FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Jan. 25, 2008 MEDIA CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger, 919-733-2750, ext. 225 John Mauceri to Conduct the North Carolina Symphony in Shostakovich’s 1964 Film Score for the Soviet Film Hamlet; Unique Performance Melds Actors and Orchestra
RALEIGH AND CHAPEL HILL -- John Mauceri, Chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts and long-time Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will lead the North Carolina Symphony and a talented group of actors in a groundbreaking adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Hamlet. Concerts will take place on Thursday, February 14 in Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill and on February 15 & 16 in Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, all beginning at 8pm. The performances mark the world concert premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich’s score written for Russian director Grigori Kosintsev’s 1964 film version of Hamlet. “The genesis of these performances arose from a number of sources,” Mauceri says. “I have become fascinated with the possibility of removing two elements from the cinema—specifically the screen play and the musical score—and presenting them in a live theatrical situation, built around the musical score itself.” Mauceri has been known throughout his career for programs which brilliantly fuse music and theatre. The actors for these performances will include members, alumni and friends of the NC School of the Arts Drama Program, under the direction of Gerald Freedman, the school’s Dean of Drama. Among his impressive theatrical credentials, Freedman is a highly respected authority on Shakespeare. He has directed 26 of the 38 surviving plays, and was the first American invited to direct at the world-famous Globe Theatre in London. Mauceri points out that Shostakovich is known to have loved Hamlet and produced three different scores based on it. “The Shostakovich centenary (2006) came and went without a single major restoration or reevaluation made by symphony orchestras and chamber music societies of the world,” he says. “And when one considers the fact that Dmitri Shostakovich is without doubt one of the last century’s greatest composers and that he contributed music to 35 films, exploring his film output seemed an important and needed action.” The performance has been tailored for the concert stage. “In partnering with me,” Mauceri says, “director Gerald Freedman has adapted Shakespeare’s text into a manageable length, making this performance edition something of a Hamlet tone poem, with words and music creating a drama to be performed by six actors and a symphony orchestra.” Mauceri sought and received permission to use Shostakovich’s film score in this way from Madame Irina Shostakovich, the composer’s widow. Combining actors and a live orchestra is a logical step for the Symphony, says general manager and vice president for artistic operations Scott Freck. “We continue to seek out opportunities to integrate symphonic music with other great art forms. In this case, we blend one of the 20^th century’s innovations – film music – with one of the most powerful and enduring plays in the theatrical canon. John’s concept is pure genius, and we’re positive that the results on stage will be electrifying.”	Maestro Mauceri Photo by Donald Dietz Gerald Freedman Cigdem Onat
The performances will be augmented by a series of events, including a panel discussion with Mauceri, Freedman, Freck, and actors from the cast, a chamber music performance of music by Shostakovich and a screening of the original Kosintsev film at the Galaxy Theater in Cary (see below for details). ADDITIONAL EVENTS: Monday, February 11: Shostakovich Pub Concert, Humble Pie, 317 S. Harrington Street, Raleigh. Limited menu, full bar service. Doors open at 6:30pm, show at 7:30pm. Reservations encouraged. No cover charge. www.humblepiebakery.com, 919.829.9222. North Carolina Symphony musicians perform Shostakovich’s String Quartets Nos. 8. Commentary by Kevin Bartig, UNC-Chapel Hill Russian film scholar. Tuesday, February 12: Shostakovich, Shakespeare and Showbiz: Symphony Essentials Series, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh, 7:30pm Free event, general admission. Join us for an evening of stimulating discussion as we explore the triumphs and challenges of creating this world premiere collaboration of music, drama, and cinema. Meet the artists, pick their brains, ask the hard questions! Meet and greet; wine and cheese reception follows. Moderator: David Sontag, Wesley Wallace Professor of Communication Studies and director of the Writing for the Screen and Stage Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is an award-winning writer and producer and has written for Columbia Pictures, MGM, and Hollywood Pictures among others. Mr. Sontag has held important creative and executive positions at NBC, CBS Films and ABC. Panelists: John Mauceri, Guest conductor and Chancellor of NC School of the Arts Gerald Freedman, Director and Dean of NCSA’s Drama program Scott Freck, North Carolina Symphony General Manager and Vice President for Artistic Operations Members of the Hamlet Cast Members of the North Carolina Symphony Wednesday, February 13: Screening of Russian director Grigori Kosintsev’s 1964 film of Hamlet, Galaxy Theater, Cary, 7pm. Free event, general admission. Thursday, February 14: Pre-concert discussion with Kevin Bartig, Memorial Hall, UNC-Chapel Hill campus, 7pm. Performance at 8pm. Ticketed event. Friday & Saturday, February 15 & 16: Pre-concert discussions with Dr. Randolph Foy, Associate Director, NCSU Department of Music, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh, 7pm; performances begin at 8pm. Ticketed event. For tickets and more information, please visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call