07/29/2011
“Sylvia,” the comedy that answers the question of what dogs are thinking while they are taking a quiet walk or chewing their master’s favorite slippers, will be performed three evenings, Thursday, Aug. 11, through Saturday, Aug. 13, in the Dowd Center’s Lab Theatre on the SUNY Cortland campus.
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door. Lab Theatre seating is limited.
The Performing Arts Department production of the A.J. Gurney play is co-directed by Barbara Jo Williams and Howard Lindh.
“Sylvia” is the story of Greg, a man in a mid-life crisis; his wife, Kate; and Sylvia, the stray dog that Greg finds in the park and who always speaks her mind.
With their children grown, Greg and Kate have relocated to Manhattan where Kate pursues her renewed teaching career. Greg is certain that there’s room for a dog. Kate disagrees. Sylvia breaks the tie. The result is a laugh-a-minute, bark-a-minute look at life, love, marriage and who walks the dog.
Cortland native Skye Wilson will take on the leading role of Sylvia. Currently a senior at SUNY Geneseo, she previously appeared in the Cortland Jr. Sr. High School productions of “Grease” and “Evita” as well as the SUNY Cortland production of “Anastasia” and the Cortland Youth Bureau production of “Little Women.”
Gregg Weatherby will portray Greg, the dog rescuer. Weatherby studied with Uta Hagen and Austin Pendleton in New York City and most recently appeared as the cook in the 2009 SUNY Cortland production of “Mother Courage and her Children.” Weatherby currently is a lecturer in the SUNY Cortland English Department.
Teresa Spitzer plays Kate, the patient but beleaguered wife, who struggles to come to terms with the new, adoring female in her husband’s life. Spitzer is a veteran actor, with numerous local and regional credits. She recently retired from the Social Studies Department at Dryden (N.Y.) High School, where she directed many of the school’s plays and musicals.
The show’s remaining three characters — Tom, another dog owner; Phyllis, Kate’s friend from college; and Leslie, the marriage counselor — are all played by Paul Yaman. A frequent cast member in SUNY Cortland productions, Yaman recently directed and performed at Homer’s Center For The Arts.
Buffalo, N.Y., native A.R. Gurney is the author of more than 50 plays, including the well known “Love Letters” and “The Dining Room.” “Sylvia” was first produced at the Manhattan Theatre Club with “Sex and the City” actress Sarah Jessica Parker originating the title role.
For more information, contact the Performing Arts Department at (607) 753-2811.