CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION
by Annie Baker
Saybrook Underbrook Theater, Yale College
February 28 - March 2, 2013
ENSEMBLE
Sabrina Bleich (Marty)
Alexander Borsa (Schultz)
Naima Hebrail Kidjo (Theresa)
Crystal Liu (Lauren)
Charles Margossian (James)
CREATIVE TEAM
directed by Noam Shapiro
produced by Katie Stoops
stage managed by Susan Yassky
assistant directed by Susan Yassky
lighting designed by Amanda Chang
sound designed by Janine Chow
set & properties designed by Noam Shapiro
projections designed by Noam Shapiro
makeup & hair designed by Tory Burnside Clapp
photography by Nancy Xia
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION
Marty, James, Schultz, Theresa, and Lauren are all members of a summer acting class at their local community center. None of them have taken an adult acting class before. Over the course of six weeks, friendships are formed, secrets are shared, and hearts are broken. As these strangers play theater games and exercises, they discover that they have more in common with each other than they first realized. From dealing with divorce and estranged families to making life-changing career and relationship choices, these lost New Englanders recognize that they are not entirely alone. By the end of the summer, the artificial intimacy of the acting class brings these drifting souls together in hilarious, unexpected, and quietly tragic ways.
Staged in an actual dance studio at Yale, our production of Circle Mirror Transformation was an exploration of Annie Baker's realistic approach towards theater. As the audience entered the space, they were confronted by a reflection of themselves in a floor-to-ceiling mirror that spanned the length of the stage. Just at the set challenged the audience to examine themselves, our Circle Mirror Transformation provided the entire ensemble with an opportunity to explore detailed character work, improvisation, and the balance between the banal and the remarkable both on stage and off.
PRESS
“As these strangers play harmless theater games, “tiny wars of epic proportions” are waged and won. Ultimately, Annie Baker’s touching play gets at why the little things matter so much and how a group of strangers can come together to form a community.”
"Circle Mirror Transformation," Yale Arts Calendar, March 1, 2013