Ithaca College Department of Theatre Arts presents '4.48 Psychosis', written by Sarah Kane and directed by Brian Hashimoto '07, as its annual Senior Directing Project. Performances will be held on November 12 at 8 p.m. and November 13 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. All performances will be held in Dillingham Center's Studio 2. Admission is free.
The late Sarah Kane, contemporary English playwright, reveals the main character's painful journey as she struggles with her doctor to make sense of her mental illness. This character acts as a pendulum, rapidly experiencing a wide array of feelings, from elation to the most morbid distress. The interactions with her therapist expose the tension between her mental instability and the rest of the world. This deeply rooted illness leads the main character to cultivate suicidal thoughts until she finally finds relief. 4.48 refers to the apparent time in the night when one sees with the most clarity. Yet, this clarity is regarded by outside viewers as pure oblivion and insanity.
Sarah Kane was the writer in residence at the Royal Court Theatre until she took her own life in 1999. Kane suffered from bipolar disorder. With moving prose, poems, and caustic humor, Kane uses this play to share the experience of living with this illness.
The director, Brian Hashimoto, writes: “The play provides a unique experience for an audience to better understand the life of those we so casually write off as 'crazy' or 'ill'. My hope is that people will walk away from this production with at least a recognition that everyone views our world in a different way and that there may be more ways to experience it than the generalized 'normal' and 'sick'.”
The Senior Directing Project is a collaborative work between the students of the Department of Theatre Arts at Ithaca College. For more than fifteen years, students have been given the opportunity to explore innovative aspects of directing and theatre, outside the more traditional work of the
main stage season.
The director of '4.48 Psychosis' is Brian Hashimoto '07; the assistant
director is Ryan Crimmins '08. The directing mentor is Jeff Tangeman. The
stage manager is Amanda Laforge '08; the assistant stage management is
Allison Sleeper '10. The Woman is played by Teeny Lamothe '07 , and the
doctor by Patrick Prudent '08. The ensemble is composed of Angelica Duncan
'09, Alison Lani '07, Kacie McEgan '09, Alexandra Rivera '09, Sarah
Rolleston '07, and Eliza Silverman '08. The design team includes Katie
Delaney '08 as scene designer, Sam Yaeger '08 as costume designer, and
Josh Rudbart '08 as sound and lighting designer. The technical mentor is
Colin Stewart.
