April 12, 1999 Volume 21, No. 14

Imaginary Invalid Marks End of Directing Career When the curtain sets for the final time on Ithaca College Theatre’s production of The Imaginary Invalid, it will also mark the end of a remarkable career by the play’s director, associate professor J. Fred Pritt. Molière’s classic comedy will be staged in the Hoerner Theatre, Dillingham Center for the Performing Arts, April 20–24. Though he will continue to teach theater, Pritt will be directing a play for the 32nd and final time in his 37 years at the College. The Imaginary Invalid also concluded Molière’s career as a playwright. It tells the story of Monsieur Argan, a wealthy old hypochondriac who wishes to have his daughter Angelique marry a doctor so he can receive free medical care and prescriptions. The plot thickens when his shrewd second wife, Beline, has plans to steal his money and send his daughters to a nunnery. Little do they know that Angelique and the crafty nurse, Toinette, have plans of their own to ensure that Angelique will marry the man she truly loves. The cast for The Imaginary Invalid features Adrian Ballard ’99 as Argan, Angela Groeschen ’99 as Toinette, Katharine Clark ’99 as Angelique, and Sarah Schoenberg ’99 as Beline. The artistic staff includes students Bridgett Ane Lawrence ’99, choreographer; Diana Shaller ’99, scenic designer; Jon Garcia ’99, technical director; and Karin Chun Taite ’00, stage manager; as well as faculty members Celeste Rega, lighting designer; Greg Robins, costume designer; and John Bracewell, sound designer/composer. Tickets for the Tuesday through Thursday 8:00 p.m. performances and the Saturday 2:00 p.m. matinee are $4.50 for students; $6.00 for Ithaca College staff and faculty, senior citizens, and members of the Friends of Ithaca College; and $7.50 for the general public. Friday and Saturday 8:00 p.m. tickets for those groups are $6.00, $7.00, and $9.00, respectively. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets go on sale at the Ithaca College Theatre box office, located in Dillingham Center, on April 12. Box office hours are Monday through Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m. For more information call the box office at 274-3224. In honor of Pritt’s years of service to the program, the Department of Theatre Arts and Ithaca College Alumni Association have planned a gala celebration for him the weekend of April 23–24. Current and former students, colleagues, and other friends are being invited to participate in the celebration, which will include a pre-performance dinner and post-performance reception, talent show, and "roast" in the Hoerner Theatre. Pritt will also be presented with a scrapbook of programs, clippings, posters, and other memorabilia that have been gathered. For more information about the gala, contact Mary Scheidegger in the Department of Theatre Arts at 274-3914. Pritt joined the faculty in 1962. His most recent credits for Ithaca College Theatre include Our Town, Roman Fever, Amelia Goes to the Ball, and 1776. "I have always marveled at the fact that I have been allowed to spend my time doing the things I most enjoy," says Pritt. "I have been given the opportunity to be a part of Ithaca College’s impressive growth and expansion since 1962. It has been a time when dreams could be seen as possibilities and possibilities could become realities. After spinning off several other departments, the Department of Theatre Arts has grown into one of the premier undergraduate professional theater programs in the nation. Saying I belong here with my fellow colleagues is a statement of mutually earned pride. "But the heart of the experience remains the work done here with young adults," Pritt adds. "Helping to develop talented students and watching their efforts turn them into skilled performers have been the great reward semester after semester. Another reward that comes with work relates to your students’ remaining always the same age. On an occasional special day it remains possible to believe you are only a little older yourself."