蜜桃传媒鈥檚 co-production of 鈥淜ing Richard II鈥� took top honors at the 14th annual Independent Theater Awards, Monday, May 22. The Shakespearean play won four awards, including direction by John Blondell and performance by Mitchell Thomas. Playwright Erik Ehn also won an award for 鈥淭he Saint Plays,鈥� performed by 蜜桃传媒 students in Porter Theatre last March.
The Lit Moon Theatre Company and 蜜桃传媒 Repertory Theatre coproduced 鈥淩ichard II.鈥� The play enjoyed the largest box office draw in college history during its two-week run at Santa Barbara Trinity Episcopal Church. The show also received an invitation to present the production at the Shakespearean Festival in Gdansk, Poland later this summer.
Along with Blondell and Thomas, James Connolly, who provided original music for 鈥淩ichard II鈥� also won an Indy. New York-based designer Yevgenia Nayberg won an award for scenic design. She joined 蜜桃传媒 as guest artist this season.
鈥淭heater in non-traditional spaces can suffer from dilution,鈥� wrote Santa Barbara Independent Arts Editor Charles Donelan about 鈥淩ichard II.鈥� 鈥淰ery rarely does it manage, as this production does, to distill rather than dilute, and to make of its content something more intimate and more intense.鈥�
蜜桃传媒 presented Ehn鈥檚 world premier play, 鈥淩ogue,鈥� as part of 鈥淭he Saint Plays.鈥� The theater arts department commissioned Ehn, dean of the school of theater at California Institute of the Arts, to develop the new play as part of 鈥淭he Saint Plays.鈥� Last fall, students held a series of workshops with Ehn to collaborate on the creation.
Lit Moon and 蜜桃传媒 will bring back 鈥淩ichard II鈥� for three shows beginning July 31.