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Ionesco Festival
Shorts
Photo: Irene Sankoff, Andrew Rothkin, and Douglas Martin in a scene from Foursome. Photo by Rick Allen
One of the main distinguishing features of our Ionesco Festival is our unique Shorts Program. Before every full-length production, various theater companies are presenting Shorts, some of the many plays he wrote that are between 5 and 15 minutes in length. These Shorts will not, as a rule, be attached to any production. Instead, they will rove from evening to evening, so that you might find any of them as a curtain raiser before the show you are watching.
A few of the companies are presenting selections from French Conversation and Diction Exercises for American Students (referred to as Conversation Exercises below). This work is a series of skits that was originally part of a textbook (entitled Mise en train, and published in 1969) actually meant to teach students French
Also, there will be a few evenings devoted completely to the Shorts. These are listed on the productions list as Ionesco’s Shorts.
Here is a listing of the Shorts:
Untitled Theater Company #61
The Motor Show
A radio play, set at a motor show/farmyard
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by Edward Einhorn
To Prepare a Hard Boiled Egg
Cooking instructions by a poet and gastronome
FIRST EVER ENGLISH TRANSLATION by Edward Einhorn
Directed by Edward Einhorn
Amnesia Wars
The Duel
An argument, stripped to its essentials
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by Rob Reese
The Foot of the Wall
A carnival of people gather
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by Rob Reese
Conversation Exercises, Parts VI-VII, X-XI
Learn French through scenes in a hospital and classroom
NEW TRANSLATION by Andy Bragen
Directed by Rob Reese
The Evaporating Theater
Salutations
“And how are you today?”
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by Russell Kaplan
The FHB Theater Company
Foursome
Three suitors and lots of flowers
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by Glory Sims Bowen
New York Artists Unlimited
Tales for Children Under Three Years Old (Part III-IV)
Selections from Ionesco’s children stories
Translated by Helen R. Lane
Directed by Melba LaRose
TOURING SCHOOLS
The Niece-Wife
A Viscount adopts his wife as his niece
Translated by Richard Coe
Directed by Nicole Lerario
Conversation Exercises Parts I-V (SHORT)
Learn French, the first lessons
NEW TRANSLATION by Andrew Bragen
Directed by Daniel Kleinfeld
The Turnip Theatre Company
Conversation Exercises Parts XIII-XVI
Learn French on vacation, at the theater and the travel agency
NEW TRANSLATION by Andrew Bragen
Directed by Christopher Healy
The Xoregos Performing Company
Maid to Marry
Rhapsodies over a maid, spoken and danced
Translated by Donald Watson
Directed by David Ostwald and Shela Xoregos
Young Laughing God Productions
Learning to Walk
When your imagination overcomes debilitating realities
Directed by Mary Kate Burke
Links to other Ionesco Festival sites
Untitled Theater Company #61 Home Page
Production List
Day by Day Schedule
Seminars
Readings
Venues/Box office numbers
Festival Passes
Films
Staff and sponsors
Biography of Eugène Ionesco
Curator's note
Essay on Rhinoceros
More information on Ionesco and his plays at www.ionesco.org