News Release

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Note: Producing artistic director Joseph Haj will discuss
the play at noon on April 4 in the Paul Green Theatre.

Magician to conjure up steam, passion,
more in PlayMakers’ ‘The Illusion’

CHAPEL HILL -- When a prideful man senses that death is near, he asks a magician to find his estranged son.

The magician’s ensuing quest conjures up much more than his assigned task, including elements of passion, competition, loss, rejection and injustice. The story is central to the 17th-century classic drama “The Illusion.”

From April 11 through May 6, PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional troupe in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will perform the play as adapted by Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner.

Fog, special lighting effects, striking costumes and steam will characterize the production, designed to highlight the extraordinarily persuasive powers of art. Show times will be 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays in the Paul Green Theatre, inside the Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road.

Joseph Haj will direct the production, taking on that role for the first time since he became PlayMakers’ producing artistic director in July. He will discuss the production in a free public gathering at noon on April 4 in the Paul Green Theatre.

“The Illusion,” penned by French playwright Pierre Corneille as “L’Illusion Comique” in 1636, is the last show of PlayMakers’ 2006-2007 main-stage season.

“Kushner has artfully stripped Corneille’s classic to its magical roots, making it accessible and timely for 21st-century audiences,” Haj said. “Working with the same wildly talented design team that produced ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ last year, and with our powerful acting ensemble, we are building a production that should delight and surprise our audiences.”

The PlayMakers design team’s artistry will be particularly highlighted in this production, he said, with UNC dramatic art department chair McKay Coble as set designer.

In his adaptation, Kushner  modified the verse and style of the original work, creating a modern approach to a theatrical classic. A playwright and screenwriter, Kushner won two Tony Awards and the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Angels in America,” plus an Emmy for the HBO version. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for Steven Spielberg’s film “Munich.”

For more information on the PlayMakers production and names and credits of company members featured, visit www.playmakersrep.org. Position the cursor over “About” and scroll to “News Releases.”

Tickets are $10 to $40. The box office in the Center for Dramatic Art is open from noon to 6 p.m.  Mondays through Fridays; 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on performance nights; and noon to 2 p.m. on performance Sundays.

Special events will include free post-show discussions on April 18 and 22 and an all-access performance for those with special needs on May 1. Call (919) 962-PLAY (7529) for more information or tickets.

Based in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers is the Carolinas’ oldest professional, resident theatre company. Committed to engaging the Triangle in an exploration of theatre and nurturing succeeding generations of artists and audiences, PlayMakers was recognized as one of America’s leading theatre companies by American Theatre magazine.

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Coverage note: Media are welcome to cover the preview and talk by director Joseph Haj at noon April 4. Photography, videography, lights and flashes are not restricted. For assistance, call (919) 621-1230.

PlayMakers contact: Pam O’Connor, (919) 621-1230, pamo@nc.rr.com
College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid, (919) 843-6339, deereid@unc.edu