Eric Heikkila Cast In World Premiere of Cafe Variations At The Cutler Majestic Theatre

2012 Mar 28

North Babylon's Eric Heikkila, a sophomore Visual Media Arts major at Emerson College, earned the role of Production Audio Engineer in the world premiere of Café Variations, a very special co-production between ArtsEmerson, Emerson Stage, and the world-renowned SITI Company. Heikkila joins more than 50 fellow cast and crew members in this production, directed by Anne Bogart, the artistic director and co-founder of SITI Company.

This distinctive production is a celebration of café culture in which vignettes from Charles Mee's Café Plays combine with music exclusively from the Gershwin songbook. The large ensemble cast features SITI Company members (in residence at Emerson College) performing alongside young artists from the Department of Performing Arts at Emerson College, incorporating dialogue, music, and dance to render romantic scenes ubiquitous to the lively world of the café. Each song and scene is a discreet short play but fits together as a whole piece, with a complete narrative.

Recommended for ages 12 and up. Performances take place April 13–22, 2012 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont St., Boston). Tickets are $25 to $75 for the general public, $15 for students, and $10 for the Emerson community. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.artsemerson.org or call 617-824-8400.

About Anne Bogart

Anne Bogart is the artistic director of SITI Company, which she founded with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992. She is a professor at Columbia University, where she runs the Graduate Directing Program, and is the author of three books: A Director Prepares, The Viewpoints Book, and And Then, You Act.

About SITI Company

SITI Company was built on the bedrock of ensemble and believes that through the practice of collaboration, a group of artists working together over time can have a significant impact upon both contemporary theater and the world at large. Through its performances, educational programs, and collaborations with other artists and thinkers, SITI will continue to challenge the status quo, to train to achieve artistic excellence in every aspect of our work, and to offer new ways of seeing and of being as both artists and as global citizens. SITI is committed to providing a gymnasium-for-the-soul where the interaction of art, artists, audiences, and ideas inspire the possibility for change, optimism, and hope. For more information, visit siti.org.

About Emerson Stage

Emerson Stage is the producing organization of the Department of Performing Arts at Emerson College. Its mission is to enhance the cultural life of Emerson College and the larger local community through the presentation of meaningful, diverse, and multicultural programming that upholds high artistic standards and a commitment to open-minded cultural exchange. Emerson Stage pairs Performing Arts students with top theater professionals, onstage and off, to bring theatrical events to life. The organization produces eight shows per year. For more information, visit emerson.edu/emersonstage.

About ArtsEmerson

ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage showcases first-class performances from all over the world, providing new opportunities for the Boston community to experience culturally enriching theater, film, and music. Its home is in the heart of Boston's historic Theatre District. Its facilities include the newly opened Paramount Center and the magnificently restored Cutler Majestic Theatre. ArtsEmerson is committed to bringing many of the world's legendary and pioneering artists to Boston, presenting work from this country and abroad you've never had an opportunity to see-at least, not without first heading to the airport. For more information, visit artsemerson.org.

About Emerson College

Located in Boston, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city's Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,453 undergraduates and 837 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 80 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is internationally known for its study and internship programs in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic. The College has an active network of 32,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.