at PST as a badge of honor.

Here's hoping that all of you are having a lovely, relaxing summer! See you at the theater,

-Caroline

Metamorphoses: The Reviews are In!

Critics and audience members alike are raving about Metamorphoses at Princeton Summer Theater. Hear what they have to say, and then get your tickets today!

“This Princeton Summer Theater ensemble, under the direction of Maeli Goren, is abundantly creative, imaginative and talented.”

— Donald Gilpin, Town Topics

“A wonderful production...local audiences should not miss the opportunity to see it.”

— Marina P. Kennedy, Broadway World

“A kaleidoscope of theatrical ingenuity seldom seen.”

— Stu Duncan, U.S.1

“Every bit as magical, moving, funny, and thought-provoking as my memory of the Broadway Production””

— Tony Award winning producer Geoff Rich

“[The Princeton Summer Theater company] works collaboratively better than any group I can remember.”

— Stu Duncan, U.S.1

“The evening is replete with humor and emotion.”

— Donald Gilpin, Town Topics

“What a wonderful start to a courageous season.”

— Stu Duncan, US1

“We applaud Princeton Summer Theater’s distinctive initiative that gives talented individuals the opportunity to hone their skills in the performing arts.”

— Marina P. Kennedy, Broadway World

Read the full reviews here: Broadway World; Town Topics; U.S.1.

Meet Evan!

Howdy! I’m Evan, and this is my third season acting as a company member with Princeton Summer Theater. My first summer with PST was in 2012, just after my sophomore year of Princeton. During the school year I’d performed in several shows with student groups and with the Lewis Center, but the twelve-hour days of PST were far more demanding than my previous schedules. Although I was (and still am) a little overwhelmed by the rigor of our program, I quickly fell in love with the community that we created together. 

Community is a word that gets bandied around a lot, especially on college campuses. The Princeton community, the theater community, the communities of eating clubs – they’re all groups of people with something in common, and they all have the potential to help their members grow and develop meaningful relationships. But where these groups allow members a degree of flexibility in their commitment, PST requires an intensity of focus. A full half of our day is spent rehearsing together, preparing and eating meals together, and operating the theater together. Of the remaining twelve hours, what we don’t spend sleeping is likely to be spent relaxing together after a hard day’s work. We binge watch Orange is the New Black, play games, and celebrate our latest shows. PST linked togetherness and community for me with a clarity that I had never experienced before. 

Although most of us in the company and board of PST were friends before this summer, we’re already much closer because of the time that we’ve spent together these last two weeks. We’re creating another beautiful, tight-knit, weirdo artist colony much like we had in my past summers. Every show that you see us put up is a product of that community, and a testament to its strength. I’m overjoyed to be part of this crazy adventure once again! 

Cheers,

-Evan

Metamorphoses opens tonight!

Company member Brad Wilson as Eros in a scene from Metamorphoses, which runs June 18-28 at the Hamilton Murray Theater

Metamorphoses, the first show of Princeton Summer Theater’s 2015 season, opens this Thursday at the Hamilton Murray Theater on Princeton University’s Campus. A retelling of a series of ancient Greek myths, director Maeli Goren’s inventive, physical production focuses on play, human connection, and the transformative power of storytelling.

This joyful production of Mary Zimmerman’s Tony-Award nominated play brings Ovid's classic tales to life through a mixture of contemporary and ancient styles, the use of musical accompaniment, and a world of shifting fabrics. An exploration of change, love, and the persistence of the human spirit, Metamorphoses takes classic stories and makes them achingly relevant to modern audiences. 

Starring Princeton Summer Theater’s 2015 company: Ross Baron, Maeve Brady, Caroline Hertz, Bits Sola, Evan Thompson, and Brad Wilson. The show is ensemble-based, with each actor transforming to play a wide variety of roles throughout. Directed by Maeli Goren, with original music by Steven Tran.

Company member Ross Barron as Ceyx in a scene from Metamorphoses, which runs June 18-28 at the Hamilton Murray Theater

Metamorphoses, based on the myths of Ovid, written and originally directed by Mary Zimmerman. Opens Thursday, June 18. Performances run June 18-21 and June 25-28. Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Special talkbacks with the cast follow every Friday evening performance: join us on June 19th for a talkback lead by Princeton University theater professor and director Tim Vasen. On June 21st, after the 2pm matinee, celebrate the beginning of PST's 2015 season with a cupcake reception sponsored by House of Cupcakes!

