What a blessing to have Circle Mirror Transformation feature these gifted actors: Vilma Silva, Jeffrey King, Gregory Linington, Kjerstine Anderson, plus recent Southern Oregon University graduate Thilini Dissanayake. Directed by Robynn Rodriguez, Circle closes a season that has focused on variations of intimacy. Circle reveals the delicate nature and transformational impact of learning about ourselves by means of those who bear witness. I hope this play will have you laughing, pondering, and celebrating—all at once—in a way that only live theater can do!
Reflecting on this season, in An Iliad, John Tufts’s “Poet” looked deeply, asked why, and hoped the answer might bring change to humanity. With Barry Kraft and his First Folio presentation, we heard the powerful and cherished language of Shakespeare. In Heisenberg, directed by Michael J. Hume, we witnessed Anthony Heald and Amy Lizardo’s characters experiencing a relationship at its most vulnerable.
What’s next at Rogue Theater Company? Why it’s our 2024 season announcement! Be among the first to hear about our exciting lineup by attending our party on January 6, 2024. Details coming soon. In the meantime, please enjoy Circle Mirror Transformation!
Lights up!
Jessica Sage, RTC Artistic Director
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“…an improvisational, process-oriented form of drama, where participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on experiences…”
—a definition of "creative drama"
Isn’t life funny? You can simply be interested in something, and because you’re interested, you can enroll in a class offered at your local community center. In class, you immerse yourself in your interest for a few weeks. How could you expect that that class would change everything you think you know about yourself?
One summer, five residents of Shirley, Vermont, gather at their local community center to take a creative drama class for adults. Marty, the co-executive director of the community center, has wanted to teach such a class for a long time.
The students in her class include a newly divorced furniture maker, a former aspiring actor, a soon-to-be high school junior and Marty’s husband, a professor at the local college. They meet in the early evening once a week for six weeks. Through class games and exercises, these five individuals begin a journey of unexpected self-discovery. Circle Mirror Transformation is a meditation on what it is to open oneself up to the challenge of trying something new.
We live in fast-paced, impatient, NOISY times. Being present in our lives is exceedingly difficult. Students of theater spend years perfecting the art of being present, as they try to achieve one single moment of truth. What attracted me to Annie Baker’s, Circle Mirror Transformation, is its courageous silence.
Robynn Rodriguez, Director, Circle Mirror Transformation
