'Proof' Adds Up to Spectacular Drama at Kean Theatre
Play takes to stage Sept. 21, 22, 28, 29
Gibsonia, Pa. - Aug. 30, 2007 - "Proof," the winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, will be staged as the first drama ever at the Kean Theatre, 5847 Meridian Road, at 8 p.m. Sept. 21, 22, 28 and 29. The show stars accomplished Pittsburgh-area actors who are veterans of the Kean Theatre's comedies: Jessica Ream and Ricardo Vila-Roger.
Tickets to "Proof" are $19 for general admission or $25 for Director's Circle. An optional dinner will be served at 6 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Restaurant, located in the same building as the Kean. Dinner and show tickets are $37 for general admission or $43 for Director's Circle. To order, call 724-444-KEAN (5326) or visit www.keantheatre.com. Group rates and multi-ticket discounts are available. Proceeds benefit the St. Barnabas Free Care Fund, which in 2006 alone provided $5.84 million to poor and low-income patients at St. Barnabas Nursing Home, Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas and The Arbors at St. Barnabas.
Ream, of Plum Borough, plays Catherine, a troubled young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician who recently died. The fragile woman now deals with her volatile emotions, the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire, and the attentions of Hal (Vila-Roger), a former student of her father's who enters her life. When Hal discovers a mysterious notebook containing a groundbreaking mathematical proof, the delicate Catherine questions how much of her father's genius - or madness - she will inherit.
Ream made her Kean Theatre debut in September 2006 playing the role of Elaine in the classic "The Graduate." She is a recent graduate of Point Park University, where she majored in theatre/acting and minored in broadcast journalism and English. Ream is an actor, dancer and singer who has performed with the Civic Light Opera and The Point Park Playhouse. She has also performed along the east coast of the United States, Brazil and Poland. Soon after her performance as Catherine, she will move to Hollywood to pursue her acting career. In the meantime, she is enjoying her current role.
"Catherine is very complex," Ream says. "The range of emotions she is inundated with during the production are very demanding and emotionally draining. It is the type of role you dream of doing."
Playing Hal is Ricardo Vila-Roger of Avalon. The native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has more than 30 stage roles to his credit in Colorado and Pittsburgh. He has appeared in six television commercials. A regular at the Kean Theatre, he has appeared in "Same Time, Next Year," "Noises Off," "Don't Dress For Dinner," "Catch Me if You Can" and "Laughter on the 23rd Floor." Vila-Roger holds a bachelor of arts degree in theatre from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and completed six years of voice training and three years of dance in addition to training in piano, broadcast, and scene study/cold reads.
Rounding out the cast are Krysia Vila-Roger of Avalon as Claire and John Shuey of Hampton as Robert. "Proof" is directed by Tom Madden, managing director of the Kean Theatre. Madden explains why he chose "Proof" as the Kean's first drama: "The theater has been presenting great comedies, highly successful comedies but the company and the audience has to evolve, grow," Madden says. "'Proof' is beautifully written and has some very rich and defined characters. We also were lucky enough to have the talent to go after a play this complicated. When you have that kind of talent and this kind of script, selecting the play was easy."
Sponsors of "Proof" are UPMC Health Plan, the Oscar sponsor of the Kean Theatre; and Armstrong, the Grammy sponsor; Mars National Bank, the Tony sponsor; and Lenzner Coach Lines, the Golden Globe sponsor. The Kean Theatre is open to the public and has built a reputation for its convenient location, free parking, quality entertainment and elegant setting. The theatre is operated by St. Barnabas Charities, the fund-raising arm of St. Barnabas Health System. St. Barnabas Health System includes St. Barnabas Nursing Home, Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas, The Arbors at St. Barnabas, The Village at St. Barnabas, The Woodlands at St. Barnabas, The Washington Place at St. Barnabas, and St. Barnabas Medical Center.
Contact:
Kathleen Brenneman
(724) 444-5530
kbrenneman@stbarnabashealthsystem.com
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