What does it mean to become invisible, to see and not be seen, to be the ultimate outsider, ignored, misunderstood and feared?
In October, the Aquila Theatre Company, one of the nation’s finest producers of touring classical drama, will investigate these questions and more with a new stage adaptation of H.G. Wells’ timeless morality tale, The Invisible Man.
Performances, presented by the Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series at Washington University, begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30. Tickets are $28; $24 seniors and Washington University faculty and staff; and $18 for students and children. Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call (314) 935-6543.
First published in 1897, The Invisible Man tells the story of Griffin, a talented young English scientist whose startling discovery drives him slowly, and murderously, mad. The new production, created by Aquila artistic director Peter Meineck, combines Wells’ original text with an original score by Anthony Cochrane and innovative approaches to theatrical narrative and movement. The result is a visually and dramatically stunning exploration into issues of identity, isolation, community and the abuses of science.
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WHO: The Aquila Theatre Company WHAT: H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man; Adapted to the stage by Peter Meineck WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23 WHERE: Edison Theatre, Washington University, Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. TICKETS: $28. Available through the Edison Theatre Box Office, (314) 935-6543, and all MetroTix outlets SPONSOR: Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series |
Founded by Meineck in London in 1991, the Aquila Theatre Company is comprised of both British and American players and has toured to critical and academic acclaim throughout Europe, the United States and Canada. The Invisible Man continues their commitment to adapting works of classic fiction for the contemporary stage. In 2002, the company made it’s St. Louis debut at Edison Theatre with The Wrath of Achilles, a re-setting of Homer’s The Iliad, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In 2003, they returned with a new production of Shakespeare’s Othello.
Other previous tours have included Agamemnon (1991); Ajax (1992); Coriolanus (1993); Julius Caesar (1997-98); The Odyssey/The Comedy of Errors (1998-99); King Lear/The Iliad/Oedipus Tyrannus (1999-00) and Much Ado About Nothing/Cyrano De Bergerac (2000-01).
Today, Aquila serves as Professional Company in Residence at the Center for Ancient Studies at New York University. Their many honors include the prize for Dramatic Excellence from the Greek government and several prestigious British Council Touring awards. The Aquila Education Program has been presented at more than 150 North American theaters and universities. The company’s original translations of Greek plays are published by Hackett Press.
Edison Theatre’s OVATIONS! Series serves both Washington University and the St. Louis community by providing the highest caliber national and international artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material not otherwise seen in St. Louis. Focusing on presentations that are interdisciplinary, multicultural and/or experimental, Edison Theatre presents work intended to challenge, educate and inspire.
Edison Theatre programs are supported by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis.