Created and directed by Colette Searls

December 2 - 13, 2009
UMBC Theatre

Contact: Thomas Moore
Director of Arts & Culture
410-455-3370
tmoore@umbc.edu

Note: You may view or download this release as a pdf file.

The Department of Theatre presents The Crystal Egg, an exciting new fusion of computer animation and puppetry created and directed by Colette Searls, based on a story by sci-fi pioneer H.G. Wells.

Equal parts sci-fi fantasy and spooky comedy, The Crystal Egg tells the bittersweet tale of old Mr. Cave, a curio shop owner who makes an extraordinary discovery. A crystal egg sitting on his dusty shelves is going to reveal something shocking. Creatures from another dimension are sealed inside that egg, and they are about to escape.

Using innovative computer-generated graphics, The Crystal Egg features animated creatures designed and built by UMBC's Imaging Research Center Fellows, performing with artist Don Becker's charmingly rendered puppets. Set to an original score by sound artist Timothy Nohe, The Crystal Egg promises a novel experience in visual and aural storytelling.

The production features set design by Greggory Schraven, costume design by Celestine Ranney-Howes, light design by Terry Cobb, sound design by Timothy Nohe, and video animation by Timothy Nohe.

About the Director, Colette Searls
Since joining the UMBC Theatre faculty in 2002, Colette Searls has directed a mixture of classical and contemporary works, and created several original mixed-media puppet plays, including Fanto, a Mysterious Vaudeville and BURIED (National Finalist, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival). Other directing credits include Noah Haidle's Vigils at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (four Helen Hayes Award nominations), Fixed Boundary at San Francisco's Exit Theatre ("Best of the San Francisco Fringe Festival") and Maria Irene Fornes's Promenade (three Orange County Weekly Award nominations) at the University of California, Irvine. She has received grants from the Jim Henson Foundation and Puppeteers of America for her original works in found-object puppetry aimed at adult audiences, and consulted for professional theatre companies on the incorporation of puppetry in performance. She has published articles in Puppetry International and Puppetry Journal and served on the UNIMA-USA board of directors. Professor Searls has a background combining arts with human services; she has organized inmate arts programs and produced and performed in plays inside juvenile detention centers and California state prisons. She received B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.F.A. in directing from the University of California, Irvine.

Performances
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8 pm (preview)
Thursday, December 3rd, 4 pm (free performance for UMBC students, faculty and staff)
Friday, December 4th, 8 pm (opening night)
Saturday, December 5th, 8 pm
Thursday, December 10th, 8 pm
Friday, December 11th, 8 pm
Saturday, December 12th, 8 pm
Sunday, December 13th, 4 pm

Admission
$10 general admission; $5 students and seniors; $3 for the preview.
The performance on Thursday, December 3rd is free for UMBC students, faculty and staff.
Information and reservations: 410-455-2476 or http://www.umbc.edu/theatre/res_crystalegg.html

Public Information
UMBC Arts website: http://www.umbc.edu/arts

Media Resources
Online News Releases: http://www.umbc.edu/news
High resolution images: http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/ (Photos by Rich Riggins)

Directions
-- From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Theatre.
-- From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile to the entrance of UMBC at the roundabout intersection of Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road. Turn left and follow signs to the Theatre.
-- From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Theatre.
-- Visitor parking is available in the Commons Garage. Visitor parking regulations are enforced on all University calendar days. Hilltop Circle and all campus roadways require a parking permit unless otherwise marked.
Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/