The U of U Department of Theatre is excited to open our season with a return to the Hayes Christensen Theatre for Kander and Ebb's Steel Pier, a musical set in Atlantic City that perfectly captures the rhythms of the 1930s. Then, Terri McMahon from Oregon Shakespeare Festival joins us in October to direct Shakespeare’s sophisticated early comedy, Love’s Labour’s Lost. November brings us George Bernard Shaw's comedy of confused identities, You Never Can Tell. In the spring, we present Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s soccer musical The Beautiful Game, followed by Up (The Man in the Flying Chair) by Bridget Carpenter in March. We close with Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good, a drama based on real events in 1780s New South Wales when marines and convicts mounted a production of The Recruiting Officer. Compromised of six fantastic productions, the complete 2017-18 season is as follows:

  Steel Pier Music by John Kander | Lyrics by Fred Ebb| Book by David Thompson Directed by Denny Berry September 15-24, 2017 The Hayes Christensen Theatre (MCD) In the honky-tonk world of marathon dancing in Atlantic City in 1933, a captivating assortment of depression era souls eager to dance their way into fame and prizes gather on the Steel Pier. The spectacle is presided over by an oily tongued emcee who is secretly married to Rita Racine, the champion dancer. Her usual partner doesn't show up, so she is paired with a handsome pilot on leave. As the hours of dancing whirl on, Rita becomes increasingly disillusioned with her sleazy, conniving husband and more and more infatuated with the handsome young aviator and a vision of life in a peaceful cottage.

Love’s Labour’s Lost By William Shakespeare Directed by Terri McMahon October 20-29, 2017 Studio 115 The King of Navarre and his three schoolmates vow to embrace their studies—and not embrace girls—for three whole years. But the instant they take that vow, the Princess of France arrives with her three beautiful attendants, and all bets are off.

You Never Can Tell By George Bernard Shaw Directed by Alexandra Harbold November 10-19, 2017 Babcock Theatre At one riotous lunch, Mrs. Clandon, a famed feminist author and lecturer, is accidentally reunited with her estranged husband, while her high-minded eldest daughter tries to stave off a smooth-talking dentist’s advances. Identities are confused, ideals are challenged, and mischief is afoot in this turn-of-the-century romantic farce. What could possibly happen? As a wise waiter continuously, and hilariously observes, "You never can tell!"

The Beautiful Game Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber| Lyrics and Book by Ben Elton Directed by Denny Berry February 16- March 4, 2018 Babcock Theatre Under the watchful eye of team coach Father O’Donnel, John and Del both show enough promise to pursue careers as professional soccer players. They’re just two regular teenagers who dream of nothing more than girls and soccer. When they find love with their girlfriends Mary and Christine, they become swept up in the events that engulf their community and, as time passes, each must decide whether to follow their hearts. This powerful and passionate musical is a celebration of the freedom that love can bring.

Up (The Man in the Flying Chair) By Bridget Carpenter Directed by Chris DuVal March 9-17, 2018 Studio 115 “Follow your dreams as high as they go” 20 years ago, Walter Griffin attached 45 helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair and found himself 16,000 feet above the world. Today he’s furiously holding onto his dreams and the faded memory of that glorious day, doing everything he can to keep his feet from touching the ground.

Our Country’s Good By Timberlake Wertenbaker Based on the novel The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally Directed by Sarah Shippobotham April 6-15, 2018 Babcock Theatre In January 1788, the first of the British prison ships arrive at Botany Bay, Australia and settle the penal colony at Port Jackson, the site of current-day Sydney. Many of the prisoners have committed minor crimes and their wardens are military men who fought and lost the war against the American colonies. When hope and supplies run low, a lieutenant tries to increase morale by staging a comedy, The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar, using the convicts as the cast.

Tickets and season flexpasses will go on sale on July 1, at tickets.utah.edu. To receive a season brochure and join our mailing list, please send an email with your information to

Dr. Lue Morgan Douthit, Director of Play on! 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare, will be speaking at the post-show discussion after the opening performance of The Two Noble Kinsmen on April 7, at the Babcock Theatre. The post-show discussion will include the highly debated topic of translating Shakespeare and the impact that Play on! is achieving through making Shakespeare more accessible and inclusive. Other members of the post-show discussion will include The Two Noble Kinsmen Director, Randy Reyes and Assistant Director for Play on!, Taylor Bailey. Reyes is an alumni of the University of Utah Actor Training Program who received a College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016 and graduated from The Juilliard School Drama Division in 1999. He is currently Mu Performing Art’s Artistic Director.  The Two Noble Kinsmen is one of 39 plays to be translated into modern English for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play on! project. This play was translated by Professor Tim Slover with production dramaturgy from Alex Vermillion and Play on! project dramaturgy from Assistant Professor Martine Kei Green-Rogers. The production is directed by College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alum Randy Reyes, with Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Executive Director Cynthia Rider.

