“Rabbit” to be performed at Keuka College

Rabbit, a comedy by Nina Raine, will be the spring theatrical production at Keuka College.The play will be staged Thursday–Saturday, April 14-16, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Red Barn Theatre. The April 14 performance will benefit the cast members’ trip to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) next year.Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Mark Wenderlich, Rabbit was first produced in London in 2007, and was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play and the London Critics’ Circle Award.An adult comedy that takes place during a birthday party at a local watering hole, Rabbit finds Bella on her 29th birthday. Friends and former lovers meet for a drink to celebrate, but as the alcohol begins to flow, the bar becomes a battlefield. Pulled from pillar to post by thoughts and memories of Bella’s dying father and the torture of her vacuous 20-something life, Rabbit explores the emotional minefield of becoming an adult. Over the course of the alcohol-fueled evening, the characters are peeled back in a torrent of acid one-liners.Student members of the cast include Logan Ackerley (Richard), a freshman political science/history major from Liberty; Paul Blackmon (Tom), a sophomore American Sign Language-English interpreting major from East Aurora; Makenna Moon (Sandy), a junior political science/history major from Atlanta, N.Y.; Jessamine Qualman (Bella), a sophomore unified childhood/special education major from Glassboro, N.J.; and Amber Smith (Emily), a senior management major from Canandaigua.Kelsey Marquart, a junior English major from Auburn, serves as stage manager, while Danica Zielinski, a freshman American Sign Language-English interpreting major from Congers is assistant stage manager and set designer. Elijah Snipes, a freshman psychology major from Rochester, serves as assistant stage manager, “Tom” understudy, and sound board operator.Sierra Lynch, a freshman criminology/criminal justice major from Watervliet, serves as light board operator; Crystal Cochell, a junior visual/verbal art major from Trumansburg is the assistant costume designer and wardrobe mistress; and Zielinski and Caleigh Alterio, a freshman occupational science major from Akron, serve as run crew.Ackerley, Blackmon, Marquart, Moon, Qualman, Smith, and Wenderlich constructed the sets.Patrick Fegley, who plays the role of “Father,” has been involved in community theatre for most of his life, appearing in dozens of productions for several area companies. Some of his roles include Officer Lockstock in Urinetown: The Musical, Reverend Shaw in Footloose, and Chris in All My Sons.P. Gibson Ralph, set and lighting designer, serves as chair, associate professor of theatre, and scenic designer at SUNY Brockport. Recent designs for productions at Keuka include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Training Wisteria, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Crimes of the Heart, and Born Yesterday. She is a member of the KCACTF II Design, Tech, and Management Task Force, and is the Theatre Design and Technology Focus Group representative for the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).Dan Roach, sound designer, has worked with the Eastman Opera productions of Inherit the Wind and The Secret Garden. He has worked on sound for numerous productions at Keuka, Geva Theatre Center, Syracuse Stage, NTID’s Theatre for the Deaf, as well as SUNY Brockport. Recent productions at Geva include Over the Tavern, Almost Maine, Dracula with PUSH Physical Theatre, Evie’s Waltz, Dial M for Murder, A Christmas Carol, The Underpants, Nine Parts of Desire, Doubt, and A Christmas Story.Cynthia Vaughn, who resides on Keuka Lake and is a business owner, will serve as costume designer.Rabbit does contain graphic language.Tickets are $4 for members of the Keuka community and $7 for the general public. All seats for the April 14 performance are $7, and are available at the box office the day of the show or online at http://www.instantseats.com. Search for “Keuka” or “Rabbit.”