Three CMU students featured in PICT's Synge Cycle

Rebecca Berkman-Rivera, Amanda Jane Cooper, and Laura Lee Mixon each perform in at least three of the seven shows produced during the Cycle.

Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre honors the centenary of the Irish Shakespeare, John Millington Synge, with Synge Cycle, a festival which gives audiences a rare and unique opportunity to examine the complete body of his theatrical work over the course of a single month of theatre-going. A group of sixteen actors and five directors bring all seven of Synge's stage plays to life, starting with The Playboy of the Western World on July 17th, and continuing with his other six stage plays running in repertory through August 17th.

In The Playboy of the Western World, the three play a trio of feisty village girls: Sara Tansey (Mixon), Susan Brady (Berkman-Rivera), and Honor Blake (Cooper.) Berkman-Rivera, class of 2010, plays the title role in Deirdre of the Sorrows, Girl in The Well of the Saints, and ensemble in Riders to the Sea. She received the Drama Desk scholarship Award for acting and production in 2006, and her favorite roles include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Cooper, class of 2010, plays a role named Bride in both When the Moon Has Set and The Well of the Saints, ensemble in Riders to the Sea. She recently produced and starred as Mercedes in the musical version of The Count of Monte Cristo for Playground, and was also in the films Smart People and Homecoming. Mixon, class of 2009, plays Nora in Riders to the Sea and Molly Byrne in The Well of the Saints. Mixon received the Thomas Auclair Memorial Award for excellent contributions to the School of Drama, and has played roles on campus such as Princess Eboli in Don Carlos and Sganarelle's wife in Moliere's Sganarelle or The Imaginary Cuckhold.

Tickets for The Playboy of the Western World are $17 to $47. Tickets for the Synge Cycle One-Acts programs are $20 ($17 for persons under 25). A $50 pass for Synge Cycle entitles patron to attend all three of the Synge Cycle One-Act programs. Reservations are recommended, and can be made by calling ProArts Tickets at 412-394-3353 or visiting www.proartstickets.org. More information is available on the PICT website, www.picttheatre.org.