The Two Noble Kinsmen April 7-9, and 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee April 15 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be obtained by calling 801-581-7100, online at tickets.utah.edu or at the Performing Arts Box Office, located at Kingsbury Hall. Additional service fees may apply.  

Shakespeare and Fletcher wrote The Two Noble Kinsmen using various source material including Chaucer, Grecian culture, Elizabethan hierarchy, ancient mythology, etc. So, I decided that we should create our own world also derived from several sources, the main one being Tim Slover’s modern translation. The design took inspiration from ancient Greece, the Blackfriars’ stage, war, “The Hunger Games,” hip-hop, and high fashion. By combining all these elements we are creating a unique world reflective of the past (Shakespeare’s original inspirations), the present (Slover’s translation), and the future (with the next generation of Shakespearean actors). With every Shakespeare play, the universal themes always win out, and for Two Noble Kinsmen we focused on the passion of youth, the obsession of love, the destruction of loyalty, and the delicacy of the human psyche in the backdrop of war.

For an hour before each rehearsal the cast engaged in a physical training. This was a way of physicalizing the text, building teamwork, and strengthening their core in order to play warriors, nobility, and county folk connected to the earth. The actors don’t have a real experience of war, so training together was a way of getting these ideas from their heads and into their bodies. The training included dance (with choreographer Juan Carlos Claudio), military calisthenics (with Major Tyler Holt, USMC), Suzuki and Viewpoints exercises, original movement techniques, acting exercises developed by the late Kenneth Washington (former Director of the ATP at the U and my mentor), meditation, and yoga.

During the rehearsal process, we kept coming back to the idea of obsession, and how we justify our actions based on a personal belief system connected to religion, societal norms, or political values. An important context for the obsession is youthfulness or a limited experience within a certain aspect of life. The obsession then leads to questions about sanity. How far is one willing to go to justify what they believe? How does one use their belief system to justify their actions? What is the cost of not taking responsibility for one’s actions? These are the questions that we have been wrestling with.

Another word that kept surfacing was “honor.” What does honor mean to us today? We had Major Holt come in to train and to talk with the cast. When asked about what honor meant in the Marines, he acknowleded that it was a great question that he has not contemplated in a long time—although it is a key value to the Marines. He said that honor was about doing the right thing in any given situation. And that made me think about who establishes what is ‘“right.” What code are we talking about? The pursuit of the answer is inherently flawed because honor is a human invention. And yet it is a core value in so many organized institutions. This play challenges those same ideas.

Speaking from my own value system, strongly influenced by my Mom, I am deeply honored to be back at my alma matter and direct this play with an amazing group of students (including actors, stage managers and a few designers) who jumped in at one hundred percent with full heart and soul, and the unflinching support of faculty and staff of the great University of Utah Department of Theatre.

Thank you for coming. We hope you enjoy the show!

Daniel Amsel (Septimus Hodge) Arcadia is a very intense, intellectual show. My character, in particular, demands that I am smart and deceitfully emotional. This is something that is difficult for me to do in my personal life, so this rehearsal process has been full of a lot of self-reflection and I've grown a lot personally because of it. I love the wit of this show! Everyone's ideas bounce off each other so smoothly and powerfully. When everyone in the cast is attuned to each other, the amount of energy between the lines is palpable. It's really something amazing, and not all plays manage to create that! I imagine people think plays with people sitting around a talking sounds horribly boring. I'd like to prove then wrong. It's a magical, exciting, dangerous 3-hour play that puts you in the edge of your seat!

Ashley Patlan (Lady Croom) This rehearsal process has been really unique for me. We focused more on the text and understanding how the thoughts of the characters move through it, rather than just getting it up on its feet as soon as possible. This was quite refreshing, as I feel that this approach allowed me to understand what I was saying/what was being said about my character and how we were saying it before we could even get it blocked and into our bodies. Working with Sarah has been really quite wonderful and a dream come true. I’ve always admired her and her work and so it was truly lucky to have this opportunity. She doesn’t sugar-coat anything and pushes me to the maximum, but does so in a way that it stokes a fire in me to want to do better. I’ve never had a director who was so passionate to find and bring to light the absolute best in everyone’s abilities. She’s unique in the best way possible. I love everything about this show—from the time periods, to the dialect, to the language, to the lighting, attire, music, cast, crew, etc. This show is beautiful in every way possible. People should come see this show because it’s funny, heartwarming, and witty and makes you see things in ways you haven’t considered before. It has humor, language, maths, science, love, sex, fire, tortoises – It has it all!

