‘Fox Toss’ Premieres

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For three nights in March, audience members were transported to the world of Augustus the Strong — a 17th-century Polish king known for his Herculean strength, endless list of mistresses, and peculiar penchant for tossing foxes for sport. Packed with family feuds and feminist fire, Fox Toss premiered as a New Plays commission, written by Zuzanna Szadkowski ’01 and directed by Alice Reagan, professor of professional practice in the Theatre Department.

The experience of bringing the comedy to Barnard’s stage was a bit of a homecoming for Szadkowski, the playwright and actor known for her role in the hit TV show Gossip Girl. “The Theatre Department at Barnard changed my life and soul,” she says.

Fox Toss is the department’s fifth show produced by New Plays at Barnard, a program founded in 2011 by Reagan. Every three years, New Plays solicits pitches from woman-identified playwrights that are voted on by the Season Planning Committee. The Theatre Department then commissions the script that the playwright will work on with director Reagan and Barnard-Columbia theatre students.

“These students are extraordinary, inspired collaborators,” says Szadkowski. “They think critically, have access to a great deal of theatre knowledge, and have challenged me to make a better, funnier, more truthful play.”