Nadya Press Release

KANSAS CITY, MO (October 8, 2008) – Stories by Russian writer and playwright Anton Chekhov combine to tell the story of Nadya, a play presented by the UMKC Theatre undergraduate program from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26 in the Grant Hall Theatre on the UMKC Campus. Based upon 15 stories by Anton Chekhov, Nadya tells the story of an unconventional young woman struggling against conventional thinking in Russia from the 1880s – 1890s.

“Chekhov short stories have always interested me,” said Tom Mardikes, the writer and director of Nadya and chair of the UMKC Theatre Department. “I’ve always felt that Chekhov’s stories have fascinating characters, great dialogue and that special Chekhov insight. As I continued reading his stories, the story of the life and love of a young woman named “Nadya” presented itself. The name kept coming up time and again.”

At the heart of Nadya is a young woman who is forced to be a bit independent before quite achieving adulthood, has a near-death experience, and then tends to outgrow the men in her life, leading to some great heartache, and finally taking steps for herself.

Teresa Sheffield, a sophomore vocal performance and journalism major at UMKC, plays Nadya. Past roles include Mother Abbess in Sound of Music, Winnie Tate in Annie Get Your Gun, Cinderella in Dwarf Logic and Baptista in Hamlet.

James K. Nelson is in his ninth and final UMKC production and will portray Anton Chekhov. James is a senior and will graduate in December. He has previously been seen with the MFA program in Three Sisters, Black Snow, and Twelfth Night, and the undergraduate program in Our Town, The American Clock, All in the Timing, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, and Trojan Women. James is the founder of improvisational comedy troupe The Makeshift Militia.

Grant Prewitt, a senior at UMKC majoring in theatre performance, will portray Alexander and Semyon. At UMKC, he was just seen in Man of La Mancha with the conservatory, and has also appeared in Twelfth Night, Trojan Women, The American Clock, Our Town, Stop Kiss, and All in the Timing. He also has performed with the Coterie Theatre in a production of With Their Eyes: the view from a high school at ground zero. Grant also performs improvisational comedy with The Makeshift Militia.

Other notable performers are John L. Lewis IV, who portrays Vorotov and King Bobesh; Larry Johnson, who portrays Young Anton; Ethan Fite, who portrays Kryukov and Papa Sokolsky; Magie Hogan, who portrays Marya Petrovna and Anfissa; Rachael Nelson who portrays Susanna; Becca Scott who portrays a number of roles including Tatiana, sister Sokolsky, the maid, and the actress; Phillip Shinn who portrays Dmitry and Blue Beard; and Seth Snyder who portrays Boris.

Johnny Wolfe, the Co Director, earned his BA in Theatre with emphasis in directing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he directed seven original works by MFA Playwrights. Last spring he served as dramaturg for UMKC’s The Cure at Troy and Actors Theatre KC’s Taking Sides. His recent directing credits include The Dying House, winning him the ACTF directing award, Pinter’s Betrayal on the Las Vegas Strip, and assistant director and dramaturg for the award-winning premiere of The Masks of Rioclora at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre. Wolfe is slated to direct This Property is Condemned for UMKC’s Five by Tenn, assist Jeff Church in UMKC’s joint production of Our Town with the Coterie, and assistant direct/dramaturg a new adaptation of The Master and Margarita.

Tom Mardikes has worked on over 200 professional productions, nation-wide, as Sound Designer for Missouri Repertory Theatre (now KC Rep), the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, the Dallas Theatre Center, Syracuse Stage, Coconut Grove, the Roundabout, Buffalo Studio Arena, the Alley Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Mardikes has been head of graduate sound design training since 1986, and has been the chair of the UMKC Department of Theatre since 2001. He was one of five professional sound designers who helped facilitate the organization of sound designers into the United Scenic Artists Local 829, which has led to the official recognition of sound design by LORT and professional theatres nationwide and recently authored the Sound Design examination for new designers. Since 2004 he has created the sound and music designs for the Nelson-Atkins Gallery’s audio tours. He was one of two featured sound designers in the USA Exhibit for the 2003 Prague Quadrennial. He is a co-founder of Kansas City Actors Theatre, an artist-led, artist-driven professional theatre company performing recently cited as “Best Theatre Company, 2008” in the KC Pitch, and directed the Actors Theatre summer production of Taking Sides.

Season tickets for the six graduate productions and two additional undergraduate shows are $79 for adults and $40 for students. Single tickets are available through the Central Ticket Office at 816.235.6222. Single tickets are adults, $15; seniors $10; students, $6; and groups of 10 or more, $5 each.

Preview
	Wednesday	Oct 22	7:30pm

Opens
	Thursday	Oct 23	7:30pm
	Friday	Oct 24	7:30pm
	Saturday	Oct 25	7:30pm
Closes
	Sunday	Oct 26	2:00pm

UMKC Theatre has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top graduate theatre training programs in the country. The program trains a select group of highly talented actors, designers, stage managers and dramaturges for careers in the performing arts. Graduates from the UMKC program are invited to the most prestigious New York competitions and auditions to exhibit their work and secure positions with national and international performing companies. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and is a member of the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA).

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a three-part mission: visual and performing arts, health sciences, and urban engagement. UMKC has been designated as Missouri’s Campus for the Arts.

For interviews and press passes to performances, contact Ellen McDonald, 816.444.0052 or ellen@mershonandmcdonald.com.

FOR TICKETS: 816.235.6222

Closes