Production Archive

The greatest artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, wrote Desire Caught by the Tail during the worst days of the Second World War, Winter 1941. He was in occupied Paris at the time and Desire was put on as a reading three years later, still during the occupation, by and for artists and intellectuals who, like Picasso, had stayed in Paris. These included Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Zanie Aubier, Simone de Beauvoir and others.

In this Bishop's University Drama Department production, Desire Caught by the Tail will combine a filmed re-imagining of the 1944 readings with a Picasso-inspired staged enactment of the play. Actors and technicians are Bishop's students. Directing will be Jonathan Rittenhouse, a member of the Drama Department since 1980. The designers are Montreal artists Trixi Rittenhouse and Michel Fortier and Michael Medland of Centennial Theatre. Loretta Czernis of Bishop's is the choreographer.

Desire Caught by the Tail
Pablo Picasso
Turner Studio Theatre, Bishop's University Wednesday October 28 - Sunday November 1 8:00pm; matinee Friday October 30 3:00pm
Price: $10/$8 Matinee $6
For ticket reservations call: 819-822-9692 For more information contact Jonathan Rittenhouse: 819-822-9600 ext 2446

Pablo Picasso, artiste extraordinaire, has left a lasting legacy of his creative genius through his works found in all the great art museums of the world. Not only an artist of many styles and visual media, Picasso also wrote poetry and plays. While originally done as a reading, his play, Desire Caught by the Tail, has been staged in many innovative ways over the years.

Jonathan Rittenhouse, recently retired, has directed plays by Shakespeare, Moliere, Euripides, Brecht and others at Bishop's. During his time at Bishop's, Rittenhouse was a Professor of Drama, Dean, Vice-Principal and, finally, Principal during his last year.

Trixi Rittenhouse has been an artist, fashion designer, costume designer and landscape designer for over forty years. She produced her own line of one-of-a-kind fashion clothing and has worked on costumes for various TV and film productions in Quebec. Presently she runs her own landscape design business.

Michel Fortier has been an artist and art teacher for over forty years. His works, in various media, have been exhibited in galleries, special exhibitions, museums and as public art throughout North America. As a professor he taught Fine Arts at Université de Québec a Montréal until 2009.

Michael Medland has been Technical Director of Centennial Theatre for almost fifteen years and has been a lighting and set designer for the past twenty. He has done his design work most notably at Bishop's, The Piggery, and Theatre Lac Brome.

Loretta Czernis has been a Professor of Sociology at Bishop's since 1988. She trained as a dancer (classical and modern) and has choreographed, for both professionals and students, in more than thirty productions.