Indiana Public Media Arts & Music
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf
By George Walker
Posted January 24, 2013
“George and Martha do love each other, but they are kind of crippled in their communication.”
Photo: Ivy Tech
Bill Simmons as George and Diane Kondrat as Martha in a tense moment.
Event Information
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Play by Edward Albee
Rose Firebay of the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center
January 25 – February 9, 2013
323-3020
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Ivy Tech Community College presents Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. It’s a farewell celebration for Bloomington actor Diane Kondrat. Performances in the intimate Rose Firebay run January 25-February 9.
Kondrat plays Martha with frequent acting partner Bill Simmons as her husband George. Emily Mange and Mathew Rowlands play Honey and Nick. They’re the young couple who unwittingly fall into George and Martha’s ongoing battle.
Although many will recall Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf as a dark and scary experience, Kondrat is wary of a simple approach.” It’s so tempting for actors to see a piece like this that is so familiar and to let themselves be imitative or derivative from a film or the very dark readings that can occur in a high school honors class,” she says.”Our director Patricia McKee keeps comparing it to Noel Coward’s comedy Hay Fever. She’s insisting on kind of a light touch and wants people to think that at least at the beginning, they’re seeing a romantic comedy.”
Kondrat does admit that, “There are some brutal moments in the play, but we’re daring ourselves to make this Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf more like badminton match than a squash game. “
The community farewell to actor Diane Kondrat sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College is produced by the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center’s Artistic Director, Paul Daily.
In addition to producing the production Daily has arranged for Kondrat to meet with Ivy Tech students in sessions on monologues and scene work.
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George Walker, born in Winchester, Virginia, came to Bloomington in 1966 for graduate school in Indiana University’s English Department, and began announcing for WFIU in 1967. Currently an On-Air Programming Director, George interviews artists in a wide variety of areas, reviews plays and operas, and supervises on-air performances. In his time away from WFIU, George enjoys reading, exercising, and playing guitar in his local bluegrass band.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
