Theatre at Cyrano’s has a long and creative tradition, dating back to 1992 when Sandy and Jerry Harper began the Cyrano’s Off Center Playhouse. It featured independent productions, hosted other companies as well as the Harpers’ Eccentric Theatre Company, which evolved into Cyrano’s Theatre Company in 2005.
In December 2015, Cyrano’s named Alaska-born Teresa Pond as its new producing artistic director beginning January 1, 2016. Sandy Harper remained with CTC in an advisory role through the end of 2016. In June last year, Cyrano’s announced its relocated to the Out North building in east Anchorage near Bragaw and DeBarr. In August, Anchorage theatre icon and Teresa’s father, Bob Pond, died at age 80.
Teresa was born to the theatre. Her father Bob acted in, directed and produced shows with Anchorage Little Theatre, Anchorage Community Theatre and RKP Productions. In fact, Teresa’s bio says she first appeared in a performance at Grant Hall at the age of 10 weeks. She also worked as ACT’s executive director in the 1990s.
Teresa Pond fell into the deep end of the theatre pool, leaving Alaska to earn a BFA in communications from Chapman University and an MFA in directing from the University of California Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of Arts. She moved to New York City where she directed professionally Off-Broadway, across the country regionally, and internationally. Her work includes New York Classical Theatre, Vital Theatre Company, NewShow theatre development, the NY Fringe Festival. More recently, she served as the producing artistic director of a professional summer theatre in Pennsylvania.
In Alaska, she has collaborated with Perseverance Theatre, ACT, ATY, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Dance Theatre, UAA Department of Theatre, Out North Theatre and other nonprofits.
She knows the ropes. Join us to talk about her career, her family roots, as well as the history and future of theatre in Anchorage.
HOST: Kathleen McCoy
GUEST:
- Teresa Pond, Cyrano’s Theatre Company
LINKS:
- Season’s Greetings from Cyrano’s Theatre Company (2018 season), Stage Talk, 1.5.2018
- Bob Pond: A personal perspective of the history of Anchorage theatre, Stage Talk, 3.21.2017
- New leadership enters Cyrano’s Theatre, cyranos.org
- Cyrano’s Theatre Company will move to east Anchorage, taking over Out North Building, ADN.com, 6.14.17
- Sandy Harper Northern Lights, American Theatre magazine, (7-pg PDF) March 2011
- Stage Whispers, The Anchorage Press, date unknown
- Exit Stage Right, Cyrano’s relocates, The Anchorage Press, July 4, 2017
- Anchorage theatre legend Bob Pond dies at age 80, ADN.com, 8.3.17
- Governor’s Awards: Improving Alaska through the Arts, Juneau Empire, 12-3-2017
- Cyrano’s artistic history (list of productions by year)
- Cyrano’s 2018 Season, to date, cyranos.org
- Cyrano’s full website, including tributes to Sandy and Jerry Harper
- History of Out North (Gene Dugan and Jay Brause), OutNorth.org
- Guide to the Gene Dugan and Jay Brause papers, Archives and Special Collections, UAA Consortium Library
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LIVE BROADCAST: Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Alaska time)
REPEAT BROADCAST: Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Alaska time)
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