GW Press Release: GW'S Department Of Theatre And Dance To Present A Weekend Focus On The Works Of Vaclav Havel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 6, 1999

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kim Hughes 202-994-6467
PUBLIC CONTACT:
Judy Annis (202) 994-6178

GW'S DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE TO PRESENT A WEEKEND FOCUS ON THE WORKS OF VACLAV HAVEL
President of Czech Republic's Works to be Discussed in a "Theatre Talk" Followed by Four Performances of His Play "The Memorandum"

EVENT:	"Theatre Talk"-- "Vaclav Havel: From Playwright to Prisoner to President." Czech actor/director Jiri Fisher joins Washington actor/director Alan Wade in a conversation about Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel. Fisher and Wade will also perform a short segment of Havel's "Audience." "The Memorandum" Havel's play about the politics of bureaucracy at its most ludicrous. Directed by Alan Wade
WHEN:	"Theatre Talk" Thursday, April 22, l999 at 5:00 p.m. "The Memorandum" April 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:	The George Washington University Marvin Center Theater 800 21st Street NW, Washington, D.C. (GW /Foggy Bottom Metro; Orange or Blue Line)
COST:	"Theatre Talk" is free and open to the public. The "Memorandum" is $10 for general admission and $8 for students/seniors.

BACKGROUND:

JIRI FISHER was born in Czechoslovakia and studied at Janacek's Academy of Performing Arts, where he received his master's degree. He spent 12 years in Czech theatres and played numerous roles for television, radio and films. After arriving in the United States in l980, he starred in the NBC soap opera, "Another World," in the long running principal role as Anton Capek and also played on CBS' "As the World Turns." On stage, he played Vaclav Benda in the off-Broadway production of John Foster's play "Ceremony in Bohemia." -more- -2-

He created NO CURTAIN THEATRE in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1990 as a forum for international theatrical expression. Sold-out performances of Havel's play, "Audience," directed and performed by Jiri Fisher and Dick Stilwell at GW's Marvin Center Theatre, The Resident Associates Program of the Smithsonian Institution in the Baird Auditorium led to the theatre's founding. The same year Fisher toured his native Czechoslovakia with the production, followed by performances in New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and just recently at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City.

As the featured guest artist at GW in the Department of Theatre and Dance in 1990, he directed "Stars in the Morning Sky" by Russian playwright Alexander Galin. Fisher maintains his current status as a producer/director and international broadcaster for Voice of America, receiving awards for excellence in programming. He also teaches an Actors Workshop on Tuesday evenings.

ALAN WADE is a professor of theatre at GW and a professional actor. Recently, he appeared at the Olney Theater Center as Truman Capote in "Holiday Memories" and as John Halder in "Good." Other appearances include the Washington Stage Guild as Becket in "Murder in the Cathedral" and Signature Theatre in the world premiere of "Melville Slept Here." He received a Helen Hayes Award nomination as best supporting actor for his work in "No End of Blame" at The Potomac Theatre Project. He has appeared on network television in "A Man Called Hawk," "Robert F. Kennedy and His Time" and "Homicide." His movie credits include "The Pelican Brief" and "Major League II." Last spring on sabbatical he taught American theatre at Richmond College in London and studied the work of the London-based Theatre Company Theatre De Complicite.

- GW -

Last updated September 1, 1999