The UWM students enrolled in the Peck School of the Arts Department of
Theatres Performance Workshop take to the stage February 19-22 in a
staged reading of PEER GYNT, Henrik Ibsens sprawling picaresque.
Performances take place February 19, 20 and 21 at 7:30 pm and February
22 at 2 pm in the Studio Theatre, 2400 East Kenwood Boulevard, on the
UWM campus. Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for students and
seniors, and are available from the Peck School of the Arts Box Office,
(414) 229-4308.

Director James Tasse, an alumnus of the Professional Theatre Training
Program, is excited at the prospect of introducing both students and
audiences to a play that is rarely seen. There are good reasons for
that, Tasse notes. PEER GYNT is a Dramatic Poem that runs over four
hours uncut; it is steeped in Norwegian folklore and mythology; and a
full production requires a large cast and some problematic scenic
elements. At the same time, PEER GYNT offers many possibilities to the
adventurous, including the opportunity for an ensemble of actors to
engage in a large, sweeping piece, using complex language and imagery.

PEER GYNT maps the journey of the eponymous and legendary hero as he
ventures out of the Norwegian mountains to encounter a profusion of
characters, both fantastic and real. Peer, who is steadfast in his
determination to lead the unexamined life, makes his unreflecting way to
locales as remote as the desert, lightheartedly dodging reality,
responsibility, and mortality as he goes.

Tasse has chosen to do PEER GYNT as a staged reading, reduced to a more
reasonable length. I use reduced in the culinary sense, says Tasse.
We are condensing images and ideas into a distilled PEER that is both
powerful and manageable.

As a staged reading, the exploration of the rhythmic language will be a
central focus. Tasse chose Rolf Fjeldes translation because he admired
the muscularity of the poetry. There was also a connection with UWM:
in the second edition, Fjelde acknowledges Robert Corrigan, Sanford
Robbins and Jewel Walker for the work that the PTTP did in a series of
pre-production workshops that preceded the publication of this edition
of the play.

Tasse has taught several courses in the Department of Theatre. An actor
and director, Tasse is beginning his eleventh season with The Chamber
Theatre where he has appeared in DINNER WITH FRIENDS, UNDER MILKWOOD,
THE HERBAL BED, WAITING FOR GODOT, OLEANNA, ARMS AND THE MAN, THE BRIDGE
AT MO DUC and TIMON OF ATHENS. He has also appeared in productions with
Next Act, Northern Stage, Milwaukee Rep, Indiana Repertory, Stage West
and Illinois Shakespeare Festival. His directing credits for Chamber
Theatre include THE BEAST ON THE MOON, THE CURE AT TROY, VALLEY SONG AND
TEDDYKINS.

The Theatre Performance Workshop, which has already presented Shaws
Arms and the Man this year, is one of many performance opportunities
open to students in the growing undergraduate program. In addition to
partnering with Milwaukee Shakespeare in the spring semester, the
Department will be producing Marsha Normans first play, Getting Out, in
April.