KRISTYN KOCZUR
PRODUCER
Of The Dream
That Was My Life...
A NEW PLAY BY KRISTYN KOCZUR
​"Koczur’s well-structured scenario and often poetic dialogue charts Claudel’s eventful existence from childhood to her promising career and to old age and death in a mental institution. Sexism, betrayal and the vicissitudes of the art world, are among the resonant themes Koczur evokes in her passionate treatment...Ms. Koczur also plays the older Camille who witnesses scenes from her life being enacted as well as interacting in the present. Koczur’s stately presence and full-bodied voice inform her majestic characterization which conveys the artist’s spiritedness and melancholy...Of The Dream That Was My Life… tells the tale again in a fresh, affective and theatrical manner."
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- Darryl Reilly, TheatreScene.org
Of The Dream That Was My Life...
WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY Kristyn Koczur
World Premiere
October 21st - 28th, 2023
ATA's Sargent Theatre, 314 W. 54th St. NY, NY 10019​
DIRECTED BY Daniel Amenda
STARRING:
Kristyn Koczur as Camille Claudel,
Henry Davis as Rodin,
Bart Elliott as Paul,
Sophia Furshpan​ as Young Camille,
Teddy Biggins as Young Paul,
Valeriya Pushkareva as Monique,
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CHOREOGRAPHER: Francis J. Roach
STAGE MANAGER: Callie Stribling
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Ken Coughlin
INCIDENTAL MUSIC: Jai Jeffryes
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ABOUT THE PLAY
Of The Dream That Was My Life... tells the story of French sculptor Camille Claudel, muse and mistress of Auguste Rodin. Considered audacious in her time, Camille was ridiculed by her peers because she aspired to achieve recognition and stature among the great artists of Paris, a community overwhelmingly dominated by men in the late 1800s. Unwilling to recognize boundaries both personally and professionally, she was imprisoned in an insane asylum where she spent the last 30 years of her life.
A WORD FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
"What do we learn in the journey of a lifetime? We discover what particular skills or talents we have. We aspire to be recognized for the contributions we are able to offer toward making the world a better place. We learn how to navigate around the pitfalls. Or we don't. Sometimes we succumb to despair and get hopelessly lost. The story of Camille Claudel, a woman who refused to give up in the face of impossible odds, inspired me to learn how she was able to persevere and look forward to waking up in the morning after her reason for being alive was stripped away from her.
Through the performance of this story I hope to reassure others who have had or will have slips and falls during their own journeys that THEY ARE NOT ALONE. Even a victim can be a survivor."
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- Kristyn Koczur, Playwright and Lead Actor of The Dream That Was My Life...