TORONTO, June 15, 1998 -- York University's Theatre Department is one of five programs worldwide to be invited to participate in the International Student Theatre Festival running June 26 to July 4 under the auspices of the Freie Universitat Berlin.

The department will remount its Canadian premiere production of Nicky Silver's black comedy Raised in Captivity, which opened Theatre @ York's season last fall, for two performances at the prestigious Theater am Halleschen Ufer in the old city centre of Berlin.

Directed by Shaw Festival veteran Paul Lampert, who has just completed his MFA degree in York's Graduate Theatre Program, Raised in Captivity features a cast of five talented performers drawn from York's graduate and undergraduate acting ensembles. The production was entirely designed and produced by fourth-year students.

According to Ron Singer, director of York's Graduate Program in Theatre, this set York's production apart from other outstanding shows that auditioned for the Festival.

"Many schools hire professionals to deal with the production and design elements of their shows," Singer said. "We were the only company in which all sets, costumes and lighting were designed and executed by students."

Singer has been invited to give a talk on York University's theatre program as part of the Festival proceedings. Director Lampert will take part in a public discussion about Theatre @ York's production of Raised in Captivity.

The International Student Theatre Festival is being hosted by the Freie Universitat Berlin in celebration of its 50th anniversary and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the first theatre department in the world at Berlin University. In addition to York University's show, the Festival playbill also includes productions by New York's Columbia University; P.A.R.T.S. Theatre School, Brussels; Universidade de Sao Paulo; and Justus-Liebig-Universitat, Giessen, Germany.

One of Canada's pre-eminent theatre schools, York University's Theatre Department offers a combination of in-depth academic studies with rigorous practical training in all aspects of theatre. Each year, the department's resident production company, Theatre @ York, mounts an ambitious season of classical and contemporary plays. Students are directly involved in every aspect of production, from design and dramaturgy to directing and acting. Over the past thirty years, the program has trained some of the country's finest stage performers, designers, directors, playwrights and producers.

For more information, please contact:

Brigitte Kleer
Public Relations Manager
Faculty of Fine Arts
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 77143
email: bkleer@yorku.ca

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca