Noise Off
Noises Off, by Tony Award-winning playwright Michael Frayn, has been called the greatest contemporary farce. This play-within-a-play explores the frenzied backstage atmosphere of a hilariously sexually-charged production. Famous for its great slapstick components, the British comedy both celebrates, and pokes fun at, the social and formal elements of theatrical performance. The title is a stage direction for sounds meant to be heard from offstage.
The production will be directed by award winning Granada Artist-in-Residence, Jules Aaron, whose credits include a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, 18 Drama-Logue Awards, three Backstage Garland Awards, five Dean Goodman Awards and three Bay Area Theatre Awards, among many others. Set design is by Emmy Award winning artist, John Iacovelli. Noises Off runs November 15-17 and November 29 – December 2 in Main Theatre.
Granada Artist-in-Residence Jules Aaron has directed more than 250 stage productions, including Equus, Death of a Salesman, Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray (world premiere)and award-winning runs of Into the Woods, Cabaret, Company and Merrily We Roll Along. Frequent stage venues include the New York Shakespeare Festival (Public Theatre), the Humana Festival (Actors Theatre of Louisville), South Coast Repertory and Pasadena Playhouse. He is former Director of Grove Shakespeare Festival. He has directed Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Billy Zane, John Vickery, Jane Carr, David Birney, Ralph Waite, Joan Van Ark and Bruce Davison, among others.
Professor Aaron earned his Ph.D. in Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory from New York University. For 17 years, he served as head of the MFA Directing Program at California Institute of the Arts. He has also taught directing, acting and drama at University of California at Riverside, California State University Northridge, and other colleges. He is currently on the faculty of the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
John Iacovelli has designed more than 200 productions at theatres across the nation, including the TONY nominated Broadway revival of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby. He received a prime-time Emmy Award for his art direction of the A&E broadcast of Peter Pan. His set designs include the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, “The Cosby Show,” and “Babylon 5” among many others.