February Greetings.

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2 Greetings. February 2009 Eugene Ionesco was a Romanian-born (1909) playwright and dramatist, one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd. Beyond ridiculing the most banal situations, Ionesco's plays illustrate in a tangible way the solitude and insignificance of human existence. Ionesco's earliest and most innovative works were one-act nonsense plays: La Cantatrice chauve (1950) translated as The Bald Soprano; La Leçon (1951), translated as The Lesson; Les Chaises (1952), translated as The Chairs, and Jacques ou la Soumission (1955), translated as Jack, or The Submission. These absurdist sketches, to which he gave such descriptions as "anti-play" (anti-pièce in French) express modern feelings of alienation and the impossibility and futility of communication with surreal comic force, parodying the conformism of the bourgeoisie and conventional theatrical forms. In them, Ionesco rejects a conventional story-line, instead taking their dramatic structure from accelerating rhythms and/or cyclical repetitions. He disregards psychology and coherent dialogue, thereby depicting a dehumanized world with mechanical, puppet-like characters who speak in non-sequiturs. Language becomes rarefied, with words and material objects gaining a life of their own, increasingly overwhelming the characters and creating a sense of menace. Rehearsing this work is like watching and coaching a sporting event -- when the players are present, listening and reacting, as in any good play or sporting event - - it is exciting and engaging. Yet when the pacing and rhythm of the play are off, the farce doesn't build, and you get a very different play, one that can be difficult to understand because you begin trying to figure it out instead of being pulled along for the ride. It can leave you feeling as though there is something you aren t getting. The play needs to move at a pace where the words wash over and bombard the audience. The actors must pursue their intentions with a ferocity that doesn't flag for 65 minutes. The humor and meaning in the play comes from the sheer overload of energy. They should be exhausted at the end of the show. Adding to that, L'Etage, which is an interesting setting for The Professor's parlor, provides challenges because of the many textural elements in the space that absorb the actor's voices; the various levels in this space also create special challenges for the actors in creating the energetic build necessary. The Lesson, though written in the 50's, seemed to me very right to produce at this time -- so many words exchanged with so little understanding -- how funny and tragic that can be. Thanks for being a part of the IRC s third season, and for helping us grow the company. This year the IRC celebrates the 100 th anniversary of Eugene Ionesco s birth. I hope you ll follow our progress on our website and look for us during Fringe 2009 in September presenting Ionesco s The Chairs at The Red Room at the historic Society Hill Playhouse. Thanks and enjoy! Tina Brock Artistic Director

3 The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco The Maid Jane Moore* The Pupil Kate Black-Regan The Professor Tom Byrn* Directed by Tina Brock Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. This production is funded in part by a generous grant from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund. The IRC participates in the Barrymore Awards Honoring Excellence in Theater. The IRC is a non-profit 501C3 corporation. *Members of Actors Equity Association Playing time is 65 minutes; there will be no intermission.

4 CAST & CREW Tom Byrn (The Professor) is very happy to be working with the IRC on these beautifully absurd and purely irrational assemblages of sounds. He is extremely grateful to Tina, Lee, Kate, and Jane, for enduring the general tumult, and the specific madness of page 69. Profound thanks to Sarah for cracking the whip. Cheers! Jane Moore (The Maid) is pleased to have this opportunity to work with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. After receiving her MFA from Temple University s graduate theater department, Ms. Moore went on to host WHYY TV s award-winning interview show Jane Moore & Theatrically she has worked at the McCarter Theatre, Virginia Museum and Virginia Stage and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Locally she has worked at The Lantern Theater Company, Theatre Exile, Pig Iron Theatre Company, The Wilma and Act II Playhouse, where she received a Barrymore nomination for Grace and Glorie. Kate Black-Regan (The Pupil) This is Kate's first stage performance in Philadelphia and with The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Previously she has worked with the Livingston Theatre Company of Rutgers University (New Brunswick) before graduating with diplomas in both the arts and the sciences, too. Principal roles in musicals include Lady Larken in Once Upon a Mattress, Kate Ruston in Working, Minnie Fae in Hello Dolly, and Bette in Oliver. Kate has acted in a gaggle of independent films including Qua Qua Mary (Mary), Long Lost Life (Wendy), Happy Birthday, Harris Malden (Cindy the Hairdresser), The Tolltaker, thus and thus and etc. She has also worked as a performer on Philadelphia's Spirit Cruises, and played a recurring role as a patient in a few hundred doctor's distant memories. Kate is elated excited and delighted to be apart of Ionesco's The Lesson and thanks Tina for everything and more, Lee for something and everything else, Jane for another thing and something, and Tom for nothing and all the rest. In all seriousness, thanks to you all for all your superb skill and good will and for riding the train together. Tina Brock (Director) formed the IRC with Bob Schmidt in For the IRC, she has directed Eugène Ionesco s Victims of Duty, Foursome, The Leader, and Frenzy for Two; Samuel Beckett s Ohio Impromptu, Catastrophe, and Come and Go; Christopher Durang s For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls; Desire, Desire, Desire; A Stye of the Eye; and The Actor s Nightmare and Edward Albee s The Sandbox. For Random Acts of Theater she directed Tennessee Williams I Can t Imagine Tomorrow and A Perfect Analysis Given by a Parrot. As a freelance actress in Philadelphia and New York, she has appeared in theater, regional and national commercials, television and film. As an actress, theater credits include Luna Theater, Azuka Theater, Theatre Exile, Arden Theater Company, Philadelphia Theater Company, Act II Playhouse, and Bckseet Productions. This Spring, she ll appear in Nicky Silver s Raised in Captivity for Bckseet Productions. Tina studied Journalism and Dance/Theater at University of

