Noah Alexis Tuleja (Director) is an M.F.A. directing student. Training: B.F.A. from New York University; degree in classical acting, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; certified in stage combat by both the British and American Societies of Fight Directors. Theatre: Love, Death and the Prom, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar (Williston Summer Stage, MA), Hating Beckett (Bone Marrow Productions, New Haven), an adaptation of The Seagull (Studio Theatre, NYU), American Buffalo and The Lover (IU).
      These remarks appear in the program for the IU production of Lysistrata:

      As a nation we stand on the brink of war.  It has been more than two thousand years since Aristophanes put pen to paper, and still we find ourselves no closer to a peaceful resolution than the Greeks did back then.  Perhaps this is the reason this piece has remained so vital for over two millennia and continues to speak to people the world over. 
      I had a chance to watch some of the anti-war rally against Iraq this morning (January 18) and many of the people spoke about making war obsolete.  Since the world has still been unsuccessful at accomplishing this task, perhaps it is time to listen to Aristophanes.  True, a sex strike to end a war does seem to be an absurd idea, but is it any more absurd than the idea of war itself? 
      You may be asking yourself, if you are in the right place,  “Isn’t this supposed to be a comedy?”  But ask yourself another question, “Is laughter not more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction we can think up?”
      Graduate school is a place to learn, experiment, and develop one’s craft, and due to the richness of this material I have had the opportunity to do all three.  It has been a challenge trying to balance a world that shifts between levity and sincerity, but by taking chances, exploring different theatrical styles, and working together as a company, we have created, I believe, a piece that is true to the complexities inherent within Aristophanes’ play.
      Now it’s your turn.  As an audience you fill in the final piece to any theatrical puzzle, and it is your response that will truly determine what we have created.

Where to go:

Designs and notes from costume designer Amanda K. Bailey
Designs and notes from scenic designer Van M. Tinkham

Lysistrata page
IU Theatre and Drama home page
Indiana University Bloomington home page