{"id":4263,"date":"2014-05-08T14:41:27","date_gmt":"2014-05-08T18:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=4263"},"modified":"2022-03-24T10:29:21","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T14:29:21","slug":"the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"The World is My Oyster, and I am the Pearl: Peer Gynt at Festival Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Students<\/a>
A scene from PEER GYNT (photo by Emily Salswedel \u201916)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. To close its 50th season, Festival Playhouse presents Colin Teevan\u2019s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen\u2019s Peer Gynt<\/em>, Thursday through Sunday, May 15-18, in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse.<\/p>\n

Guest Director Todd Espeland<\/strong> has set the play in a contemporary punk rock club, with an \u201cin-your face\u201d attitude still capable of shocking a 21st century audience. (Peer Gynt<\/em> contains mature subject matter and language, and some of the material may not be suitable for children.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI selected this modern adaptation because I felt that the updating of the language and situations would make the message and story connect more to our students,\u201d says Espeland. \u201cThe roughness of the language, modernizing Peer\u2019s adventures by making him a human trafficker, and its references to the way we idolize TV celebrities, brings Ibsen\u2019s message into the 21st century while still keeping the heart of the fairy tale.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs human beings, each of us must ask ourselves who we are, what we believe, and to whom we have obligations,\u201d Espeland adds. \u201cThis play inverts the usual paradigm of characters that look inward for answers: Peer looks outward to the entire world to serve him. His duty toward himself is to manipulate others to fulfill his needs, regardless of the suffering his manipulations impose on others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dramaturg David Landskroener \u201914<\/strong> comments: \u201cAudiences will be struck by this play\u2019s denouncement of pride and self-interest. The ever-increasing modern societal message is that everything is about \u2019me,\u2019 which this adaptation deconstructs in an even more timely and resonant fashion through references to reality TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peer constantly changes his persona to suit the occasion at hand: he\u2019ll do and say anything to get what he wants. Kyle Lampar \u201917<\/strong>, who plays the title role, describes his character as \u201cvulgar, carefree, and unapologetic\u2026but behind that persona of tough teenage angst, there\u2019s a fragile individual who only wishes to fulfill his dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

The design team includes Theatre Arts Professor and Scenic Designer Lanford J. Potts<\/strong>, Costume Designer Elaine Kauffman<\/strong>, Lighting Designer Katie Anderson \u201915<\/strong>, and Sound Designer Lindsay Worthington \u201917<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The show opens Thursday, May 15 at 7:30pm (which is \u201cpay-what-you-can\u201d night), and runs Friday and Saturday, May 16-17, at 8pm, and Sunday, May 18, at 2pm. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors, and $15 for other adults and may be purchased at the door. To make reservations, please call 269.337.7333 or visit the website<\/a> for more information. Note: Thursday\u2019s performance will be followed by the golden anniversary\u2019s final alumni talk back, led by Kristen Chesak \u201994<\/strong>, managing director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. To close its 50th season, Festival Playhouse presents Colin Teevan\u2019s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen\u2019s Peer Gynt, Thursday through Sunday, May 15-18, in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. Guest Director Todd Espeland has set the play in a contemporary punk rock club, with an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[234],"tags":[42,39,38,58],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-4263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-arts","tag-faculty","tag-students","tag-theatre"],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe World is My Oyster, and I am the Pearl: Peer Gynt at Festival Playhouse - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. To close its 50th season, Festival Playhouse presents Colin\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The World is My Oyster, and I am the Pearl: Peer Gynt at Festival Playhouse - News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. To close its 50th season, Festival Playhouse presents Colin\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-08T18:41:27+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-24T14:29:21+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"550\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"318\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Van Sweden\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Van Sweden\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\",\"name\":\"The World is My Oyster, and I am the Pearl: Peer Gynt at Festival Playhouse - News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-08T18:41:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-24T14:29:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/33b812ef7fd17031ab566856049c97af\"},\"description\":\"It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. 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Sweden","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25d851921c00e5d3b76e386535f86c38?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25d851921c00e5d3b76e386535f86c38?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jim Van Sweden"},"description":"Director, College Communications"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Jim Van 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aria-label=\"archive of category Events\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/events\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Events<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/arts\/\" rel=\"tag\">arts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/faculty\/\" rel=\"tag\">faculty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/students\/\" rel=\"tag\">students<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/theatre\/\" rel=\"tag\">theatre<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/the-world-is-my-oyster-and-i-am-the-pearl-peer-gynt-at-festival-playhouse\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_4264\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4264\" style=\"width: 550px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-4264 size-full\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2014\/05\/EER-GYNT.jpg\" alt=\"Students rehears for "Peer Gynt"\" width=\"550\" height=\"318\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from PEER GYNT (photo by Emily Salswedel \u201916)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s grand finale time for Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College\u2019s golden anniversary. To close its 50th season, Festival Playhouse presents Colin Teevan\u2019s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen\u2019s <em>Peer Gynt<\/em>, Thursday through Sunday, May 15-18, in the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse.<\/p>\n<p>Guest Director <strong>Todd Espeland<\/strong> has set the play in a contemporary punk rock club, with an \u201cin-your face\u201d attitude still capable of shocking a 21st century audience. (<em>Peer Gynt<\/em> contains mature subject matter and language, and some of the material may not be suitable for children.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI selected this modern adaptation because I felt that the updating of the language and situations would make the message and story connect more to our students,\u201d says Espeland. \u201cThe roughness of the language, modernizing Peer\u2019s adventures by making him a human trafficker, and its references to the way we idolize TV celebrities, brings Ibsen\u2019s message into the 21st century while still keeping the heart of the fairy tale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs human beings, each of us must ask ourselves who we are, what we believe, and to whom we have obligations,\u201d Espeland adds. \u201cThis play inverts the usual paradigm of characters that look inward for answers: Peer looks outward to the entire world to serve him. His duty toward himself is to manipulate others to fulfill his needs, regardless of the suffering his manipulations impose on others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dramaturg <strong>David Landskroener \u201914<\/strong> comments: \u201cAudiences will be struck by this play\u2019s denouncement of pride and self-interest. The ever-increasing modern societal message is that everything is about \u2019me,\u2019 which this adaptation deconstructs in an even more timely and resonant fashion through references to reality TV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peer constantly changes his persona to suit the occasion at hand: he\u2019ll do and say anything to get what he wants. <strong>Kyle Lampar \u201917<\/strong>, who plays the title role, describes his character as \u201cvulgar, carefree, and unapologetic\u2026but behind that persona of tough teenage angst, there\u2019s a fragile individual who only wishes to fulfill his dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The design team includes Theatre Arts Professor and Scenic Designer <strong>Lanford J. Potts<\/strong>, Costume Designer <strong>Elaine Kauffman<\/strong>, Lighting Designer <strong>Katie Anderson \u201915<\/strong>, and Sound Designer <strong>Lindsay Worthington \u201917<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The show opens Thursday, May 15 at 7:30pm (which is \u201cpay-what-you-can\u201d night), and runs Friday and Saturday, May 16-17, at 8pm, and Sunday, May 18, at 2pm. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors, and $15 for other adults and may be purchased at the door. To make reservations, please call 269.337.7333 or visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/theatre\">website<\/a> for more information. Note: Thursday\u2019s performance will be followed by the golden anniversary\u2019s final alumni talk back, led by <strong>Kristen Chesak \u201994<\/strong>, managing director of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4263"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9972,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4263\/revisions\/9972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4263"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=4263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}