5 Maryland and attended Rutgers for graduate studies in Psychology while working in various incarnations at PBS affiliate WHYY-TV12 in development, on-air fundraising and public relations. Over the past fifteen years, she has also worked as a freelance producer and writer, and as an associate producer on the NPR show, A Chef s Table with Jim Coleman. Television credits include the pilot season of the short-lived Ghost Stories; many years as an on-air spokesperson for PBS WHYY-TV12. A Great Big thanks to this cast for their dedication and the many laughs; to Bob and Lee for literally building and steering the ship; to Bill for his unwavering support; and to my very special son Liam, for his courage, his sense of humor, and for helping me to be a better Mom. Lee Pucklis (Stage Manager/Assistant Director) is a 25 year professional vet of the arts. He has acted and/or produced on and off Broadway, in regional and stock theatre, film and TV. His formal training came from Meisner, Strasberg, LeGallienne, and Lortel. Additional NY theatre work includes the general management and stage and production management functions at Lucille Lortel Productions, the Actors Studio, Union Square Theatre, American Place Theatre, and Circle Rep. Lee is a past member of the NY League of Theatre Producers, and also a former theatre program auditor for the New York State Council on the Arts. Presently, he is a board member of the IRC aiding in fundraising and production development. Bob Schmidt (Production Manager) is a founding member of the IRC and has appeared in many IRC productions since the company s founding in 2006: Eugène Ionesco s Victims of Duty, The Leader, and Foursome; Christopher Durang s The Actor s Nightmare and Wanda s Visit, and Samuel Beckett s Catastrophe. Most recently, he appeared in the IRC s A Streetcar Named Durang and Luna Theater Company s production of Israel Horwitz s Line. He looks forward to many more absurd adventures with the IRC. Many thanks to Tina for her boundless energy and passion and a very generous and talented cast. Brian Strachan (Costume Design) is the Director of Dance Costume for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. At the university he is responsible for all aspects of costume design within the dance department. Mr. Strachan also teaches costume design. As well as designing the costumes for The Lesson this season, Brian is designing costumes for the Lantern Theater's upcoming production of Hamlet and the costumes for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater's upcoming production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged (for the third time). Mr. Strachan earned his MFA in Costume Design from Temple University in Philadelphia. He also designs costumes for Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA., and Burlington County Community College in Pemberton, NJ, as well as many other theaters across the USA. Cutter/Draper: Rufus Cottman Costume Construction: Lorraine Anderson

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7 Actors' Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit

8 MERCI! Jim Caiola, David Salama and Georgia Leslie, Josh and the staff at L'Etage Sam and Eileen O Brien Kali Colton AxD Gallery/Ed Barnhart Ryan McMenamin Brian Strachan Brian Adoff Andrew Borthwick-Leslie Lorin Lyle at The Parlor George DiCenzo Gail Furman Jesse Delaney Beverly Stover Rita Pucklis Ed and Eleanor Cunningham George Sfedu & Susan Satkowski Kathleen Maum Steve Hatzai Richard Kotulski Liam Brock Bill Brock Consider helping us grow! Your contributions to The IRC are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium P. O. Box Philadelphia, PA