Villanova's Masters in Theatre program has gained a reputation in the region for being a wellspring for up-and-coming artists and intellectuals. Recent graduates have found work at the most prestigious global, national, and local institutions - ranging from the Prague Fringe Festival - to The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center - to the world-renowned Philadelphia Theatre Company. Recent Villanova graduates Kimberly Reilly ('09) and Adam Landon ('08) have teamed up to present a limited engagement run of B-Sides: A Night of Rockin' Solo Performance, on stage Feb. 19th - 27th at the hippest venue in Philly - The Walking Fish Theatre, a hidden gem in the Fishtown section of Northeast Philadelphia.
Kimberly Reilly (Associate Producer, Director - Aimlessly, Haplessly) hails from King of Prussia, PA and currently serves as the Marketing and Development Director at Act II Playhouse in Ambler. Kimberly attended Upper Merion High School, and has been working in and around theatre since the age of 18. Kimberly has also worked with Villanova Theatre, Theatre Horizon, and The Devon Theater. She fell in love with production, directing, and arts administration while earning her Master's degree at Villanova. Following an 11th hour resignation by The Devon's Artistic Director, Kimberly was asked to step in as the Associate Artistic Director after working with the company for just five months. Kimberly immediately dove into directing The Devon's critically acclaimed production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - hailed as "terrific," "impressive," "entertaining" and "joyful" by Philadelphia Inquirer critic Howie Shapiro. Though Kimberly has moved on from The Devon, she still has a soft spot for the community in the Northeast, and is excited to be returning to Frankford Avenue for this production.
B-Sides will feature the talents of another Montgomery County native - Adam Landon (Author/Actor - Aimlessly, Haplessly), who attended Harriton High School and Bard College('02) before enrolling in the Master's Program at Villanova. Landon, whose priMary Focus is solo performance, originally wrote and performed Aimlessly, Haplessly as his culminating thesis project at Villanova. According to Landon, Aimlessly, Haplessly is "one lone man's journey to divine an understanding of cosmic order by way of the seemingly trivial and mundane." The piece is semi-autobiographical and chronicles a day-long journey - as the vagabond character abandons his day's plan to blast rock music and conquer video game worlds to bravely and quixotically conquer the streets of San Francisco. Along the way he encounters numerous obstacles, setbacks and defeats. What is the point, after all, of pursuing a bleak and uncertain outcome when the lure of rock and roll and video games can keep one happy indefinitely?
This and many other existential questions plague our young hero - a man whose aimless wondering quickly turns into hapless wandering. It seems that the odds are against him as he encounters challenge after challenge - including a frightful theatrical audition, the pursuit of an unrequited love interest, a deluge of toxic poetry, an inscrutable message found in a menu, and a childish joke that claims to reveal the meaning of life. As he meanders deeper into the night and increasingly without direction, he becomes more and more adamant that his day's events reveal to him some kind of meaning and purpose. Is there more to life than rock and roll and video games, or does leaving home only incur calamity and doom? Author/Actor Adam Landon leaves that to the audience to decide.
The second track on the B-Sides roster is a wry & witty piece entitled Progressive Relaxation by current Villanova student Bill D'Agostino ('10). D'Agostino (Author/Actor -Progressive Relaxation) earned his degree in Theatre Arts from Brown University ('98) before working as a journalist for nearly a decade - with the Palo Alto Weekly in California &Frederick News-Post in Maryland. D'Agostino also worked as an actor, administrator and educator with Gamut Theatre Group in Harrisburg. At Villanova, D'Agostino was awarded a Research Scholarship and recently served as the dramaturg for Villanova's edgy production of Medea. Following his internship with PlayPenn, Philadelphia's new play development conference, Bill is currently serving as a literary intern at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. His piece, Progressive Relaxation explores the ages-old idea that "There are always two sides to every story." When a reporter conducts an interview on the topic of anxiety, he learns more than he expects about the topic - and - about himself.