Tickets are $27.50 for general admission, $22 for students and matinees. We also offer season subscriptions for only $75 (a 32% discount!), which ensures a reserved seat for each of our four wonderful main stage shows this season. To order tickets, visit http://www.princetonsummertheater.org/metamorphoses/ or call the PST box office at 1-732-997-0205.

Get a sneak peek of the show -- watch the trailer now!

The Music of Metamorphoses

Hello! My name is Steven Tran, and I am the composer/music director and pianist for Metamorphoses. I graduated from Princeton University just two weeks ago, where I was an active member of the theater community as an actor, director, and musician. You might have heard my original scores this past year in the Lewis Center’s productions of The Magic Rainforest (also directed by Maeli Goren) and Red Noses.

The incidental score for Metamorphoses is largely inspired by 20th century classical piano music – Bartok, Debussy, Glass, and Rachmaninoff, for example. The result is a piano/synth based score that is occasionally grotesque and dissonant, but also ethereal and mysterious.

One of the techniques I used in the compositional process was the prepared piano, pioneered by John Cage in the 1940s. Cage was an avant-garde composer who experimented with placing objects such as screws and bolts in between the strings of the piano in order to completely change the timbre and sound of the notes – I experimented with this technique in order to create an entirely new, bizarre, and unexpected soundscape for certain moments of the show. Keep an ear out, and you might hear some pretty unique sounds coming out of that onstage piano!

Beyond these classical inspirations, however, you might also hear some folk music, electronic music, and musical theater inspired moments: Maeli and I wanted to create an eclectic musical world that changed with each of the stories, but that was unified by a sense of wonder and mystery.

The compositional process for Metamorphoses was entirely in response to the actors and the world they created. I sat in rehearsals for the first week simply observing the development of the blocking and noting what the sound of each moment felt like. From there, it was a matter of artful improvisation, conversations with Maeli about what did and did not work, and a bit of trial and error until we arrived at just the right musical language for each story in Metamorphoses.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing my music with you!

Cheers,

Steven

Meet Ross!

Hello! My name is Ross Barron and I'm a first time company member at Princeton Summer Theater. At Princeton, I'm a rising junior and an English major. Originally, I'm from Boulder, Colorado and grew up acting in school productions and spending my summers backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. With that in mind, it's a little strange to be spending a majority of the summer inside a theater -- but my PST experience (though devoid of Colorado mountains to explore) has already been extremely enjoyable.

The first show of our season, Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, is a show based in the ensemble -- meaning that all company members are onstage and participating in practically every scene. Last summer, (in a departure from my normal backpacking adventures), I studied acting at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. There, like in Metamorphoses, the teachers put a very high emphasis on the integrity of the ensemble. At Guildhall, the teachers would often say, "A group of performers must become the instruments of an orchestra before they become an ensemble. Each instrument must be on the correct tempo, must pay attention to the piece's dynamics, and only then may it offer its own unique sound to the chorus."

The comparison of an ensemble to an orchestra, in my mind, only becomes complete when the ensemble can agree on a single objective. In a piece of music, there is an objective sound to be achieved and within a piece of theater, there is an objective idea, moral, story, or feeling to be communicated. The incredibly exciting thing to me is that the experience of each audience member watching a piece of theater might be completely unique!

I'm someone who is easily moved by art. I find myself lost very quickly in stories and characters, and each day that I get to contribute my instrument and bring a narrative to life is a gift. I'm so very lucky and grateful to spend the summer with Princeton Summer Theater!

Come fall into a story with us! Best wishes,
Ross Barron
 

Maeli Goren on Metamorphoses

I grew up on Greek mythology the way some kids grew up on The Simpsons, so naturally I was thrilled to be asked to direct Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses at PST this summer.  These stories taught me all kinds of useful things.  I learned about forgiveness from Eros and Psyche.  Orpheus taught me about art's relationship to loss and death.  Baucis and Philemon helped me recognize the infinite possibilities of love.  These stories help light the dark and winding corridors of human experience with compassion, scope, and imagination.  The chance to share them with others and to explore them with the absolutely fabulous PST 2015 company has been a gift.  

As an ensemble, we have had to work hard to maintain a constant collaborative spirit as we approached a text that is usually remembered 

for the enormous pool of water onstage in the iconic original production at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago.  As you will see, we decided to ditch the pool in favor of a grown-up surrealist playground that shifts and changes along with the stories we present.  This production aims to be simple, vulnerable, elegant, innovative, and humorous as Zimmerman's text.  With a few faded bedsheets, six chairs, seven hula hoops, five buckets, original music, some surprise tricks up our sleeves, and six actors who have given all of themselves to this process, I hope this play can ignite your imagination the way it ignites mine.  We look forward to sharing with you!

