What is RED about?

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I have had so many people ask about what RED is all about.   I think what Jessica, our Marketing specialist, has written will give you some pretty good clues.  I can not wait to see this show.   It is ambitious undertaking by all involved.   I love the fact that theatre can be TEACHER.   To learn more about creative people creating....to learn about their contributions....their inspirations....their demons...To me, theatre can do all this in ways that other mediums can't.  And to be as up close and personal as THE BOX offers it's audiences.....Wow!   I hope to have you join me!  

Diana Wooley, 

CEO LAMB Arts LTD

“What do you see?” These are the first words Artist Mark Rothko says to his new assistant; he is referring to one of his paintings…or is he? Life, art, and our understanding of both are challenged and questioned in RED, the next production at LAMB Arts Regional Theatre. Playing on THE BOX stage, Jan 31-Feb 10, this play is a powerful and intimate portrait of a man and an artist as he faces down his demons and fears. RED won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2010.

Master abstract expressionist Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art, a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, Rothko works feverishly with his young assistant, Ken, in his studio. But when Ken gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Raw and provocative, RED is a searing portrait of an artist’s ambition and vulnerability as he tries to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.

“This show is really a portrait of a great artist as he wrestles with the act of creation and his own demons,” says Russell Wooley, who plays Rothko in the show. “At one point, Rothko says to Ken, ‘There is one thing I fear, my friend…one day the black will swallow the red.’ On one level, he’s talking about his painting, about the act of creating art; but he’s also talking about everything else, too. His own life, his fears…I think that’s something that’s very relatable and very intimate.”

The staging for this production reflects that intimacy; THE BOX is the second stage at LAMB, inspired by the black box theatres found across the country. “The space is smaller than a normal auditorium so you’re very close to the action,” Wooley says. “For a piece like RED, that has a lot of drama and passion, it’s a very powerful experience.” In addition to Wooley, the play features local actor Peter Swanke who recently was seen in THE PILLOWMAN last fall.   The production of RED is directed by Luke Saunders.

LAMB Arts Regional Theatre is a part of the non-profit LAMB Arts, Ltd. and has been presenting theatre for the Sioux City community for over 30 years. LAMB is located at 417 Market Street, between Hamilton and downtown, in Sioux City, IA. Admission prices are $12 for students through college, $15 for Seniors, and $17 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lambtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 712-255-9536. Evening performances are held Thur 1/31-Sat 2/2 and Wed 2/6-Sat 2/9 at 7:30PM, with a 1:30PM matinee on Sunday Feb 10.

 


Jessica Wheeler
Marketing Specialist
LAMB Arts Regional Theatre
417 Market Street
Sioux City, IA 51103

712-255-9536
Keep current with LAMB--:www.lambtheatre.com