“Proof” opens Feb. 23 in Bartlett

“Proof”, an exciting contemporary play by David Auburn, will be performed by the Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Fredonia in the Bartlett Theatre in the Rockefeller Arts Center from Feb. 23 through March 3. This highly acclaimed, award-winning show is the third production of the 2006/07 Walter Gloor Mainstage Season.

This intense and eloquent play will run for six performances at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23, 24 and March 1, 2, and 3, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 25. A short discussion on the nature of mathematic proofs by members of the mathematical sciences department will follow the March 1 performance. The play is not suited for young children.

Tickets for general seating are $12 for the general public, $11 for senior citizens, and $10 for SUNY and other students. Tickets are available by telephone at 716-673-3501, or by calling 1-800-441-4928 from outside the Fredonia area. Patrons may also purchase tickets in person at the Central Ticket Office in the Williams Center on the Fredonia campus, or at the Bartlett Theatre one hour prior to curtain at each performance. M&T Bank is sponsoring the production.

In 2001, “Proof” was honored with the Tony award for Best New Play, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Local audiences may recall the 2005 film of the same name starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Catherine, with Sir Anthony Hopkins as her father, Robert. The Fredonia production will feature Professor and Dean for Arts and Humanities Thomas Loughlin in that role, while senior acting major, Autumn L. Stein of Arkport, N.Y., will portray Catherine. Jimmy Stadt, senior acting major from Fairport, N.Y., plays Hal.

The play tells the story of Catherine, a young woman who sacrifices her own chances for personal happiness and academic success to care for her father, a brilliant mathematician, during his descent into dementia. After her father’s death, a breakthrough mathematic proof is found among his papers. But whose work is it –Catherine’s or her father’s? The double meaning of the play’s title becomes evident as several interested characters seek to establish the “proof” of authorship.

Director Tim Klein, visiting professor, commented, “Proof examines the pain and joy of human relationships in a unique way, ultimately making a poignant statement about the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of adversity. David Auburn’s emotionally moving play explores issues of familial responsibility, trust, and faith in the redemptive power of love.”

With a set design by Visiting Professor Barbara Craig, costume design by senior Neely Kinne of Massena, N.Y., and lighting design by junior Chris Thielking of Fairport, N.Y., the audience may look forward to a thought-provoking evening in the newly-renovated and redecorated Bartlett Theatre.