#'ratio

[utnewtheatre]

A sneak peek of David Turkel and Bill Anderson's 'Ratio.

Ratio opens tomorrow Saturday March 1 at 11:00am, come find out what happens to Horatio after Hamlet’s death.

Photo: Bill Anderson, Courtsey of 'Ratio

Photo: Lawrence Peart, Courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin

[utnewtheatre]

An Interview with UTNT Playwright David Turkel Text Narrative author of 'ratio!

Ever wondered what happened to Horatio of Shakespeare’s Hamlet? David Turkel and William Anderson’s collaborative play ‘ratio has answers for you.

UTNT: Why did you choose to work on this particular play for UTNT?

David Turkel: I began the research for ‘ratio in my first semester at UT. Since then, the development of this play and my subsequent collaboration w/ Bill Anderson, through an independent study w/ Andrew Carlson, a Professional Development Workshop course w/ Kirk Lynn and exploratory workshops under the direction of both Dan Rothenberg (of Philly’s Pig Iron Theatre) and Jess Hutchinson effectively chronicle my time in grad school. The staged presentation of this play for UTNT paired w/ Bill’s completion of the art-script for his thesis will be a great culmination of the past 3 years.

UTNT: Tell us a little bit of the backstory to your play. What inspired it? When did you start developing it?

DT: In 2003 I was invited to lecture on Hamletfor a class devoted solely to that play at Pittsburgh’s Point Park College. I decided to concentrate on the character of Horatio and have been obsessed with him ever since.

UTNT: The Department of Theatre and Dance places a huge emphasis on exploring and developing new work, what makes UTNT different from the rest of the season/curriculum?

DT: I’m happy that the festival makes room for the so-called “enhanced reading.” The truth is, ‘ratio is too large and tech-heavy for Bill & I to mount a full production at this time, so UTNT affords us a great opportunity to sort of conduct a proof-of-concept exploration. I love that there’s that flexibility in this festival.

UTNT: Do you have any plans for your play after UTNT wraps up?

DT: Yes, of course. This is only the beginning.

You can catch 'ratio March 1 at 11:00 a.m. and March 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Lab Theatre at the University of Texas at Austin. 

[utnewtheatre]

Introducing UTNT 2014 Playwright William Anderson Visual author of the collaborative piece 'ratio! 

William Anderson is a third-year M.F.A. candidate in scenic design. He comes to Austin by way of Chicago where he worked as a scenic designer and properties designer. His work has been seen at Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Profiles Theater, The Court, The House Theater Of Chicago, Red Tape and Florence International Theatre Company. At UT Austin, he has designed the set for The Cataract, Don Giovanni, and Colossal. He is currently designing the set for UT’s production of In the Heights, opening in April 2014.

You can catch 'ratio March 1 at 11:00 a.m. and March 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Lab Theatre on the University of Texas at Austin Campus. 

[utnewtheatre]

Introducing UTNT 2014 Playwright David Turkel text author of the collaborative piece 'ratio! 

David Turkel’s plays have been produced in abandoned churches (Wild Signs), repurposed breweries (Holler), textile mills (Stroke/Book), lofts (F.O.R.D.) and even the occasional theatre (Nadia, Crimson and Clover, Key to the Field). He was a founding member of Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s The Somnambulist Project and Pittsburgh’s Bricolage Theatre Company. Current projects include: Blackout, a drawing room comedy in which a cat detective investigates the 1931 suicide of Adolph Hitler’s niece (Austin, spring 2014); and an “art-script” for ‘ratio with his collaborative partner, artist and designer Bill Anderson. The film version of Turkel’s play Nadia is currently in edits for 2014 festival submission.

You can catch 'ratio March 1 at 11:00 a.m. and March 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Lab Theatre on the University of Texas at Austin Campus.