The La Salle Academy Alumni Theatre Collaborative (ATC) will present this year's show, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 in the Brother Michael Mc Kenery Arts Center Theatre at La Salle. 

The Collaborative held auditions for this year's show, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Wednesday, June 17 in the Brother Michael Mc Kenery Arts Center Theatre at La Salle.  The cast has been selected and it is (with class year):

1969 - Vin DeMonte (as the Ghost)
1974 - Ed O'Donnell (as the Chorus/Servant)
1987 - Brenda Chiavarini (as Ramona)
1990 - Erich Gottschalk (as Othello)
1991 - Jessica Lambert (as Juliet's Nurse)
2003 - Joe Graziano (as Mercutio/Soldier)
2004 - Drew Lagace (as Iago)
2004 - Dan Lawlor (as Professor Night)
2004 - Mike Pagano (as Tybalt)
2005 - Sarah Carr (as Juliet)
2005 - Scarlett Delgado (as Constance)
2005 - Elise Petrarca (as Desdemona)
2008 - Cameron Burns (as Romeo)
2009 - Molly B. Allen (as Student)

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) will be directed by Loretta M. Cimini '04, assistant directed by Eric DelGizzo '06 and dramaturged by Elise G. Petrarca '05

The production is a 1988 comedic play by Ann-Marie MacDonald in which Constance Ledbelly, a young English literature professor from Queen's University, goes on a subconscious journey of self-discovery.

Constance theorizes that Shakespeare's tragedies, Othello and Romeo and Juliet, were originally comedies, and believes the ideas for the plays originate from the indecipherable Gustav Manuscript. She believes this because, if a wise fool archetype were reinstated into the plays, they could not remain tragedies.

The only thing stopping her from showing skeptics like her boss, professor Claude Night, that she is right is her timid self. In a moment of despair, Constance is thrown into the two Shakespearian tragedies to go on a madcap adventure to discover the truth about herself, and to find the lost fool with the help of Desdemona and Juliet.

MacDonald received the Governor General's Award, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award and the Canadian Author's Association Award for the play.

A number of alums are already working on the production including several who have been active in the Collaborative since its inception.  They include:

Sarah Carr who graduated from La Salle in 2005.  She currently attends Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey where she studies Hotel and Restaurant Management and Theatre Arts.  Sarah was an active participant in the theatre department and chorus while attending La Salle.  As an alum, she appeared in three of the four one-act plays the first year, portrayed the hilarious Cookie in Rumors the Collaborative’s second summer, and performed in one of the one-acts last summer.

Loretta M. Cimini is a 2004 graduate.  She graduated magna cum laude from Rhode Island College with a major in History and a minor in Political Science.  She is currently working towards her masters in Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode Island.  Loretta was involved in theatre, chorus, and mock trial as a student at La Salle.  Loretta directed one of the four one-acts and appeared in one the first summer of ATC.  She co-directed Rumors the second year and the two one-acts last summer with fellow 2004 alum Christopher DeLuca.

Scarlett Delgado graduated from La Salle in 2005 is currently attending Rhode Island College where she studies English and Writing.  Scarlett was active in the theatre department while at La Salle, including the lead female role in Antigone, Our Town, and others.  With the ATC, she appeared in two of the one-act plays the first year, played the sassy Claire in Rumors our second summer, and performed in one of one-act plays last summer.

Elise Petrarca is also a 2005 graduate of La Salle who just graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with a double major in Theatre and History.  While at URI, Elise performed in a variety of plays including the lead role in The Merchant of Venice.  Elise was an active participant in theatre and chorus while at La Salle.  She has also been part of ATC since it was created.  She appeared in three of the four productions the first year, portrayed the frantic Chris in Rumors, and appeared in one of the one-act plays last summer.

This summer will also feature three more La Salle grads.  They are Eric DelGizzo '06 who currently attends Connecticut College where he studies theatre and English; Jeff Maynard '04 who currently attends the University of Rhode Island where he studies theatre, and Dan Lawlor '04 who graduated from Brown University last May where he studied History.  Eric first joined the ATC the summer of 2007 when he appeared as Ken in Rumors.  Jeff joined Eric and others in Rumors as Glenn and returned last summer to appear in both one-acts while Dan first joined the ATC last summer where he appeared in one production.

For information about ticket prices and show times, go to the La Salle website, www.lasalle-academy.org and click on the Performing Arts button.

Ticket prices:  $5 for seniors and students, $7 general admission.  Reserve tickets by calling 351-7750  ext 183