TORONTO, March 7, 2002 -- Theatre @ York winds up its season with a production of Polish playwright Witold Gombrowicz's surreal black comedy Princess Ivona, directed by Paul Lampert, opening March 19 at York University.

Set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional royal court, Princess Ivona tells the story of an unattractive young girl who becomes the target of the court's twisted humour as she gets dragged into its intrigues by the king's son. The play dissects the morals of society, exposing the flaws of human nature, questioning identity and the possibility of sincere relationships.

"In staging Princess Ivona, I happily embraced Gombrowicz’s exclamation, ‘Oh, for artificiality!’" said director Paul Lampert. "To me, this idea is a double-edged sword."

"The play presents characters who construct social, emotional dances in order to avoid engaging in genuine human contact – a façade that is undermined by the all-too-real Ivona", Lampert said. "I had to challenge the actors to present these larger-than-life personae without losing sight of the humanity they represent."

A graduate of Canada’s National Theatre School and York University’s Graduate Program in Directing, Lampert has worked extensively as a director, actor and teacher. His European stage experience includes acting with Poland’s Theatre BLIK and the International Theatre in Vienna and directing the national premiere of Oleanna for the Stary Theatre in Krakow, Poland. His many directing credits in Canada include work for the Globe Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Tattoo and the Great Canadian Theatre Company, as well as six seasons with the Shaw Festival and three seasons with the Blyth Festival. He served as associate director of Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre and artistic director of the George Brown Theatre School before joining the faculty in York University’s Department of Theatre, where he teaches directing and acting.

Theatre @ York productions showcase the talents of theatre students at York University. The cast for Princess Ivona is drawn from the fourth-year acting ensemble. Set design is by Young Hee Cho, costume design by Jennifer McAfee and lighting design by Kim Crichton-Struthers.

Princess Ivona previews Mar. 17 and 18, opens Tues. Mar. 19 and runs to Mar. 23 in Burton Auditorium at York University, 4700 Keele St. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. (6:00 p.m. on Mar. 20) with matinees Wed. Mar. 20 and Fri. Mar. 22 at 1:00 p.m. Admission is $12, $8 for students/seniors, $5 for groups. Previews are PWYC on Sun. Mar. 17 and $5 on Mon. Mar. 18. For tickets, please call the box office at 416-736-5172, ext. 3.

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For further information, please contact:

Brigitte Kleer	Nathalie-Roze Fischer
Public Relations, Faculty of Fine Arts	Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts
York University	York University
416-736-2100, ext. 77143	416-736-2100, ext. 20421
bkleer@yorku.ca	nfischer@yorku.ca