A Devilish Delight

Darkly whimsical production draws together alumni, students and faculty

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

In 1918, Igor Stravinsky had a reputation as a composer of grand ballets, but in the aftermath of World War I, he didn鈥檛 have the resources to stage works on that sweeping scale. So he teamed with poet Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz to create a small-ensemble piece with out-sized inventiveness. The Soldier鈥檚 Tale became an instant hit, using music, words and dance to tell the story of a young soldier who sells his violin to the devil.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of an interdisciplinary fairy tale,鈥� says Kevin Pi帽ero 鈥�12, a New York City-based actor, dancer, choreographer, lyricist and composer who returns to Dickinson this week to bring the iconic work to life (Friday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m., Mathers Theatre), along with fellow performance pro Cassidy Dermott 鈥�11. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing combination of music, dance and acting鈥攁ll of the types of performance I like to flow between,鈥� Pi帽ero adds.

The free, Friday-night-only performance marks the second Dickinson-related production of The Soldier鈥檚 Tale this year, with the two young alumni reprising roles they performed with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta last summer at Pendragon Theatre (Saranac Lake, N.Y.), under direction by Professor of Theatre Karen Kirkham, and with choreography by Sarah Skaggs, director of dance. The summer production also featured the talents of Noam Wegner 鈥�15 and Courtney Meyer 鈥�15, both theatre-arts majors who plan to pursue professional performance careers.

As before, Pi帽ero stars as the Dancing Soldier, and Wegner, the Speaking Soldier, while Meyer plays the Princess and Dermott, the Devil. Professor of Music Robert Pound returns to campus, mid-sabbatical, to conduct Associate Professor of Music Blanka Bednarz (violin); contributing faculty members Lee Philip (double bass) and Jeffrey Wohlbach (trumpet); and fellow musicians Christy Banks (clarinet), Robin Plant (bassoon), Greg Strohman (trombone) and Denny Daugherty (percussion). Professor of Theatre Todd Wronski narrates the tale.

鈥淭he blending of drama, dance and music is quite distinctive鈥攊t鈥檚 short and lively, with a distinctly Russian sensibility that is dark and whimsical at the same time,鈥� says Wronski. 鈥淎nd, as always, there is almost nothing more enjoyable than sharing the stage with alumni who have gone on to start their own careers.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little surreal to be back in Mathers, since it鈥檚 a space that housed us for four years,鈥� says Dermott, who has worked on independent films and several stage productions since graduating from Dickinson and has delivered master classes and workshops to the Dance Theatre Group. She also will appear onstage with Pi帽ero in Triangle, a soon-to-open off-Broadway musical. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a little sentimental for me, and it certainly is a thrill.鈥�

click to view photo gallery of a soldier's tale

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Published February 5, 2015

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Darkly whimsical production draws together alumni, students and faculty

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