“Stop Kiss” is Next Production in Theatre Season
NEW PALTZ — A simple kiss provides a fulcrum for two converging storylines in Stop Kiss, an award-winning play by Diana Son. This humorous and poignant work is presented by the Department of Theatre Arts at SUNY New Paltz, November 10-20, 2005.
Stop Kiss tells the story of Sara and Callie, two “straight” women in their late twenties who meet, become friends, and develop – much to their surprise – mutual affection and desire. Their tentative first kiss provokes a shocking act of violence, allowing the play to trace two timelines: the events leading up to the kiss, and the fallout from the unprovoked attack that the kiss evokes. Filled with complex, rich moments and emotional truth, Stop Kiss skillfully illustrates how love can change our lives in both subtle and dramatic ways.
The SUNY New Paltz production of Stop Kiss is presented by the Department of Theatre Arts and the School of Fine & Performing Arts. It is directed by Nancy Saklad. Saklad, the newest member of the Theatre Department, teaches voice and speech, and acting. She comes to New Paltz from Queens College and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
Playwright DIANA SON was born in Dover, Delaware in 1965. On a field trip to New York City, in the twelfth grade, Son was “bitten by the theatre bug” while seeing HAMLET at The Joseph Papp Public Theatre. She moved to NYC and earned her Bachelors degree in Dramatic Literature at New York University. She received the Berilla Kerr award for playwriting and a nomination for the John Gassner Playwriting prize. Her other plays include FISHES, BOY, R.A.W.[‘CAUSE I’M A WOMAN], STEALING FIRE, 2000 MILES, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK.
Stop Kiss premiered at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Joseph Papp Public Theater in 1999 where it was extended three times. It was the winner of the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Award for Outstanding New York production and Son was awarded a Berilla Kerr Award for Playwriting.
Stop Kiss is presented in Parker Theatre, SUNY New Paltz. Performances are November 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18, 19 at 8 pm. There are matinee performances on November 13 and 20 at 2 pm. Tickets are $16 adults, $14 students and seniors (+62). They are available now online at www.newpaltz.edu/theatre or by calling the box office at 845-257-3880 beginning November 3. Parker Theatre is wheelchair accessible and equipped with an infrared listening system for the hearing impaired.
The web address for these images is http://www.newpaltz.edu/news/images/theatre.html
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The State University of New York at New Paltz is a highly selective college of 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students located in the Mid-Hudson Valley between New York City and Albany. New Paltz is ranked 5th among the best public universities and 42nd among public and private universities in the North that offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings for America’s Best Colleges 2006.
Degrees are offered in the liberal arts and sciences, which serve as a core for professional programs in the fine and performing arts, education, healthcare, business and engineering.