Gavin Yehle (Gus and Augustus) It feels amazing being in my first U of U show! I feel like I’ve been waiting these two years for this opportunity. But now that the whole thing is coming to fruition, it doesn’t really feel much different from any other show that I’ve been in before. I definitely think that the first two years of school have really prepared me for the show and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of the tools in order to make the acting the best it can be. This show is definitely quite complex. There are all kinds of things that come back later, or are referenced in a different part of the show, and it’s all of these little connections that make the show so interesting. I also really love that I get to play the character that becomes sort of the crossover between the two different time periods; the last scene, which is when this crossover comes to fruition, is definitely my favorite part of the show, and I really love the ambiguity of the two characters coming together. It is a really beautiful show with amazing costumes, set, lighting, and sound design that really adds to the show. I’m happy that I get to watch the beauty of the very last scene every night as I come onstage.

Kali Scott (Hannah Jarvis) Arcadia is very complex and driven by energy, character, and relationships. There is a lot to play with and I always have to be on my toes! Also, everyone involved in the production is great to work with. Sarah Shippobotham has the ability to direct people into beautiful, human moments and the play is full of them. It's funny, sarcastic, sexy, smart, and everyone shines. I've never done an accent before, so that's been challenging and fun. It has been challenging for me to find the ease and subtly, yet driving energy of this world. This play focuses a lot on enigmatic complexity of the world and humans, so finding a way to fully express multiple aspects of a moment or character, giving each its equal due without focusing too much on the moment, has been an exciting adventure.

Joshua Wood (Bernard Nightingale) It has been a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time analyzing the text as it is a hugely argument driven play. After analyzing language we spent some time building our characters and the world. It has been a very exciting show to work on and I feel like I have learned an incredible amount in the process. This show is a lot more language based than most. It also requires a huge amount of energy. I Love how funny and clever it is while exploring many subjects including sex, literature, math, science, and philosophy. Because it is funny, entertaining, and most of all, it will give you something to think and talk about! The most challenging part has been keeping up the energy and learning to think through each argument every time I say them.

Monica Goff (Chloe Coverly) The rehearsal process for Arcadia has been really fun and exciting, particularly since we have been working extensively on a lot of different things so we’re always engaged and always working, even when we’re not in rehearsal. Working with Sarah has been really helpful because I have her as my professor for two classes, so we’ve been in constant conversation about acting, text, and how to apply what we're learning to Arcadia and things we learn during rehearsal to our classes. I am so excited to be in my first show at the U! It’s really thrilling to finally get to apply the skills that we’ve been spending hundreds of hours working on for the past 2 years. I love that this show is really text heavy. It makes you think while you’re watching it and it’s really a challenge to stay in the moment on stage. People should come to see Arcadia because it’s funny, intellectual, and visually stunning! Arcadia runs November 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. and 19 and 20 at 2:00 p.m. at the Babcock Theatre.

By: Kim Davison

Eclipsed is the story of five extraordinary women brought together by the upheaval of war in their homeland of Liberia. During the chaos of the second Liberian Civil War, the captive wives of a rebel officer group together to shape a fragile community, until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl.

Drawing on reserves of wit and compassion, Eclipsed reveals the courage and strength of the women who are often overlooked in a world where war endures, and women are still fighting to survive. The brilliant all-black female cast for Eclipsed include members from the Department of Theatre with McKenna Kay Jensen as Helena, Terryn Shigg as Bessie, Darby Mest as The Girl, Madaeline Lamah as Maima, and local artist Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin as Rita. Eclipsed is directed by New York Artistic Director, Stephanie Weeks.

The Stanford Daily claimed Eclipsed as “a celebration of diversity and the mighty power of women, Eclipsed is the perfect piece for educating and entertaining a modern American audience on issues which typically go unseen and unreported.” Capturing a piece of untold history about women who come together, fight against the war, and bring peace to their homeland of Liberia, Eclipsed is an inspiring tale of hope, humor, and resilience.

The production runs March 3-11 in Studio 115 in the Performing Arts Building, 240 S. 1500 E. There will be a panel discussion with U of U faculty on March 9, and a post-show discussion with the cast and creative team on March 10. Tickets available at tickets.utah.edu. 

Speckled with comedy, love, and tragedy, Dogfight takes its audience on a heartbreaking and powerful journey that changes even the strongest soldiers.

