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SUNY Potsdam production of 'Back of the Throat' opens Thursday

Posted 10/20/14

POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam's Department of Theatre and Dance will open a production of Yussef El Guindi's play, "Back of the Throat," next week, in the Performing Arts Center's Proscenium Theater. "Back …

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SUNY Potsdam production of 'Back of the Throat' opens Thursday

Posted

POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam's Department of Theatre and Dance will open a production of Yussef El Guindi's play, "Back of the Throat," next week, in the Performing Arts Center's Proscenium Theater.

"Back of the Throat" will be presented from Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, with all performances at 7:30 p.m. on those dates. In addition, two Sunday matinee performances will be offered, at 2 p.m. on both Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

A post-9/11 black comedy that has been called "brilliant and sinewy" by the New Yorker, "Back of the Throat" follows an investigation into allegations of terrorism. The play challenges us to consider the perceptions we have about identity, individual rights and both foreign and domestic policy.

"'Back of the Throat' plays like a section of the U.S. Patriot Act, as dramatized by David Mamet and Franz Kafka," American Theatre Magazine wrote in a review.

The play unfolds as two government agents question Khaled, a young Arab-American writer portrayed by Isa Ghit. The FBI agents who arrive at Khaled's apartment appear polite and mildly inquisitive, but their questioning intensifies as the play progresses -- with every item in the apartment becoming a potential source of suspicion. Miles River Willow and John Andalora portray the government agents, as Bartlett and Carl, respectively.

Khaled's chance encounter with a terrorist named Asfoor, played by Ethan Washburn, is distorted into a conspiracy by the agents. In addition, the cast includes Shelly, a librarian played by Shadie Thompson; Khaled's ex-girlfriend Beth, played by Katherine Danforth, and Jean, the pole dancer portrayed by Chelsea Rose. Insinuations and assumptions unfold, as the play progresses to a climax.

This production is directed by Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance Kimberly Bouchard. Sarah Dickerson is the stage manager, while Heather Martell serves as the assistant stage manager. The design and production team includes theatre and dance faculty members as follows: Don Borsh (lighting design), Janet Sussman (costume design), Todd Canedy (scenic design), Don Mandigo (sound design), Jeff Reeder (technical direction) and Guerry McLaurin (production management).

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for faculty, staff and students. To purchase tickets, contact the Community Performance Series Box Office at (267-2277 or www.cpspotsdam.org, or visit the box office, located in the Performing Arts Center lobby.

From directing, choreographing, acting and dancing, to designing and technical work, theatre and dance are highly collaborative art forms at SUNY Potsdam. Students and professionals engage in creative problem solving, requiring the setting and meeting of long-term goals, and the analysis and understanding of movement and dramatic literature.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Department of Theatre and Dance, visit www.potsdam.edu/theatre.