Department of Theatre faculty member Rebecca Covey and husband Aaron Alpern, Department of Theatre adjunct, will be producing and performing The Heart of Winter on Sunday December 21, at 3:00PM at the historical California Performing Arts Centre’s Fremont Centre Theatre (FCT) in South Pasadena, CA. Their performance will feature a lively collection of classic and contemporary stories based around Christmas, winter, and Hanukkah by Dorothy Parker, David Sedaris, O Henry, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and others. The Heart of Winter revolves around the theme of yearning to connect with others and to find meaning during the holidays.
Actor and producer Lissa Reynolds is the Artistic Director at the Fremont Centre Theatre and a long-time associate of Professor Covey. The two have often spoken about collaborating on a project, but the opportunity never presented itself until now. After a recent conversation about Rebecca’s desire to do a show in California, Lissa extended an invitation to perform their project at FCT over the holidays, as she wanted to provide a holiday offering for her patrons. Rebecca immediately accepted and, having been given creative leeway over the direction of the show, chose literary stories she and Aaron would find meaningful and would both enjoy performing.
The Fremont Centre Theatre is a non-profit professional theatre. Their mission is “to discover and rediscover plays of value to produce in an artistic atmosphere that nurtures creativity, originality and excellence. In addition, FCT is committed to producing theatre that promotes diversity and attracts diverse audiences.” FCT is known for working with artists like Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright Ray Bradbury and producing award winning, original adaptations such as A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe. They have been recognized by the NAACP, Women in Theatre, and many other organizations. It is an honor for Rebecca to perform at this prominent theatre, which has worked with artists of such high caliber.
Rebecca is very excited about this endeavor with the Fremont Centre Theatre. When asked about her expectations for the show and her future relationship with FCT, she responded, “I hope to establish a long-lasting relationship with the theatre. This could be a wonderful place for FIU Theatre to incubate new shows, especially new adaptations. I can envision larger scaled projects evolving over time, perhaps even on an annual basis. Aaron and I are looking forward to collaborating with Lissa to make next month’s performance a success.” It is also noteworthy that Rebecca is already in talks about bringing the show to different locations.
The Department of Theatre wishes Rebecca and Aaron great success in California on December 21. For more information about The Heart of Winter, please click here.
