‘Life is a Dream’ a play filled with comedy, tragedy

Visiting assistant professor to direct

MIDDLETOWN — Wesleyan University’s Theater Department presents “Life is a Dream,” written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca and directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater Shira Milikowsky, on Friday, May 4, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 6, at 3 p.m.

All performances will be held in the CFA Theater at 271 Washington Terrace, on the Wesleyan campus.

“Life is A Dream” — a story of extreme actions taken by extreme people — was probably written when Pedro Calderón de la Barca was in his late 20s when he was a college dropout, disowned by his father for pursuing a life in the theater. Nevertheless, he went on to become a favorite of King Philip IV, and a defining playwright of the Spanish Golden Age. Set in Poland, the work is a comedia, a play which combines tragic and comic elements. A secret prince, imprisoned at birth, is given a chance to become king if he behaves well; and a woman from Moscow arrives to avenge her honor. The king panics, trying to hold his empire together.

The Wesleyan production of “Life is a Dream” is based on a 1998 translation by John Clifford, which was staged in Edinburgh, London, and New York in 1998 and 1999, as well as Oklahoma City in 2004. The dream landscape of the production features set design by Assistant Professor of Theater Marcela Oteíza, costume design by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater Cybele Moon, lighting design by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater Calvin Anderson, and sound design and original music by Anthony Dean, class of ‘17.

“I have wanted to work on ‘Life is a Dream,’ looking at this masterpiece through a contemporary American lens, since my graduate studies at Columbia University” said director and Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater Shira Milikowsky. “Why does classic literature last? The work examines themes of rebellion and reconciliation, fighting against structures, but with a unique sensibility. The plot structure has a different winding way than William Shakespeare or French poets, reaching the same sort of philosophical depths in an unexpected way. The drama happens because each character has their own perspective of what is going on in this dream world.”

Admission is $8 for the general public; $5 for senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/ staff/alumni, and non-Wesleyan students; and $4 for Wesleyan students and youth under 18.

Tickets are available online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice; by phone at 860-685-3355; or in person at the Wesleyan University Box Office, located in the Usdan University Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance, subject to availability. The Center for the Arts accepts cash, checks written to “Wesleyan University,” and all major credit cards. No refunds, cancellations, or exchanges. Programs, artists, and dates are subject to change. There is no late seating for these performances. Note: This production has altered seating configurations; please call 860-685-3355 if you have mobility issues so that the Wesleyan University box office may best serve you.

Milikowsky is a freelance director based in Brooklyn. As the Artistic Associate at the American Repertory Theater, she directed the entirety of “The Lily’s Revenge” by Taylor Mac. The Boston Globe listed the production as one of the top ten theater events of the year. Other work in Boston included Company One’s production of “She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen, named the year’s top “Fringe Theater” event by Edgeboston.com.

Milikowsky specializes in new plays and radical reimaginings of musicals and classic texts. At American Repertory Theater, other projects included “Bride *Widow* Hag” by Kim Rosenstock, and a new take on Jules Feiffer’s 1967 comedy “Little Murders,” later revived as a pop-up production in an empty Brooklyn restaurant. Ms. Milikowsky also develops original work, bringing together outstanding groups of actors and designers to create collectively devised projects. “Distant Star,” an adaptation of the novel by Roberto Bolaño that she co-conceived and directed, premiered at Abrons Art Center in September 2017. The New Yorker noted that the production “reverberates with dread precisely because it leaves so much to the imagination.”

She lived in Seoul, South Korea, on a scholarship from the Henry Luce Foundation, where she served as a visiting artist at the Seoul Metropolitan Theater, and a Visiting Professor at Kookmin University. While there, she created a Korean adaptation of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” that toured to the Tumen River International Arts Festival on the Chinese border with North Korea.

Milikowsky is also an associate lecturer at Harvard University. She holds an M.F.A. in directing from Columbia University, and a B.A. in theater studies from Yale University.

For more information about Milikowsky’s upcoming projects, visit http://www.theneoncoven.com.

For more information about the theater department, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/theater.

Contributed photo “Life is a Dream” will be performed at Wesleyan University May 4-6.