the box office at 919.733.2750, Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm. OR, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 919.834.4000. About the NCSA Company: John Mauceri, Conductor: John Mauceri’s distinguished and varied career has brought him to the world's leading opera companies and symphony orchestras, the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, as well as to the most prestigious halls of academia. He served for sixteen years as the Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he retains the title of Founding Director. He has been the music director of four opera houses: Pittsburgh Opera, Washington Opera, Scottish Opera and Teatro Regio in Turin. He has also conducted the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, the Deutsche Oper, and the New York Philharmonic as well as the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Israel, Paris and the principal London orchestras. Gerald Freedman, Director: Gerald Freedman is world-renowned for his productions at Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park where he was its first artistic director, as well as Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. He made theatre history with the original production of Hair which opened New York’s Public Theatre. He was Artistic Director of the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, CT, John Houseman’s The Acting Company and the Great Lakes Theatre Festival. He has been Dean of the School of Drama at NCSA for the past seventeen years and is the first American to direct at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England. Cigdem Onat Houseman (Gertrude): Renowned award winning actor and acting teacher Cigdem Onat Houseman was on the faculty of NCSA’s School of Drama for 25 years. Prior to that, she taught at UNC-Chapel Hill and was a leading actor with PlayMakers Repertory Company, founded by her late husband Arthur Houseman. She presently teaches acting in the graduate program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and acts professionally. She received a Drama Desk nomination and a Theatre World Award for her performance in the Lincoln Center Theater Company’s revival of The Time of the Cuckoo. Lucas Hall (Hamlet): New York credits include Edward the Second (Red Bull Theater), All's Well ThatEnds Well (Theater for a New Audience), The Hasty Heart (Keen Company). Regional credits: Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Violet Hour- Old Globe, Two Noble Kinsmen-Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Romeo and Juliet- New Repertory Theater, The Tempest-Pittsburgh Public, Cyrano, Henry IV- Shakespeare Theater, Washington,DC, Henry V-ART. Film/TV credits include The Love Letter, The Late Summer, As The World Turns, Guiding Light. Mr. Hall received training at North Carolina School of the Arts, 2003. John Woodson (Claudius/Ghost): Woodson has over thirty years of professional experience as an actor and director. He has performed in over a hundred productions including Jason in the Broadway production of Medea, starring Dame Diana Rigg; Kent in King Lear with Hal Holbrook at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and Roundabout Theatre (Gerald Freedman directing); Kent in King Lear with F. Murray Abraham at the NY Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater; Exeter in Henry V, NY Shakespeare Festival; Destiny of Me, Lucille Lortel Theatre, and The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks (World Premiere), Signature Theatre Company – also a founding member. Regionally, John has worked in many outstanding theatres including: Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Dallas Theatre Center, Alley Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival (company member), Cleveland Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Long Wharf, Buffalo Studio Arena and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (a founding company member). John served as Artistic and Executive Director of The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC from 2002-2006. John is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. Sarah Viccellio (Ophelia): Sarah is a 2005 School of Drama BFA graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. Favorite roles at school include: Belinda in Engaged and Carol in Oleanna. Since graduation, she has appeared on As the World Turns, Damages, Law and Order, and in the Focus Features film Evening. Richard Fullerton (Polonius, Gravedigger, Osric): Fullerton has appeared in well over a hundred roles including theatre, film, television, industrials and commercials. Favorite stage appearances: Los Angeles premieres of The White House Murder Case and The Trip Back Down, Sea Marks, Waiting for Godot, The Foreigner and a season at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. Locally, he enjoyed performing in Faith Healer, Machinal, Brigadoon (at NCSA), Moving Picture and A Christmas Carol. Films include Remember the Titans, Black Knight, Cabin Fever, Mickey and The List. Awaiting release are: Two Tickets to Paradise, The Dog Days of Summer, House of Fallen. Mr. Fullerton holds a BFA in drama from NCSA. Jerry Miceli (Laertes/Horatio). A native of Chicago and a 2003 graduate of NCSA. Jerry's extremely excited and thankful to be working with Gerald Freedman again! National Tours: Hans Brinker (Peter), Oklahoma! (1^st national Ali Hakim U/S). Other credits: Moll Flanders (Judge), Hamlet (Laertes). Commercials/TV: Snap-on Tools, American Family Insurance, Kohl’s, Guiding Light. Proud member of AEA. All my love to my beautiful wife, Brandi, and our 2 year old King Charles Millie (and of course Mom and Dad!). -30-
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Jan. 25, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger, 919-733-2750, ext. 225

