Fred Curchack Adapts One-Man Show, Gauguin’s Paradise, For UTD Student Cast

RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 26, 2004) — UTD Professor and acclaimed theatre artist Fred Curchack will premiere the full-stage adaptation of his one-man show, Gauguin’s Paradise , in the University Theatre at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) March 26, 27 and 28 and April 2, 3 and 4. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

Curchack will transform his one-man show, Gauguin’s Shadow , originally created to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the death of artist Paul Gauguin, into a full-stage play, Gauguin’s Paradise , for a student cast.

“The popular myth is that Paul Gauguin left a lucrative career as a stockbroker and abandoned his wife and five children to pursue his calling as an artist,” Curchack said. “After a time of painting together, Gauguin deserted his friend, Vincent van Gogh, who, that same night, cut off his earlobe and then entered a lunatic asylum. Gauguin left France and lived in Tahiti, where he suffered from syphilis while cavorting with teenage island girls. He struggled with poverty, attempted suicide, fought for native rights, painted some of the greatest masterpieces in the history of art and died in 1903 at age 54.”

Gauguin wrote two autobiographical books, numerous essays and letters, and even published his own volatile newspaper. Gauguin’s Paradise celebrates and confronts the myth of the artist. Using spellbinding theatrical imagination, masks, puppets, Gauguin’s own words and video projections of his art, the work reveals the man behind the myth.

“Paul Gauguin was one of the first great modern artists to employ performance as part of his overall artistic activity,” said UTD Professor and art historian Richard Brettell, who acted as informal advisor to Curchack on this project. “A proficient pianist, guitarist, and percussionist, he adored to sing, play, tell stories and to seduce others to join him in dramatic and musical performances.”

Brettell said he could “think of no one better equipped to bring this mode of avant-garde performance to life than Fred Curchack. Using low-tech and high-tech devices and enlisting friends and students in his enterprise, Curchack will allow us into the inner world of Gauguin the artist-performer for the first time since the painter’s death in 1903.”

Tickets for Gauguin’s Paradise are $15 for adults, $10 for students and free at the door to UTD students with a valid identification. UTD ticket office hours are from 2 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and at the door one hour prior to show time. To purchase tickets using Visa, MasterCard or Discover during those hours or to make a reservation at other times, please call 972-883-2787.

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail sprater@utdallas.edu or visit the School of Arts and Humanities’ web site at http://ah.utdallas.edu/

Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit its web site at www.utdallas.edu .