The following comes from Rowan University’s College of Performing Arts.
Exploring Samuel Beckett’s meditations on life is at the heart of “Breath,” an original combination of short plays and prose, paired with a staging of “Company,” an original immersive and sensory experience, that kicks off the mainstage season presented by the Department of Theatre & Dance at Rowan University. Performances run from Oct. 25 to 29 in two Bunce Hall venues on the Glassboro campus.
Under the direction of faculty member Lane Savadove and alumnus Dane Eissler, “Breath” weaves together eight short Beckett pieces into a single evening. The combined selections consider how brief and tiny life can be. “Company,” performed separately at alternating times, contemplates the nature of existence and one’s own life as audience members take part in Beckett’s “bed-time” story while blindfolded and lying on their backs.
According to Savadove, the productions examine the reality of a person’s “smaller” place in the larger world, though they can sometimes perceive themselves as greater than or superior to other entities.
“While it can seem as though we are tiny and insignificant, we are incredibly essential and every breath should be cherished,” Savadove said of the work’s themes.
Attendance at “Company,” a Beckett slumber party, is limited to 32 people. The audience is invited, though not required, to experience this 50-minute piece with their pillows, blankets or in pajamas. Milk and cookies will be served.
Performances of “Breath” are Oct. 25 to 27 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. in the Tohill Theatre.
Performances of “Company” are Oct. 26 at 5 p.m., Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Oct. 28 at 5 p.m., and Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Lab Theatre, Bunce Hall Room 159.
Tohill and Lab theatres are located in Bunce Hall at Rowan University’s Glassboro campus.
Tickets to “Breath” are $15 ($10 with discounts) and “Company” is a free performance, but capacity is limited. Each event must be reserved separately via rowan.tix.com. For more information, contact the box office at (856) 256–4545, or email arts@rowan.edu.
