"Diaghilev" to premier at Bernhard Theater this July

DIAGHILEV, a new play written by David S. Singer and directed by Sheryl Kaller (Christopher Durang’s Adrift of Macao), will be presented at the Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater, Skidmore College, at 8 p.m. Friday, July 20, and Saturday, July 21. The event salutes the upcoming 2009 centennial of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes and is the culmination of Diaghilev Company’s two-week residency at the College. Admission is free and first-come, first-served; advance reservations are encouraged.

Inspired by true events, DIAGHILEV explores the personal and professional relationship between two almost-mythical characters: Serge Diaghilev, founder of Ballet Russes, and Vaslav Nijinsky, the greatest dancer of his era and star of Ballet Russes. The play follows the two men from their first meeting in pre-revolutionary Russia to their public reunion in 1928 at the Chatelet Theater in Paris. 

Dance pieces in DIAGHILEV include newly staged excerpts from Petrouchka, Afternoon of a Faun, and The Rite of Spring, staged by choreographer Robert La Fosse (principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet; and Tony award-winner) and musical excerpts from composers Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Ravel under the musical direction of Charles Joseph, professor of music at Skidmore.
Joseph and Singer are former collaborators; the two previously worked on screenplay about Stravinsky and Balanchine. Said Joseph, “The opportunity to work with him was too good to pass up.”
Music for the production includes excerpts of selections by Stravinsky, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky, “all very familiar to dance audiences,” according to Joseph, who also contributed a few original compositions in the style of the time period portrayed.
Reflecting on how Diaghilev combines music and dance and into a theatrical production, Joseph
explained, “There is a delicate balance to be struck so that the music complements the dance, and combined, those two elements help to tell the very dramatic story of Nijinsky and Diaghilev. Ballet, perhaps even more than opera, is a highly complex collaborative art form. To bring this to life on the stage, in which all of these elements interact, is indeed quite involved.”
The production will feature early 20th-century costumes from past Diaghilev productions, generously on loan from the Joffrey Ballet, which has one of the most extensive collections in the world of Diaghilev works.
 “One of the unique elements of this play is the incorporation of the dance sequences which serve to illuminate the unspoken and subconscious relationship between Diaghilev and Nijinsky,” notes playwright Singer. “This two-week workshop is the perfect opportunity to explore the ambitious marriage of three disciplines: theater, dance and music”.
The cast features Thom Sesma (The Times They Are A-Changin, Man of La Mancha) as Diaghilev (); Adam Greer(Death of a Salesman) as Nijinsky; Skidmore theater professor and Broadway theater artist Lary Opitz (Seabiscuit); and Skidmore students Samantha Hooper-Hamersley ‘08; Brendan Duggan ‘10; Alycia Kiley ‘09 and Maggie Stack‘09.
Opitz, who chairs Skidmore’s Theater Department, calls Diaghilev “a wonderful opportunity for the Skidmore theater community. It is always exciting to be involved in the developmental stage of a new work, and it’s wonderful that a number of Skidmore students will be performing in and working on the piece.”
Earlier in his career, Opitz was a professional dance lighting designer, which has given him a deep appreciation for the world of dance. In terms of his own performance, he said, “I look forward to having a great deal of fun on this project since I get to play nine different roles in one play. I get to explore quite a range of different characters…always great fun for an actor.”
DIAGHILEV is produced at Skidmore by Andy Sandberg with the support of the College’s Office of the Dean of Special Programs.
Tickets may be reserved by e-mail at diaghilevplay@gmail.com. Admission is free.