Paul Sparks Traces Circumference of a Squirrel Off-Bway Feb. 12-March 17 | Playbill

Related Articles
News Paul Sparks Traces Circumference of a Squirrel Off-Bway Feb. 12-March 17 Drama Desk nominee Paul Sparks of Coyote on a Fence is contemplating another kind of mammal in the New York premiere of Circumference of a Squirrel, playing Feb. 12-March 17 at Urban Stages. Stages producing director T. L. Reilly directs.

Drama Desk nominee Paul Sparks of Coyote on a Fence is contemplating another kind of mammal in the New York premiere of Circumference of a Squirrel, playing Feb. 12-March 17 at Urban Stages. Stages producing director T. L. Reilly directs.

Chester, the protagonist of Circumference of a Squirrel, is a self proclaimed rodentophobe with an unhealthy fear of squirrels. That fear, born of hatred passed down by his father who was bit by a rabid one, is surrounded — literally — by an obsession with circles. These include a donut, an inner tube, a holiday wreath, a tire-swing and a figurative cycle of abuse and hate. Circumference had its world premiere at Austin's Zachary Scott Theatre Center in April 2001, followed quickly by a second production at Los Angeles' Actors Gang Theatre via the Mark Taper Forum's Taper Too program in June.

Walch was inspired to write Circumference while watching a squirrel with a bagel struggle up a tree on the University of Texas campus where Walch teaches playwriting. His play, The Dinosaur Within, recently won a Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays grant.

Designing Squirrel are Cobb's Jeff Nellis (lighting), Michael Fagen (sets) and Drama Desk nominee Marc Gwinn (sound).

Tickets are $35. Urban Stages is located at 259 West 30th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. For reservations, call (877) 737-3285. Urban Stages is on the web at http://www.urbanstages.org. *

Circumference of a Squirrel will be the first production in Urban Stages' renovated space on 30th Street. Improvements include a new stage, lobby and rehearsal studios for the 18 seasons old company. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be celebrated on Feb. 12. The company's spring show will be Sweepers, by John C. Picardi, directed by Frances W. Hill, March 26-May 5.

— by Christine Ehren

 
RELATED:
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!