October 8, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Dana Werdmuller, Director of Marketing & PR
(831) 459-3160 • dwerdmul@ucsc.edu
SHAKESPEARE SANTA CRUZ NAMES MARCO BARRICELLI AS INCOMING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
SANTA CRUZ, CA – Shakespeare Santa Cruz has named Marco Barricelli as its incoming Artistic Director. Barricelli, a nationally-acclaimed actor, director and educator will succeed Paul Whitworth. Whitworth’s 2007 season caps a long and productive career with the company as leading actor, director and translator. Whitworth, who came to SSC from Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company in 1984, has held the position of Artistic Director of SSC since September 1995. “I came to SSC in its third year of existence. It has been a privilege to play a part in the development of this remarkable company” says Whitworth, “and now it is time to pursue other possibilities.” Whitworth joins the Asolo Theatre Company in Florida in February 2008 to play the role of Dysart in Equus by Peter Shaffer. Barricelli will take the reins as Artistic Director on January 1, 2008.
Of his successor, Paul Whitworth says, "The art of the actor is central to an understanding of Shakespeare. I am thrilled that the Board of Shakespeare Santa Cruz and the Arts Division of the University of California, Santa Cruz, have appointed Marco Barricelli to be the next Artistic Director of SSC. From the year of its foundation onwards, SSC has been defined by its strong commitment to a belief in the importance of the actor's contribution to making and studying theatre. Marco is a superb actor with a national reputation for performances in both Shakespearean and modern roles. His outstanding talent and his experience as a company member and teacher at A.C.T. in San Francisco make Marco the perfect choice. "
Theatre professionals nationwide are applauding the choice:
Carey Perloff, Artistic Director, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA:
“Marco Barricelli is the perfect successor to Paul [Whitworth] in that he has a huge depth of experience in the Shakespearean canon but also a wonderful appetite for unusual classics, and great love of actors. I think he will attract wonderful actors to the Festival. And Marco is a great mentor and teacher for young artists interested in joining the profession so he’ll be a great addition to the University of California Santa Cruz campus itself and the vigor of that theatrical experience.”
Libby Appel, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, OR:
“Marco is one of the finest actors and all around theatre people I have ever known. I think he is just the right match with Shakespeare Santa Cruz because of his brilliant classical theatre background and his forward vision for the future.”
Jerry Patch, Resident Artistic Director, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA:
“Shakespeare Santa Cruz has made a great hire. Marco is a man of theatrical vision, an incredible actor, a seasoned director, and a theatre artist of the first order. It's also interesting to see SSC maintain the centuries old tradition of actors leading theatres, one we've not seen much of in recent decades.”
Gordon Edelstein, Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven CT:
“Marco Barricelli is one of the most uniquely gifted theatre artists in the country. A magnificently gifted actor with a broad enough vision to allow him to be a superb director, Marco is a superb theatre artist. I commend Shakespeare Santa Cruz on the wisdom of their choice; he will make a wonderful artistic director.”
Tom Stoppard, Tony award-winning playwright (Travesties, The Real Thing, Coast of Utopia), Academy award-winning screenwriter (Shakespeare In Love):
“Marco, who has been in several of my plays, is a superb actor and also a congenial and imaginative collaborator. I’m delighted by his appointment”.
Olympia Dukakis, Academy Award-winning actress (Moonstruck):
"It doesn't get better than Marco Barricelli -- consummate actor, teacher and Shakespearean scholar. What a great match - Marco Barricelli and Shakespeare Santa Cruz."
Mr. Barricelli’s appointment is a result of a nine-month international search process. Shakespeare Santa Cruz Board of Directors President Christa Stiner served on the selection committee: “We were delighted by the caliber and artistry of the scores of applicants produced by the international search. The future of SSC and theater in Santa Cruz is bright with Marco Barricelli leading the way to new artistic heights.”
Marcus Cato, Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s Managing Director had this to say: “I couldn’t imagine a more qualified or exciting artist to take the Artistic Director reins than Marco Barricelli. Marco is unquestionably one of the most respected leading actors in the classical theatres of this country. He has an uncompromising love and commitment to Shakespeare and the other classics and he is admired as much for his integrity and intelligence as for his superior artistry. We couldn’t be happier to start our second 25 years as a festival with an artist like Marco who understands and admires our work and our traditions and is prepared to take us to a new level of excellence.”
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal was equally enthusiastic about the appointment: “UC Santa Cruz is thrilled to welcome an artist of Marco Barricelli's caliber as the new Artistic Director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Shakespeare Santa Cruz is one of many creative jewels in our crown, and we look forward to its continued success in providing a resource for both the community and the academic programs on campus.”
About Marco Barricelli: Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Marco Barricelli is a graduate of The Juilliard School and has been an actor, director and educator since 1982, honing his craft in Shakespearean performance as well as classic and modern works. He spent eight seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as an actor and directed the school-visit tour program. From 1997 to 2005, he was an Associate Artist at the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.) in San Francisco, acting, directing, and teaching in the Master of Fine Arts program. Teaching acting has also taken him abroad to the Accademia Silvio D’Amico in Rome and the Prima del teatro in Tuscany. (full bio)
Marco Barricelli had this to say about taking on the creative leadership of SSC: “I would just like to say how delighted I am to be given the unique and joyous opportunity of taking on the artistic reins of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. The remarkable tenure of Mr. Whitworth has brought this theatre to unprecedented artistic heights -- and now it is my intention to honor that outstanding achievement while guiding Shakespeare Santa Cruz into a future filled with exciting plays, magnificent artistry, and imaginative storytelling … all the while keeping the words of William Shakespeare as our inspiration.”
Barricelli is currently in rehearsals for Arthur Miller’s The Price at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. The performance schedule runs from October 24 through November 18, 2007. He currently resides in New York City and will relocate to the Santa Cruz area in early December 2007.
About Shakespeare Santa Cruz: Named “one of the ten most influential Shakespeare Festivals in the country” by USA Today, Shakespeare Santa Cruz has gained a reputation as a festival unafraid of tackling lesser-known works by other classic playwrights in addition to Shakespeare. SSC’s artistic vision and high production standards, along with one of the most beautiful outdoor performance venues in the nation, continue to attract a diverse and talented company of professional actors, directors and designers from across the country.
Shakespeare Santa Cruz will perform its 27th Festival Season in repertory from mid-July through the end of August 2008 on the UC Santa Cruz Campus.
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