Loch Sheldrake, NY — The SUNY Sullivan Theater Arts Program is proud to present Casa Valentina, by Harvey Fierstein. The Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award-winning play focuses on heterosexual men who gather at a Catskills resort in 1962 to dress as women and explore their feminine side. Casa Valentina is the Theater Arts Program’s contemporary play offering for its 2022-2023 Sueñito/Little Dream Season.
Casa Valentina will be performed Wednesday–Friday, March 8–11, in the Seelig Theatre on the SUNY Sullivan campus. All campus visitors who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are required to wear masks indoors at all times. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 to the SUNY Sullivan Theater Program/Performing Arts Club. For further information, contact Jessica López-Barkl at jbarkl@sunysullivan.edu.
The pandemic proved that what is important in our lives is our families and our community, said López-Barkl. To celebrate this lesson, the Theater Program is producing shows that focus on our sueñitos or our “little dreams.” “The season name was inspired by the students we serve at SUNY Sullivan and the strong community we have created in our theater program that helps nurture dreams,” said López-Barkl. “This little community banded together during the pandemic to keep us busy and inspired. Without our little dreams, our sueñitos, we would not have survived the pandemic. We are honoring our community and our dreams this season.”
Casa Valentina Synopsis
(From Dramatists Play Service website) Nestled in the Catskills—1962’s land of dirty dancing and Borscht Belt comedy—an inconspicuous bungalow colony catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men who delighted in dressing and acting as women. These white-collar professionals would discreetly escape their families to spend their weekends safely inhabiting their chosen female alter-egos. But given the opportunity to share their secret lives with the world, the members of this sorority had to decide whether the freedom gained by openness was worth the risk of personal ruin. Based on real events and infused with Fierstein’s trademark wit, this moving, insightful, and delightfully entertaining work offers a glimpse into the lives of a group of “self-made women” as they search for acceptance and happiness in their very own Garden of Eden.
Harvey Fierstein – playwright
(From Simon & Schuster website) Harvey Fierstein is a four-time Tony Award-winning writer, actor, and gay-rights activist. In 1983, he received two Tonys for writing and starring in Torch Song Trilogy, received a third Tony the following year for writing La Cage aux Folle, and another in 2003 for Best Actor in Hairspray. Film audiences know him best for his scene-stealing antics in Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day, and he lent his trademark gravelly voice to Disney’s Mulan as Mulan’s soldier friend. He has made numerous TV appearances, including an Emmy-nominated appearance on Cheers and on a classic episode of The Simpsons as Homer’s assistant, Karl. Children know him as the Easter Bunny from the Emmy-winning Elmo Saves Christmas. Harvey also wrote the book for the play Kinky Boots, which won the 2013 Tony for Best Musical.
The final production for the SUNY Sullivan Theater Program’s 2022–23 season will be Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, which will be performed May 5–7.
For more information, contact Jessica López-Barkl at jbarkl@sunysullivan.edu.
About SUNY Sullivan
SUNY Sullivan is the leader of innovative higher education and a catalyst for workforce development throughout the Sullivan Catskills and beyond. Our diverse community cultivates personal growth and professional advancement, preparing students for success in a sustainable and interconnected world. A forward-looking, top-tier community college in New York, SUNY Sullivan offers over 40 degree programs, certificates, and micro-credentials for learners at all levels of their educational goals. We value critical inquiry and creativity while supporting our students in a culture of inclusion and respect.
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February 22, 2023.