Tickets for Metamorphoses can be purchased using Tixato, our user-friendly ticketing service, or by calling the box office at 1-(732) 997-0205.

Meet Maeve!

Company member Maeve Brady returns for a third year with Princeton Summer Theater!

Hello!!! My name is Maeve Brady, and this is my third summer as a company member here at PST! I just graduated from Princeton with a degree in Psychology and a certificate in Theater, and I am so glad that my first job post-grad is back here at PST.

This season we start off with Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, a wonderful adaptation of Ovid's collection of myths by the same name. Rehearsals started as soon as the summer began --  we even had a read through of the script and began discussing ideas for the production before the year here on campus had officially ended. I knew from that first read through that this was going to be a challenging, invigorating, and exhilarating process, and so far I have not been disappointed. Within the first three days of rehearsal we did a stumble through of almost the entire show.

This is a type of fast-paced, physical storytelling that I am not all that used to, but I've loved diving in with my fellow actors knowing that we're all in this together.  Now that we are moving to our rehearsal space in New South while our beautiful set is being built, it's time to focus on polishing what we have created so we have a finished product to show you in less than two weeks!!!! 
 

Looking forward to seeing you there!
-Maeve

The 2015 PST board

Princeton Summer Theater is proud to announce its executive board for the 2015 season: a group of four Princeton students dedicated to making great theater for the Princeton community and beyond. We're all incredibly excited to work together to form the tight-knit community of artists that makes PST so special. Learn more about our board below!

Artistic director - Wesley Cornwell

Wesley Cornwell is delighted to be joining the PST family for its 46th season. He is a member of the Princeton Class of 2016 and has been active within the theater community on campus since freshman year. He has served as the General Manager of Theater Intime as well as managing and designing for numerous shows on campus. He most recently designed the sets for Theater Intime's production of Romeo and Juliet and the theater department's production of Spring Awakening.

Executive director - David Drew

David is thrilled to work with PST this summer. During his time at Princeton, he served 3 terms on the managing board of Theatre Intime, co-founded and hosted the talk/variety show "All-Nighter", directed HANSEL/GRETEL for the Theater program, and acted with Quipfire! Improv and in various campus theater productions. Lately, he's been studying improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and writing plays and screenplays (and getting ready for an awesome summer). 

Company manager - kanoa mulling

Kanoa Mulling is an actor and director in the Princeton University class of 2015. Princeton University acting includes Uncle Vanya (Astrov), Red Noses (Father Flote), Bat Boy (Dr. Parker), Next to Normal (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden), Great Expectations (Joe and Jaggers), Hamlet (Horatio). Princeton University directing includes King Lear, Frankenstein, and The Other Shore. Kanoa is excited to take on the role of Company Manager in his first run with Princeton Summer Theater. 

Communications director/graphic designer - sarah cuneo

Sarah Cuneo is thrilled to be joining PST for its 46th season. A member of the Princeton Class of 2015, Sarah has been incredibly active in the campus theater community since her freshman year, acting in nearly twenty productions and serving on the board of several student theater groups. Sarah is also a passionate graphic designer and often designs the posters for Princeton's theatrical productions. She most recently played Father Toulon in the theater program's production of Red Noses and is currently in rehearsals for a senior thesis production of Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive. 

Our 46th season

We could not be more thrilled to introduce PST's 46th season -- a series of four challenging, engaging, and entertaining plays.

This year’s season will focus on themes of adaptation and myth, exploring how stories are retold and passed down through time. It is a season that celebrates the magic and relevance of these myths for today. This season not only shows a timelessness to problems of love and relationships, but it also explores the power of these stories to move us to the depths and peaks of human emotion, to sorrow and to laughter.  We can't wait to share these stories with you!

• METAMORPHOSES by Mary Zimmerman, Directed by Maeli Goren

• PYGMALION by George Bernard Shaw, Directed by R.N. Sandberg

• THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND by Tom Stoppard, paired with THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE by Christopher Durang, Directed by Brad Wilson

• EURYDICE by Sarah Ruhl, Directed by Wesley Cornwell

In addition to our four main stage shows, PST also will present its annual Children's Show and a series of Young Artists' Workshops. Stay tuned for more information on our children's programming!