Rutgers-Camden Students to Perform Provocative Award-winning Play “Angels in America”

CAMDEN – One of the most-discussed plays of the past decade, Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” will land at Rutgers University—Camden for seven riveting student performances that will raise awareness of important and controversial issues during this presidential election year. Subtitled “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes,” the play tackles gay rights, race relations, religious oppression, government corruption, and a flawed healthcare system.

The Rutgers—Camden production will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 17; 8 p.m. Friday, April 18; 8 p.m. Saturday, April 19; 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24; 8 p.m. Friday, April 25; Saturday, April 26; and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 27.

Winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Play, “Angels in America” offers a sweeping examination of American life in 1980s New York during the AIDS crisis. The New York Times has described the play as “a work that never loses its wicked sense of humor or its wrenching grasp on such timeless matters as life, death, and faith.”

“‘Angels in America’ does not deal with comfortable subject matter, but it still managed to be a cross-over hit on Broadway. Its critique of the government and society in general is revolutionary in some regards. And 15 years after its opening, the issues it raises are still very much with us,” says Kenneth Elliott, assistant professor of theater at Rutgers—Camden, who directs the Rutgers—Camden production of “Angels in American Part One: Millennium Approaches.” Before joining Rutgers—Camden’s faculty last fall, Elliot directed several off-Broadway productions including “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,” “Psycho Beach Party,” and “The Boys in the Band.” Elliot earned his doctoral degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Rutgers—Camden production consists of a cast of 12 actors including Katelyn Baron (MANTUA); Matthew Brenner (LAUREL SPRINGS); Patrick Casteneda (MENDHAM); Sebastian Cummings (CHERRY HILL); Mike Fisher (DELRAN); Marcus Hampton (CAMDEN); Angela Harmon (MOUNT HOLLY); Kearstie Kaspar (CLAYTON); Brandon LeBoeuf (COLLINGSWOOD); Sara Parente (DELRAN); Rob Repici (BURLINGTON); and Dominick A. Ruggiero, Jr.(MANTUA).

Technical direction and design of the production is by James Mobley, theater operations coordinator at Rutgers—Camden; costumes are by Mark Mariani, who has worked at the Prince Music Theater and the Walnut Street Theater; and sound design is by Stefan Aaronson.

Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts, the student production will be held in the Gordon Theater, located in the Fine Arts Complex on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers—Camden campus.  Admission is $10; $8 for seniors, and $5 for students. Advance tickets are free for Rutgers—Camden students with identification and can be purchased at the Impact Booth. For more information, visit www.angelsincamden.com or call (856) 225-6176.

For directions to Rutgers—Camden, visit http://camden.rutgers.edu.

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