Ithaca College

ITHACA, NY— Saviana Stanescu’s dark comedy, "Aliens with Extraordinary Skills," is set to take the stage in the Earl McCarroll Studio Theatre in Ithaca College’s Dillingham Center. Performances will be held on Friday November 4th at 8pm, Saturday November 5th at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday November 6th at 2pm, Friday November 11th at 8pm, and Saturday November 12th at 2pm and 8pm.

This production is directed by Assistant Professor, Dean Robinson. Tickets are free and can be reserved here. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please be advised, this production contains mature content and explores issues surrounding sexual assault.

A panel discussion on immigration will follow the matinee performance on Saturday, November 5. Panelists will include playwright Stanescu, and IC professors Patricia Rodriquez and Carlos Figueroa. The panel will be moderated by Wade Pickren, Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence. 

"Aliens with Extraordinary Skills" takes place in the city of dreams: New York City. The play follows Nadia, a clown from Moldova, as she receives a deportation letter from the Department of Homeland Security, threatening her pursuit of the American Dream. Director Robinson says, “Nadia, at the center is a clown, so I have been looking at creating a world reminiscent of a strange sort of circus in which this play – with some serious issues and poignant issues – can exist.”

Playwright and theatre arts professor, Saviana Stanescu, writes about how the American Dream can easily turn into a nightmare. Stanescu describes the play as, “a love letter to the beautiful but harsh New York, the vibrant magnet for hopeful newcomers, the city that never sleeps - always ready to bring us down and build us up... In a way, we are all aliens in search for love, recognition, and a place to call home.” Stanescu explains that life for an immigrant in New York, especially in modern times, is all about adjusting, “should I go, or should I stay?”

The New York Times crowned "Aliens with Extraordinary Skills" as “an enchanting piece of theatre…the energy people talk about as New York’s essence comes from all those newcomers’ hopes and dreams in the air. Aliens pays tribute to that energy and at the same time radiates tons of its own.”

The cast of "Aliens with Extraordinary Skills" includes Kalyn Altmeyer ‘17, Noah Ruff ‘17, Sara Gutierrez ‘19, Jacob Shipley ‘17, Ian Smith ‘18, Carolyn Trahan ‘17, Erin Lockett ‘20, Cameron Mitchell ‘19, and Woody Minshew ’18. The creative team includes Grant Carey ’13, Mia Coleman ’20, Liana Pavane ’17, Abi Rowe ‘17, theatre arts professor Dean Robinson, Isaac Van Curen ’17.

Follow Ithaca College Theatre on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ICTheatreArts and Twitter at @ICTheatreArts.

Dillingham Center proudly accommodates all patrons. Individuals with special needs are asked to contact 607-274-3224 or email icstudio2tam@gmail.com to request accommodations as soon as possible.

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