Hardy Koenig, assistant professor of theatre arts, is portraying 20th century artist Mark Rothko in the Theatre B production of “Red,” which is scheduled to run until Oct. 12. The 2010 Tony award-winning production delves into the nature and value of art and imagines the mental anguish and provocative conversations that led Rothko into giving up his most publicized commission.
"When I read John Login's ‘Red,’ I knew I wanted to be a part of this show,” Koenig said. “Not too often does a play of this caliber come along with such depth of ideas while still being entertaining, thought provoking and in some ways tragic. Also, as a professor of acting, this gives me the opportunity to work on my own skills while allowing my students see my work."
Before coming to NDSU, Hardy taught at Averett University in Virginia, High Point University in North Carolina, St. John’s University and Minnesota State University Moorhead in Minnesota.
For six years, Hardy was the director of educational theatre services for the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where he coordinated all aspects of educational theatre including auditions, festivals and scholarships. Koenig was the lead presenter of conference’s “Nail That Audition” master class and developed “Stepping Stones to the Future,” a workshop to guide students in using their theatre training and degree after college.
More information about the play and Theatre B is available at www.theatreb.org.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.