Passion. Rage. Blood. What do you see?

“Red” Paints the Carousel Stage

Michael Elich and Matt Leisy in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of “Red”

Michael Elich and Matt Leisy in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of “Red”

John Logan’s acclaimed Tony Award-winning drama “Red” will paint the Carousel Theatre stage January 31 to February 17, 2013. The production is sponsored by the Clayton Foundation with additional support from the Mildred Haines and William Elijah Morris Lecture Endowment Fund. It contains mature language, herbal cigarette smoking and will run approximately 1 ½ hour with no intermission.

Master Abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, one of the most visionary artists of the 20th Century, has landed the commission of a lifetime, a series of murals for New York’s Four Seasons Restaurant. As he wrestles with the overwhelming task of creating multiple paintings on a grand scale, his new young assistant questions his views of art, creativity and commerce. What follows is a raw and provocative dialogue between master and novice, old guard and new guard exploring the question, “Is art meant to provoke, soothe or disturb?” Based on true events, “Red” is a searing portrait of an artist’s ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.

“The making of these Seagram murals became a kind of crisis for him artistically, creatively, intellectually, and morally. Why did he accept the commission? Why did he agree to be part of the commercialism he so decried? That’s partly the debate within the play. But “Red” is largely about Rothko’s tragic battle to make a place for himself and his works in a world he believed was on the cusp of being overrun by superficial self-involvement, inhuman pretense and unconscionable hypocrisy. It doesn’t take a great leap to imagine what he would say if he were alive today,” said John Sipes, director of the CBT production.

Logan’s “Red” is the winner of six 2010 Tony Awards including Best Play, the most honored play of the Broadway season. Author of more than a dozen other plays, Logan received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Drama League awards for “Red.” As a screenwriter, he had three movies released in 2011: “Hugo,” “Coriolanus,” and “Rango.” Previous film work includes: “Sweeney Todd” with Johnny Depp, “The Aviator,” and “Gladiator” to name a few.

“I know of no other play quite like this one. It invites the audience into Rothko’s studio where the work of the artist is in progress. The set in the Carousel Theatre has been designed to represent, in considerable detail, aspects of Rothko’s actual studio. Through the course of the performance we watch the actors prepare canvases, mix paints and busy themselves with the work of creating Rothko’s large paintings. While performing these tasks in real time the actors embody the characters as they would in any production. Purely from a theatrical perspective the production is unique and offers the viewer an opportunity for a novel experience in the theatre,” Sipes said.

Director John Sipes is an Associate Professor in the UT Department of Theatre. Before joining the UT faculty, he was a Director and the Resident Movement Director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 15 seasons. Prior to his residency at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, John was a Director and Movement Director for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival for 12 seasons, and served as the Festival’s Artistic Director for five seasons. CBT directing credits include: “ Fuddy Meers,” “Woyzeck,” “Oedipus the King,” “ Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “ All My Sons.”He also has directed in regional theaters across the country. He received his MFA in Acting from Indiana University. He is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique (AmSAT), and a certified actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. He also trained in corporeal mime with Étienne Decroux in Paris, and studied with Tadashi Suzuki in Japan.

In 19 seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, visiting guest artist Michael Elich (Mark Rothko) has been seen in 57 productions ranging from musicals to classical Shakespeare. Internationally he premiered the role of Don D’Avanzo in David Edgar’s “Continental Divide” at London’s Barbican Theatre. A Juilliard graduate, he has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and regional theatres including the 30th anniversary production of “Inherit the Wind” with E.G. Marshall. TV credits include “One Life to Live” and “Ryan’s Hope.”

A graduate of Northwestern University and continuing study at the Barrow Group in New York City, visiting guest artist Matt Leisy (Ken) has performed Off Broadway and in regional theatres across the country. He also has appeared in numerous workshops, readings and independent films.

Christopher Pickart (Scenic Designer) has designed numerous shows Off-Broadway and more than 150 productions in regional theatres across the country, working with such directors as George Faison and Aaron Sorkin. In 1999, he received the Young Designer’s Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Theatre Communications Group.

Bill Black (Costume Designer) has been designing, teaching and directing the production of costumes for the Clarence Brown Theatre and the University of Tennessee for more than 35 years. His costume designs are frequently seen in regional theatres across the country including 21 years with the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival where he senior designer. He is Associate Head of the UT Department of Theatre and has held both the Paul Soper Professorship and the James R. Cox Professorship. He is a two time winner of the John F. Kennedy medallion for his work with the American College Theatre Festival.

Julie Mack (visiting guest Lighting Designer) is the Resident Lighting Designer at Roosevelt University’s Theatre Conservatory in Chicago. Her most recent lighting design was in Off-Broadway’s Falling at the Minetta Lane Theatre. She has designed the lighting for regional theaters across the country including eight seasons with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. She also is a co-founder of the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Joe Court (visiting guest Sound Designer) is a professional sound designer based in Chicago and currently teaches sound design at Ball State University. He is also a proud company member of Mary Arrchie Theatre Company. He received a Jeff nomination for his design for The Unseen at A Red Orchid Theatre, where he has also designed several shows. He has designed for Theatre Seven, Seanachi, The Gift, Lifeline, Infamous Commonwealth, Backstage, Emerald City Theatre Company and The Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

“Red” runs January 31 – February 17, 2013. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices vary. Discounts apply. For tickets, please call the CBT box office at 865-974-5161 or Tickets Unlimited at 865-656-4444.