John Mauceri to Conduct the North Carolina Symphony
in Shostakovich’s 1964 Film Score for the Soviet Film Hamlet;
Unique Performance Melds Actors and Orchestra

RALEIGH AND CHAPEL HILL -- John Mauceri, Chancellor of the North Carolina School of the Arts and long-time Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra will lead the North Carolina Symphony and a talented group of actors in a groundbreaking adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy Hamlet. Concerts will take place on Thursday, February 14 in Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill and on February 15 & 16 in Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, all beginning at 8pm.

The performances mark the world concert premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich’s score written for Russian director Grigori Kosintsev’s 1964 film version of Hamlet. “The genesis of these performances arose from a number of sources,” Mauceri says. “I have become fascinated with the possibility of removing two elements from the cinema—specifically the screen play and the musical score—and presenting them in a live theatrical situation, built around the musical score itself.” Mauceri has been known throughout his career for programs which brilliantly fuse music and theatre.

The actors for these performances will include members, alumni and friends of the NC School of the Arts Drama Program, under the direction of Gerald Freedman, the school’s Dean of Drama. Among his impressive theatrical credentials, Freedman is a highly respected authority on Shakespeare. He has directed 26 of the 38 surviving plays, and was the first American invited to direct at the world-famous Globe Theatre in London.

Mauceri points out that Shostakovich is known to have loved Hamlet and produced three different scores based on it. “The Shostakovich centenary (2006) came and went without a single major restoration or reevaluation made by symphony orchestras and chamber music societies of the world,” he says. “And when one considers the fact that Dmitri Shostakovich is without doubt one of the last century’s greatest composers and that he contributed music to 35 films, exploring his film output seemed an important and needed action.”

The performance has been tailored for the concert stage. “In partnering with me,” Mauceri says, “director Gerald Freedman has adapted Shakespeare’s text into a manageable length, making this performance edition something of a Hamlet tone poem, with words and music creating a drama to be performed by six actors and a symphony orchestra.” Mauceri sought and received permission to use Shostakovich’s film score in this way from Madame Irina Shostakovich, the composer’s widow.

Combining actors and a live orchestra is a logical step for the Symphony, says general manager and vice president for artistic operations Scott Freck. “We continue to seek out opportunities to integrate symphonic music with other great art forms. In this case, we blend one of the 20^th century’s innovations – film music – with one of the most powerful and enduring plays in the theatrical canon. John’s concept is pure genius, and we’re positive that the results on stage will be electrifying.”

Maestro Mauceri
Photo by Donald Dietz

Gerald Freedman

Cigdem Onat

The performances will be augmented by a series of events, including a panel discussion with Mauceri, Freedman, Freck, and actors from the cast, a chamber music performance of music by Shostakovich and a screening of the original Kosintsev film at the Galaxy Theater in Cary (see below for details).

ADDITIONAL EVENTS:

Monday, February 11: Shostakovich Pub Concert, Humble Pie, 317 S. Harrington Street, Raleigh. Limited menu, full bar service. Doors open at 6:30pm, show at 7:30pm. Reservations encouraged. No cover charge. www.humblepiebakery.com, 919.829.9222. North Carolina Symphony musicians perform Shostakovich’s String Quartets Nos. 8. Commentary by Kevin Bartig, UNC-Chapel Hill Russian film scholar.

Tuesday, February 12: Shostakovich, Shakespeare and Showbiz: Symphony Essentials Series, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh, 7:30pm Free event, general admission. Join us for an evening of stimulating discussion as we explore the triumphs and challenges of creating this world premiere collaboration of music, drama, and cinema. Meet the artists, pick their brains, ask the hard questions! Meet and greet; wine and cheese reception follows.

Moderator:
David Sontag, Wesley Wallace Professor of Communication Studies and director of the Writing for the Screen and Stage Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is an award-winning writer and producer and has written for Columbia Pictures, MGM, and Hollywood Pictures among others. Mr. Sontag has held important creative and executive positions at NBC, CBS Films and ABC.

Panelists:
John Mauceri, Guest conductor and Chancellor of NC School of the Arts
Gerald Freedman, Director and Dean of NCSA’s Drama program
Scott Freck, North Carolina Symphony General Manager and Vice President for Artistic Operations
Members of the Hamlet Cast
Members of the North Carolina Symphony

Wednesday, February 13: Screening of Russian director Grigori Kosintsev’s 1964 film of Hamlet, Galaxy Theater, Cary, 7pm. Free event, general admission.

Thursday, February 14: Pre-concert discussion with Kevin Bartig, Memorial Hall, UNC-Chapel Hill campus, 7pm. Performance at 8pm. Ticketed event.

