In conjunction with World AIDS Day, the Department of Theatre Arts presented the Paula Vogel play, “The Baltimore Waltz,” as its annual Stages of AIDS performance and fundraiser. Each year on or around World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1, the theatre program hosts a student performance to raise awareness and funds for AIDS charities. This year’s selection traces the European odyssey of sister and brother Anna and Carl as they search for a cure for Anna’s fictional terminal illness. Assisting the pair is the mysterious Third Man – a reference to the classic suspense film starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, to which Vogel frequently alludes in detail. Admission to the Stages of AIDS performances is always free, and donations were accepted for the local charitable organization AIDS Project L.A. before and after performances.
Directed by Jim Holmes, the play featured LMU students Kaley Bunce, Bridger Caicedo and Gavin Mulcahy. The crew and staff included Tim Toole, sound and projection design; Maureen Weiss, set and costume design; John A. Garofalo, lighting design; Cameron Kauffman, stage manager; and Sierra Hitchcock, choreographer. The performance included original projected images by Eric Sterbenk.
“The Baltimore Waltz” was presented by LMU’s College of Communication and Fine Arts, through special arrangement with Dramatist Plays Service, Inc. New York.
Photos by Jason Muñoz
