Arts and Entertainment Update of Famous Schiller Play Opens at Asolo Rep

Francisco Rodriguez, Kelly Campbell and Jacob Cooper in "The Robbers" Photo by Frank Atura

SARASOTA -- The FSU/Asolo Conservatory is back for its third production of the year. After a very successful run of the contemporary hit Lobby Hero, they return to the classics with Friedrich Schiller's The Robbers, which opened Wednesday night and runs through March 11 in the Cook Theatre (full review in this weekend's edition).

In this sprawling epic by one of the titans of German theater, two brothers wage war against each other for power and the love of their father. The limits of personal liberty are stretched as one brother plots through diabolical court intrigue and the other sets up camp in the Bohemian forest, forcing liberty through revolutionary anarchy.

This story, written more than two centuries ago, about the violent overthrow of the status quo by a younger generation, "seems ripped from today's international headlines," says Greg Leaming, director of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.

Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) was part of the sturm und drang ("storm and stress") literary movement in Germany during the mid-to late-18th century. Taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s strong focus on character, writers from this movement often created characters who were victims of their environment, reacting in either violent or passive ways–or both.

The production of this adaptation by Klaus van den Berg will be directed by David Kennedy, who calls the play "an enthralling drama with action-packed plot twists, dramatic irony and a brilliant villain at its core.“ He's staged the play in a modern setting that reflects "some of the artistic and social upheavals of the last two generations–from punk rock to the political violence of the 1960s and 70s."

Kelly Campbell and Christopher Williams in"The Robbers" Photo by Frank Atura

Kennedy is the associate artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, where he directed Suddenly Last Summer, Beyond Therapy, and Dinner With Friends. From 2004 to 2008, he was the associate artistic director of Dallas Theater Center, where he directed The Violet Hour, I Am My Own Wife, Thom Pain (based on nothing), Moonlight and Magnolias, Glengarry Glen Ross, and The Misanthrope.

The Robbers runs through March 11, 2012, at the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Productions are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 evenings; $27 matinees. Students receive 50 percent off with advance ticket purchase. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Asolo Rep’s box office at the FSU Center for Performing Arts; 941-351-8000.