State Theatre Association Celebrates Harlequin Productions’ Fall Performances

Fall performances by Cayuga Community College’s Harlequin Productions were recently recognized by a state theatre organization, with two one-acts also selected for performances at a November festival.

The Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) lauded Harlequin’s performances of “Finding Love: The Good, the Bad and the Silly,” saying the student-led cast “explore all aspects of love and do it with humor and thoughtfulness.” The show, which completed its run at the Irene A. Bisgrove Theatre at the College’s Auburn Campus in October, was comprised of eight one-act comedies.

Director Bob Frame thanked TANYS for recognizing the production and the students, saying the student cast dedicated themselves to learning multiple characters across the eight plays.

“This was a light-hearted collection of comedies, but it still demanded that students each learn two characters to complete the cast, so that’s a challenge in and of itself,” said Frame. “We’re happy the adjudicator recognized the commitment this required, and we’re proud that two of the shows were selected for performances at the New York State Theatre Festival this month.”

The two shows selected for the Nov. 11 festival in Watertown are “Buki, Buki, Buki,” by John Kelly and “Give and Take,” by Bara Swain. The Kelly play tells the story of a newly married couple who are visited by extraterrestrials, while “Give and Take” explores the friendship between two individuals struggling for acceptance. They were selected from more than 40 performances reviewed by adjudicators. Both plays will be performed again Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Bisgrove Theatre at 7 p.m.

Harlequin’s cast also earned several individual and ensemble awards. The casts of “Buki, Buki, Buki” and “Give and Take” both earned Meritorious Achievement in Ensemble Acting. Kyleigh Walton earned a Meritorious Achievement in Acting award for portraying Belle in “Stockholm Syndrome,” and Dylan Bianco earned the same award for portraying Melvin and Darrell in “Sock Puppet Fetish Noir.”

Frame and the production crew also earned an award for Meritorious Achievement in Direction, Production Concept and Technical Execution.

Harlequin Productions is Cayuga’s award-winning student theatre troupe. The group, led by Frame, performs live theatre each semester, frequently with six performances over a two-week period. The company is open to all Cayuga students.

For more information about Harlequin Productions, visit https://www.cayuga-cc.edu/students/student-life/harlequin/.