A FEW MINUTES WITH: John M. Manfredi of A Picasso at Performance Network

"Most recently he's been a producer, director and teacher, but when A Picasso opens at Ann Arbor's Performance Network Theatre, John M. Manfredi will return to his true passion - acting, in the role of Pablo Picasso. Manfredi talked recently with EncoreMichigan.com about the show, the dream team he's working with and what else is on his plate in the very near future. " - Donald V. Calamia, Encoremichigan.com

Performance Network presents Jeffrey Hatcher's A PICASSO A Battle of Wits. A Struggle for Art.

Performance Network Theatre presents Jeffrey Hatcher's taut thriller A PICASSO starring John Manfredi in his PNT debut and Emily Sutton-Smith (THE BAKER'S WIFE, THE HOME TEAM). The show is directed by Tony Caselli (TAKE ME OUT, SUMMER AND SMOKE, STOP KISS, THREE DAYS OF RAIN). It opens in previews June 11 and runs through July 12, 2009.

Set in 1941 in Nazi-occupied Paris, this drama explores the dynamics of art, politics and power. Notorious lothario Pablo Picasso (John Manfredi) finds himself in an underground vault being interrogated by the beautiful and strong-willed Miss Fischer (Emily Sutton-Smith), an agent of the German Ministry of Culture. She needs Picasso to authenticate three works of art that have been confiscated from their Jewish owners. When he discovers that the Nazis intend to feature his works in a public art burning, the interview becomes a high-stakes battle of wills.

"Artful, remarkable and genuinely dramatic, with impressive sensitivity and wit." -New York Daily News.

"An exceptionally sharp piece of writing..." -New York Sun.

"An intense confrontational drama." -Miami Herald.

The design team is: Monika Essen (costumes and properties), Dan Walker (set), Ken Faulk (sound) and Janine Woods (lighting and technical director).

A PICASSO is made possible by generous contributions from Kensington Court and the estate of Ruthanne Kelly, celebrating the joyful life she lived and theater's place in it.

In 1941, Paris was under Nazi occupation and Picasso had made the risky decision to stay in Paris after being denied reentry to Spain, despite offers of asylum from the US and Mexico. He had been labeled a "degenerate artist" and a symbol of defiance after his painting of the mural Guernica, an anguished response to the Nazi bombing of a Basque town, became famous. At one point, the Gestapo searched Picasso's home and found a postcard of the mural. "Was it you who did this?" the Nazis demanded of Picasso, to which he replied, "No. It was you." A PICASSO captures the defiant spirit of that encounter as Picasso verbally spars with his Nazi interrogator Miss Fischer.