A young French model, Henriette Henriot, steps out of her 135-year-old painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir to perform at Syracuse Stage this month.
Visual art, acting and writing will join forces today at 5 p.m. when the play, "Woman in the Blue Dress" comes to the Jabberwocky Café. The piece is written by Lauren Unbekant and directed by Leslie Noble, members of the drama faculty at Syracuse University.
As a part of the new "Turner to Cezanne" exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art, the play will run at the museum's Hosmer Auditorium from today to November 8. It will also be playing at the Warehouse tomorrow at 12:15 p.m.
With the "Turner to Cezanne" exhibit, the Everson celebrates the art of Impressionism and looked to several community collaborators, including the Syracuse Opera, to take part in the events related to the exhibit. Unbekant jumped at the option to write a play to compliment the exhibit, when approached by museum organizers.
"There's a connection to all disciplines of art" said Unbekant. "They don't live on their own so it's very important to find ways to connect and support all art forms."
Unbekant decided to base her play on the famous Renoir painting, "La Parisienne." The painting, which depicts the model, Henriette, confidently looking directly into the eyes of the viewer, represents what Unbekant calls the whisperings of the women's movement.
"(The 19th century) was a time when women were just being allowed to socialize without chaperones and have some independence," Unbekant said, "but in the painting world, it was still unusual to have models gazing directly at the viewer. This painting is ground-breaking,"
Using the historical period in which Henriette was living, Unbekant took information about the model's life and some poetic license to write a 30-minute play, with Henriette as its only character.
"I wrote the play like I was painting ("La Parisienne")," said Unbekant. "All you see is (Henriette), so she should let her tell own story."
Syracuse University alumna Kathleen Wrinn plays the role of Henriette. Unbekant, who immediately thought of Wrinn upon creating the character, cites her exuberance and ability to delve into roles as reasons for her casting. As a former student of musical theater, Wrinn worked closely with Unbekant during her schooling and is familiar with Unbekant's original one-person plays.
"I really like it," said Wrinn. "Not because I'm the only one on stage, but because I can put a lot of my own touch on the character. It's a lot more experimental bringing something to life that has no previous production."
Wrinn finds that she relates to the character Henriette, who in the play, is on the verge of realizing her personal art forms as a model and an actress. "Woman in the Blue Dress" is Wrinn's first professional acting job, making many of her feelings similar to that of Henriette's during the course of the play.
"(Henriette) shows so much vitality. She has a ton of energy and this youthful excitement about art and the theater so she's very easy to relate to," said Wrinn.
Wrinn's work in assuming the character of Henriette included perfecting a French accent and establishing a proper way to express Unbekant's writing on stage. The group's preparation for the play also included intensive research on Impressionist paintings. For the set, director Leslie Noble created a minimalist, yet media-infused background featuring a large screen that depicts scenes and paintings as Henriette recalls them in the dialogue.
"(The slide projections) evoke her imagination, moods and memories. Overall they lend a lyrical quality to the piece that is further heightened by the sound and music," said Noble.
Funding for the set and other expenses was provided by the Chancellor Leadership Project of Syracuse University with Imagining America, which works to bring events in the arts to the Syracuse community.
Unbekant calls the process of making the play delightful and is happy with how it has worked on the stage. She hopes that audiences recognize the play as a learning experience.
"Artistic form is about process, as is being human. It's about the journey," said Unbekant, "What we can learn from the Impressionist artists, and Henriette, is to keep our eyes open and keep seeing."
aksapara@syr.edu
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