Friday & Saturday, February 15 & 16: Pre-concert discussions with Dr. Randolph Foy, Associate Director, NCSU Department of Music, Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh, 7pm; performances begin at 8pm. Ticketed event.

For tickets and more information, please visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call the box office at 919.733.2750, Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm. OR, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 919.834.4000.

About the NCSA Company:

John Mauceri, Conductor: John Mauceri’s distinguished and varied career has brought him to the world's leading opera companies and symphony orchestras, the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, as well as to the most prestigious halls of academia. He served for sixteen years as the Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he retains the title of Founding Director. He has been the music director of four opera houses: Pittsburgh Opera, Washington Opera, Scottish Opera and Teatro Regio in Turin. He has also conducted the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, the Deutsche Oper, and the New York Philharmonic as well as the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Israel, Paris and the principal London orchestras.

Gerald Freedman, Director: Gerald Freedman is world-renowned for his productions at Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park where he was its first artistic director, as well as Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. He made theatre history with the original production of Hair which opened New York’s Public Theatre. He was Artistic Director of the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, CT, John Houseman’s The Acting Company and the Great Lakes Theatre Festival. He has been Dean of the School of Drama at NCSA for the past seventeen years and is the first American to direct at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England.

Cigdem Onat Houseman (Gertrude): Renowned award winning actor and acting teacher Cigdem Onat Houseman was on the faculty of NCSA’s School of Drama for 25 years. Prior to that, she taught at UNC-Chapel Hill and was a leading actor with PlayMakers Repertory Company, founded by her late husband Arthur Houseman. She presently teaches acting in the graduate program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and acts professionally. She received a Drama Desk nomination and a Theatre World Award for her performance in the Lincoln Center Theater Company’s revival of The Time of the Cuckoo.

Lucas Hall (Hamlet): New York credits include Edward the Second (Red Bull Theater), All's Well ThatEnds Well (Theater for a New Audience), The Hasty Heart (Keen Company). Regional credits: Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Violet Hour- Old Globe, Two Noble Kinsmen-Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Romeo and Juliet- New Repertory Theater, The Tempest-Pittsburgh Public, Cyrano, Henry IV- Shakespeare Theater, Washington,DC, Henry V-ART. Film/TV credits include The Love Letter, The Late Summer, As The World Turns, Guiding Light. Mr. Hall received training at North Carolina School of the Arts, 2003.

John Woodson (Claudius/Ghost): Woodson has over thirty years of professional experience as an actor and director. He has performed in over a hundred productions including Jason in the Broadway production of Medea, starring Dame Diana Rigg; Kent in King Lear with Hal Holbrook at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and Roundabout Theatre (Gerald Freedman directing); Kent in King Lear with F. Murray Abraham at the NY Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater; Exeter in Henry V, NY Shakespeare Festival; Destiny of Me, Lucille Lortel Theatre, and The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks (World Premiere), Signature Theatre Company – also a founding member. Regionally, John has worked in many outstanding theatres including: Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Dallas Theatre Center, Alley Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival (company member), Cleveland Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Long Wharf, Buffalo Studio Arena and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (a founding company member). John served as Artistic and Executive Director of The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC from 2002-2006. John is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Sarah Viccellio (Ophelia): Sarah is a 2005 School of Drama BFA graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. Favorite roles at school include: Belinda in Engaged and Carol in Oleanna. Since graduation, she has appeared on As the World Turns, Damages, Law and Order, and in the Focus Features film Evening.

Richard Fullerton (Polonius, Gravedigger, Osric): Fullerton has appeared in well over a hundred roles including theatre, film, television, industrials and commercials. Favorite stage appearances: Los Angeles premieres of The White House Murder Case and The Trip Back Down, Sea Marks, Waiting for Godot, The Foreigner and a season at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. Locally, he enjoyed performing in Faith Healer, Machinal, Brigadoon (at NCSA), Moving Picture and A Christmas Carol. Films include Remember the Titans, Black Knight, Cabin Fever, Mickey and The List. Awaiting release are: Two Tickets to Paradise, The Dog Days of Summer, House of Fallen. Mr. Fullerton holds a BFA in drama from NCSA.

Jerry Miceli (Laertes/Horatio). A native of Chicago and a 2003 graduate of NCSA. Jerry's extremely excited and thankful to be working with Gerald Freedman again! National Tours: Hans Brinker (Peter), Oklahoma! (1^st national Ali Hakim U/S). Other credits: Moll Flanders (Judge), Hamlet (Laertes). Commercials/TV: Snap-on Tools, American Family Insurance, Kohl’s, Guiding Light. Proud member of AEA. All my love to my beautiful wife, Brandi, and our 2 year old King Charles Millie (and of course Mom and Dad!).

-30-

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