North Star Performing Arts Presents:

RED

Set in the 1950s, and based on a series of real events, Red by John Logan, takes a compelling look at the ever-changing relationship between an artist and his creations.

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Date
April 13 - 14, 2024
Doors Open
1:30PM, 6:30PM
Ticket Prices
$25 / $15
On Sale
On Sale Now

Event Details

“Intense and exciting…a study in artist appreciation, a portrait of an angry and brilliant mind that asks you to feel the shape and texture of thoughts…RED captures the dynamic relationship between an artist and his creations.”

The New York Times

In John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play Red, we enter the world of Mark Rothko as seen through the eyes of his naive new assistant Ken. Through Rothko’s mentorship of Ken, we get to explore the creative process and worldview of an artist at the forefront of the abstract impressionist movement, as well as his reaction to the entrance of pop art onto the scene. Themes of creation, intention, and meaning in art weave through the tight dialog as Rothko preaches and Ken matures. Ken, at first overwhelmed and uncertain in the presence of the artist, eventually grows to challenge the master and helps Rothko as he straddles the line between the business and the integrity of his art. Red is the story of art, but it is also a story of the struggle for perfection and how expectations shape our lives.

North Star Performing Arts is a subcommittee of Little Traverse Civic Theatre for non-traditional theatre.

RED premiered at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, London on December 3, 2009,
Michael Grandage, Artistic Director.

Original Broadway Production Produced by Arielle Tepper Madover,
Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street Productions,
Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal
and The Donmar Warehouse.

Likenesses of the Rothko Seagram Mural Panels used with permission.
© 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Bob Brill (Rothko)

Bob has taken part in high school or civic theater since the early 1990's. He started out in tech doing lighting for Petoskey High School, and then in 1997 was cast in his first LTCT play The Elephant Man. Over the years since, Bob has split his attention between acting and directing a variety of shows for LTCT and North Star Performing Arts, including August Osage County, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pillowman, and Harvey. Bob is the current Executive Director for LTCT and the Director of Venue Operations at Great Lakes Center for the Arts. He hopes to bring more community theater to the GLCFA stage in the future.

Ricky Hill (Ken)

Ricky is extremely excited to return to the stage to play Ken in John Logan’s Red. Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, he has called Petoskey home for nearly 5 years. Ricky spent many years on the road as a performer, teacher, technician, and tour promoter both here in the USA and in 13 countries across 5 continents. He now works as the Venue Sales & Ticketing Manager at Great Lakes Center for the Arts. In his spare time, Ricky enjoys golf, cooking, and playing live music at local bars and restaurants.

About the Director

Esther Brill was born in Detroit, Michigan, raised in Houston, Texas, and moved to Northern Michigan as a young adult. Experiencing so many different environments and cultures at such a young age piqued her interest in human behavior, what shapes us, and who we become when faced with adversity.

Esther found her love of the theatre as an adolescent, both in school and independently, and was part of Houston's Theatre Under the Stars repertory cast starting at the age of 12. At 14, she was the youngest person to achieve an officer position in Thespian Troup 1354. She continued acting throughout her teen years and originally planned to attend The Julliard School and pursue a career in performing arts. Circumstances changed, but her love for theatre remained strong.

More recently, Esther has appeared in productions of August: Osage County and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She assistant directed Harvey, and most recently directed The Pillowman. Since 2009, she has directed the North Star Performing Arts' shadow cast productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She is an active board member of Little Traverse Civic Theatre and head of the North Star Performing Arts Committee.

Esther lives in Charlevoix with her husband (and frequent collaborator) Bob.