MONMOUTH, Ill. – Fresh from their success at the
2004 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Monmouth College alumni Matt Fotis, Vicki
Kunz, Kyle Anderson and Jeanette Nielsen will return to the MC stage with
a performance of “The Van Gogh Exhibit” on Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the
Wells Theater.
General admission seating is $2 and tickets will
be available at the door.
Written by Fotis, a 2001 MC graduate and an
award-winning playwright, “The Van Gogh Exhibit” is a circular tale that
follows the ripple effect from a traveling art exhibit. Fotis says the
play satirizes and explores contemporary American society and values by
examining, among other things, the interconnectedness of life, marriage,
sexuality, postmodern politics, nostalgia and, of course, modern art.
Fotis is the founder and current artistic director
of Shantz Theatre in Bloomington/Normal, where he is currently studying
for an M.A. degree in playwriting at Illinois State University. His plays
have been produced from coast to coast, and he has also worked extensively
in improvisational theatre, studying at Improv Olympic and the Brave New
Workshop.
The Monmouth College graduate says his latest work
“is perfect for anyone who has contemplated how they fit into the master
plan, or anyone who has ever wondered how their conversation with their
mother connects to two shoeshine guys.” He says his play was structurally
influenced by Arthur Schnitzler’s century-old play, “La Ronde.”
Kunz, a 2002 MC graduate, is a multifaceted
actress, improviser, director and stage manager. Also an alumna of the
Second City Conservatory Program, Kunz now serves as the resident stage
manager for The Theatre for Young Audiences at Apple Tree Theatre in
Highland Park, Ill. She is also stage managing “Bunnicula” at Lifetime
Theatre this fall.
After graduating from Monmouth in 2003, Anderson
went to Chicago to pursue light and set design in the city’s theatre
world. He has designed lights for American Demigods’ “Lysistrata 3000,”
and has worked as the master electrician for Vitalists’ production of
“King Lear.” He is currently studying at Improv Olympic and the Annoyance
Theatre.
Nielsen is a familiar face to Monmouth audiences,
having performed in a number of the college’s Crimson Masque productions,
as well as performing with Anvil Head Theatre. The 2003 MC graduate has
been active in Shantz Theatre and currently resides in Bloomington/Normal.
For further information about the show, contact
Bill Wallace at 309-457-2374 or
billw@monm.edu.
