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| March 10, 1999 |
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| To whom it may
concern: |
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| David Zarko has asked
me to write a letter responding to his work with the Keystone
Repertory Theater. I am most willing to do so. |
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| KRT is a fully
professional summer theater set in the mountains of western
Pennsylvania. Our mission is to produce new and published
plays which reflect the culture and history of our state, as
well as showcase its playwrights. Last year I hired David
to direct one of the new plays we produced, Elephant Sighs
by Ed Simpson. |
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| To say that I was very
pleased with David's work would be an understatement. His
preparatory process in working long-distance with both the
playwright and the set designer was exemplary. The
playwright was delighted over and over again with David's
interpretation and development of the script from the early
stages of phone discussion to the opening of the show. The
set designer was challenged to work with all three directors
long distance to create a basic setting which would be quickly
changed in a repertory season, yet find a distinctly different
and appropriate look for each play. David made his job
easier by his ready willingness to work with defining a floor
plan which would work on some level for all three plays, but
also through a productive dialogue through fax and phone in the
month's before David's arrival to begin rehearsals. |
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| But it is David's work
with this actors which is particularly noteworthy. He was
very good a quickly developing a sense of trust and open
dialogue with his cast as well as a gentle but firm framework
that he would clearly be in charge of the rehearsal
process. He worked effectively in adjusting to the varying
processes and psyches of a diverse group of actors reflecting a
wide range of ages, training and experience. He managed to
bring performances out of them all which captured both the comic
and dramatic nuances of the script. |
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| While this is the
first time I have hired David, I have seen his work in a number
of other productions. So, I know that the good work we saw
last summer is the norm with David as a director. I
recommend him without hesitation. |
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| If you would like to
touch base with me directly concerning this recommendation,
please do not hesitate to call me at 724.357-4450, or email me
at bledge@grove.iup.edu.
I will be more than glad to respond to your questions. |
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| Sincerely, |
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| Barbara Blacklege,
Artistic Director |