Review: RONIA, THE ROBBER'S DAUGHTER at FAU Theatre Lab - US Premiere

Photo: Timothy Mark Davis, Niki Fridh, Leah Sessa, Zack Myers, Angelina Lopez Catledge, with "Murktrolls".

Photo Credit: AMATISTA PHOTOGRAPHY

BOCA RATON, Fla. (September 9, 2018) - "Ronia, the Robber's Daughter" premiered yesterday at the intimate and magical Theatre Lab, a hidden gem of cutting edge theatre, housed within Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. "This show, specifically tailored to the family experience, is sure to delight audience members from ages eight to 80" announced Artistic Director Matt Stabile. No stranger to the work of playwright Allison Gregory ("Motherland, Uncertain Terms"), Stabile was excited to produce this new family friendly show for both the South Florida community and as part of the Future PAGES Project.

Public performances are scheduled from Saturday, Sept. 8 through Sunday, Sept. 30. Saturday performances will be at 10:30 am, Sundays at 3 pm. Children under 18 get FREE ADMISSION with a paid adult admission. Adult tickets are $15. To purchase tickets, visit fauevents.com or call the box office at 561-297-6124.

The Future PAGES (Playwrights, Artists, and Generations of Exciting Storytellers) Project provides live theatre and writing workshops to over 3,000 Palm Beach County students at no cost to the schools or the students. For over 3 years, this project has been generously funded by The Heckscher Foundation for Children. In the past, Theatre Lab presented a collection of short plays to their student audiences on a yearly theme. This season is special; Ronia, the Robber's Daughter will be the first full-length play the group has produced for this program. Moreover, the production goes above and beyond the usual technical elements, incorporating puppetry and live original music composed by Paul Curtis and Angelina Lopez Catledge.

With a powerhouse professional cast, Allison Gregory's new work (based on the book by Astrid Lindgren creator of the Pippi Longstocking series) is sure to delight all audience members. According to Gregory, "Artistic Director Matt Stabile and this extraordinary team of artists have conjured their own brand of theatre magic; they will transport you to Ronia's world, and the delights and dangers lurking therein." Don't miss this fun theatrical experience!

Synopsis: In a mythic countryside in a mountain fort surrounded by wild forest and woodland creatures, young Ronia is raised and loved by her family, who happen to be a band of robbers. Everything changes when she encounters the impetuous son of a rival band of robbers. Their friendship forces Ronia to question her fiery father's actions- and to take a stand for her own beliefs.

For more information about Theatre Lab, visit www.fau.edu/theatrelab.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.