​IRT’s Cyrano brings beauty, love and panache to stage

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale.

​Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Cyrano brings beauty, love and panache to stage
The enduring, classic tale shines bright in this intimate adaptation
 
Indianapolis, Ind.—The Indiana Repertory Theatre continues its 2020-2021 virtual season with the epic, intimate romance Cyrano, streaming April 15 – May 9, 2021. IRT’s Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director Janet Allen will direct the production, which is based on the play by Edmund Rostand and adapted for the stage by Jo Roets. Cyrano combines the most dashing of heroes, the wittiest humor, passionate romance, heartbreak, and tragedy in a tale that explores the enchantment, intrigue, and sacrifice of love.
 
For more than 100 years, the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, elevated by French Romantic writer Edmond Rostand, has fascinated playgoers and artists alike resulting in musicals, animations, movies, and more adaptations. Rostand’s original play calls for a cast of more than 50 actors; the IRT is producing Roets’ adaptation focused on a cast of three, allowing the classic story to be distilled down to its essence and the characters to become iconic and larger than life.
 
“Classic stories are classic for a reason: they express something so universal and so timeless that they can bounce between generations and eras and cultures and remain deeply affecting, even primal. No IRT season would be complete without one of them, and this COVID season is no exception,” Allen said. “Theatre is one of the great containers and uplifters of the classic story because it connects living people in storytelling transmission, in a time-honored ceremony of community making.”
 
Starring in this theatrical gem are Ryan Artzberger, one of Indy’s local actor titans, playing the title role of Cyrano, Jeb Burris as Christian et al. and the production’s fight choreographer, and Melisa Pereyra as Roxane et al. Jeb Burris and Melisa Pereyra, a real-life married couple, have both been in IRT productions before; Jeb in Three Musketeers and The Originalist and Melisa in Boeing Boeing. The trio works to bring this story of love and love lost into our lives, as it shows the power of language, feelings, and connection. 
 
“Words matter. In Cyrano’s case, his words both hide and illuminate his darkest fear: that he is unlovable because of his over-large nose. He struggles, a man of such prodigious intellect and heart, to realize his own value,” Allen said. “This essential struggle binds much of humanity together: are we truly contained only by our outward appearances, or by the depth of our humanity, intellect, and soul?”
 
Virtual tickets for Cyrano are now available for $30 and streaming begins April 15. To learn more about the entire season and purchase virtual tickets, please visit irtlive.com.


DETAILS

WHERE: Streaming online via irtlive.com.

RUN DATES:  Streaming April 15 – May 9, 2021. Cyrano is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, with no intermission. Tickets and information at irtlive.com.  

TICKETS: Virtual tickets start at $30. Click to buy.
 
CAST & CREATIVE TEAM:


RYAN ARTZBERGER | Cyrano
JEB BURRIS | Christian et al.
MELISA PEREYRA | Roxane et al.
 
JANET ALLEN | Director
RUSSELL METHENY | Scenic Design
LINDA PISANO | Costume Design
XAVIER PIERCE | Lighting Design
MICHAEL KECK | Composer
RICHARD J ROBERTS | Dramaturg
NATHAN GARRISON | Production Coordinator
REBECCA ROEBER | Production Assistant
 
For more information contact Kerry Barmann, Marketing Communications Manager, at kbarmann@irtlive.com or 317.916.4824.
 
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ABOUT THE IRT
Founded in 1971, the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is the largest professional not-for-profit theatre in the state and one of the leading regional theatres in the country. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.

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