Yale Bulletin and Calendar

December 1, 2006|Volume 35, Number 12|Two-Week Issue

Tea Alagic

Drama school's 'Zero Hour' recounts
student's experience of Bosnian war

The true-life experience of drama student Tea Alagic when civil war broke out in her homeland of Bosnia is re-created in the School of Drama's first play of the 2006-2007 season, "Zero Hour."

The play will run Tuesday-Saturday, Dec. 12-16, with six performances at the University Theatre, 222 York St.

"Zero Hour" portrays the chain of events set in motion when Yugoslavia began to disintegrate. Then only 18, Alagic's world was turned upside down by the events of the civil war. Over 10 years of her adolescence was cut short by the violence, and Alagic was torn from her family and her country on account of the war, fleeing her hometown of Mostar. The play dramatizes how a family -- and a world -- can collapse in a split second.

Alagic will direct the production, which she wrote from material she developed with fellow drama student Jennifer Tuckett, edited by Christine Mok, also a student at the School of Drama. "Zero Hour" received a workshop production as part of the Summer Cabaret at Yale's 2006 season. Since then, Alagic has continued to develop the autobiographical material. The new production features a revised script that incorporates transcribed interviews between Alagic and her mother, newly improvised scenes conceived by the cast and video footage of the Bosnian town of Mostar.

Alagic is in her final year at the School of Drama. Her work has been featured in New York, Prague, London and Berlin. Her directing credits include "Marcus Brutus" and "The Brothers Size" at the School of Drama and "Chiang Kai Chek" at the Yale Cabaret. As associate artistic director of the 2005 Summer Cabaret at Yale season, she directed "Woyzeck," "Piano Plays," "Self-Accusation," "preparadise, sorry now" and "Baal." She returned to the Summer Cabaret this past season to direct the workshop production of "Zero Hour."

In addition to her work at Yale, she has trained with Anne Bogart, Theatre du Soleil in Paris and Theatre de Complicite in London, and acted with Robert Lepage and Richard Foreman. She has performed as an Equity actor in theater and film around the world. A recipient of a Soros Fellowship, her other honors include awards at the Cairo International Festival and the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival.

"Zero Hour" features scenic design by Brenda Davis, costume design by Anya Klepikov, lighting design by Ji-Youn Chang and sound design by Sarah Pickett. Others involved in the production are Christine Mok (dramaturg), Beth McGuire and Pamela Prather (dialect coaches), Jeremi Szaniawski (video consultant) and Sarah Hodges (stage manager).

The opening night for "Zero Hour" is Dec. 13. Performances are at 8 p.m. each night, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 16. Individual tickets are $18; $12 for students. Discounted rates for seniors and groups are also available.

Due to the unique staging for "Zero Hour," seating is limited. Early reservations are recommended.

Tickets may be purchased by calling (203) 432-1234, in person at the Yale Repertory Theatre box office, located at 1120 Chapel St. (at York), or online at www.yale.edu/drama.

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