FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 27, 2002 CONTACT Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE TO PRESENT 'AN EVENING WITH MADAME F' The Women's Studies program at Drake University will present Claudia Stevens in "An Evening with Madame F," at 8 p.m. Monday, April 8, on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 25th Street and University Avenue. The performance is free and open to the public. "An Evening with Madame F" explores the life and death experience of music performance in concentration camps, drawing upon survivor accounts, including that of Fania Fenelon, who performed in the Women's orchestra at Auschwitz. On a more contemporary note, the piece also deals with the dilemma of treating the Holocaust as a subject for art and theatre. After having written a "bestseller" on the subject, an elderly survivor confronts herself and the audience in an attempt to deal with this complex moral issue. The Richmond Jewish Federation in Virginia commissioned "An Evening with Madame F" in 1989. The text was written by Claudia Stevens and the music was written by Fred Cohen. This musical is one of the most honored Holocaust-related presentations. It has been presented in more than 80 cities nationwide and was produced for television by PBS affiliate WCVE. A musician, actor and playwright, Stevens has earned a significant place in the emerging field of interdisciplinary art through her musical and dramatic performances, original works for the stage and solo appearances on television and radio. She holds degrees in music history and performance from Vassar College, the University of California at Berkeley and Boston University. In addition to teaching at the College of William and Mary, she has enjoyed an extensive career as a piano soloist, performing more than 30 world premieres and giving concerts at venues such as Carnegie Recital Hall, Boston's Jordan Hall and the National Gallery. In 2001-2002 Claudia Stevens' engagements in performance of original works include the Baltimore Theater Project, the "Fast Forward" series (Virginia), the Sandglass Theater (Vermont), as well as presentations in Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln, Louisville, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Fort Worth, Providence, Boston, Allentown and Atlanta. For more information about the performance at Drake, call Janet Wirth-Cauchon, director of the Women's Studies program, at (515) 271-3563.