Acclaimed director spotlights Euripides during Public Theater's Stanford residency

Celebrated theater director JoAnne Akalaitis will workshop her new production of Euripides's The Bacchae during a two-week residency at Stanford from Oct. 29 to Nov. 11. The residency, which continues Stanford's long-term partnership with New York's Public Theater, includes a range of events for students and the public.

Akalaitis, who has won five Obie awards for direction and achievement, will be joined by a team from the Public Theateractors, artistic director Oskar Eustis, translator Nicholas Rudall, choreographer David Neumann, dramaturge Jim Leverett and lighting designer Jennifer Tiptonfor intensive rehearsals, class visits, symposia and discussions.

The Public Theater, known for its cutting-edge productions, was founded by legendary producer and director Joseph Papp as the New York Shakespeare Festival. Akalaitis headed the company for 20 months following Papp's death in 1991.

With Akalaitis' visit, the theater launches its third Stanford residency. The alliance between one of the most prominent cultural institutions and one of the world's great universities was formed with the intention of creating new theatrical works, supporting emerging and established artists, cultivating new audiences, and fostering innovation.

A number of events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis:

A seminar, "How We Write," with Akalaitis and Leverett, assistant professor of dramaturgy and dramatic criticism at Yale, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in Cubberley Auditorium;

A lunchtime lecture by Rush Rehm, associate professor of drama and classics, Stanford, on "Beauty in the Blood: Euripides' The Bacchae and the Theater" at noon Nov. 2 in Pigott Theater;

A modern dance master class with David Neumann at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 in Roble Dance Studio;

A meet-the-artists panel discussion on the subject of adaptation at noon Nov. 8 in Pigott Theater, featuring Akalaitis, award-winning playwright and director Octavio Solis and Tony Award-winning playwright and director Mary Zimmerman, perhaps best known as the creator of the acclaimed Metamorphoses;

A symposium, "Tyrants, Gods and Wild Women," hosted by Stanford classics Professor Richard Martin from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 10 in the lecture room of Building 110; and

Three open rehearsals of The Bacchae at 8 p.m. Nov. 8 (for students, staff and faculty only) and Nov. 9 and at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 in Roble Studio Theater.

"Academic Encounters"opportunities for Stanford students to interact with the artistic teamare listed online at http://www.stanford.edu/group/sica/ptny/academicencounters.html.

After Akalaitis develops her production at Stanford, The Bacchae, with music by Philip Glass, will debut in New York City during the Public Theater's 2008-09 season.

Discussing the partnership with Public Theater in an Oakland Tribune article earlier this year, Bryan Wolf, co-director of the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts, said, "This is not just a think tank. It's an attempt to tackle something real, to make new plays."

The Public Theater's residency at Stanford is presented by the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts, Lively Arts, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts and the Department of Drama, in partnership with the Hume Writing Center, the Program in Writing and Rhetoric, the Department of Classics, Structured Liberal Education, Introduction to the Humanities, East Florence Moore Hall, Kimball Hall and Casa Zapata.