 The Department of Theatre opened the spring season with Dogfight, a romantic and witty musical adaptation of the 1991 movie with River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical in 2013, Dogfight is directed and choreographed by Denny Berry. The play is set on November 21, 1963.  On the eve of their deployment to a growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery and partying. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace (Jesse Klick) meets Rose (Liz Terry), an awkward waitress he volunteers to win a brutal bet with his fellow recruits.

“Dogfight is the story of the timeless tragedy of the effects of war on youth. Beyond that, it’s also the story of how one young woman’s sense of self awakens the power of compassion in a young man,” says Berry. The production stars undergraduate theatre students including Javier Flores as “Bernstein”, Sky Kawai as “Boland,” Mikki Reeve as “Marcy”; and Actor Training Program Professor Sarah Shippobotham as “Mama.” The production incorporates a vividly large and dynamic set designed by instructor Thomas George with a live band conducted by instructor Alex Marshall.

The production runs September 16-25 in Babcock Theatre, 330 S. 1500 E.

There will be a post-performance discussion with the cast and creative team on February 10, and a panel discussion with U of U faculty members on February 17.

Dogfight reviews: Utah Theatre Bloggers, Broadway World 

“This vibrant play moves effortlessly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our life orbits, the attraction Newton left out.”

Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell (dramaturg)

A dramaturg is the theatre artist who specializes in connecting a play to the performance context in which it will be performed. We do this in a variety of ways. One of the ways in which we do that is by conducting and sharing relevant research with our production team, actors, and audience. We typically do research on the play, the playwright, the content of the play, and the original context in which the play was written and performed. This information becomes creative source material for the theatre artists involved; and it can offer audiences ways to connect the play to their own lives and the world around them.

Arcadia, this took the form of an extensive glossary because the characters refer to dozens of historical figures, places, artistic movements, inventions, and scientific concepts. As with a Shakespeare play, the actors in Arcadia must understand what they are talking about so that they can help lead the audience through the story. The audience may not know exactly what the meaning of “determinism” is, for example, but if the actors understand it, they will be able to convey the significance or weight of it to the audience. The other part of my job is to watch the show in rehearsals at key moments (like run-throughs and dress rehearsals) and provide feedback to the director, with special attention on the clarity of the story telling.

I love this play. I think it’s probably one of the greatest plays—if not the greatest play—of the 20th century. The play addresses an astonishing variety of ideas, not just through the words the characters speak, but through the development of the play’s action, the way props are used and accumulate on stage, and the way characters parallel one another. The variety of complex ideas addressed in the play along with the sheer number of specific references the characters make to various historical figures, made simply developing a glossary an extremely challenging task. To create a good glossary, a dramaturg needs to process the information into bite-sized chunks that are clear and relevant to an actor. For a lot of plays, a glossary will only take a couple of days to put together. This one took me a couple of weeks. I think it ended up being in the neighborhood of 18 pages. So although it’s an extremely challenging text to work on, it’s also been a joy.

Macarena Subiabre (Stage Manager)

I was incredibly excited to start working on this show after reading the script. I love working with the people in the cast, many of which I have already worked with before, but have such different roles and challenges in this show. I also have really enjoyed seeing the process that the designers have had during this show, and seeing how their ideas all come together. This show is unique in the sense that there are so many props to keep track of. The scenes in this show are more intimate, and the connection between characters is incredibly important, which is what makes it so captivating. The show is also different in that every line said in this show is important, as it a clue to future scenes or it explains a previous action.

Haley Nowiki (Set Designer)

It has been a whole new experience for me designing the set for Arcadia. This is my third show at the U and it’s also the first show that takes place in another time period. I really enjoyed researching the architecture of the early 19th century and putting my own spin on things to create a more realistic experience for the audience. My favorite part of this set has got to be the floor. I worked with the scenic charge, Halee Rasmussen, and we painted it in the span of 2 days. It was so exciting to see a plain black stage floor transform into beautiful finished hard wood right in front of my eyes. It really ties the scene together for me. The whole set is so elegant and clean that it has become a stately home in our little basement theater. The most challenging part of this design was probably the research I had to do for it. I had to make sure that the elements I wanted to include were built correctly and were selling the right time period to the audience. Historical accuracy is important for a show like this one, so I had to make sure that I was digging deep to find the exact look I was going for, while still allowing me the freedom to mix and match ideas and include some of my artistry. It was pretty cool to design my own crown moulding and wainscoting, though.

Christa Didier (Costume Designer)

This show had a unique challenge of two different time periods, early 1800s and 1993. For the 1990’s, there were a lot of things I could skip; I already know from experience the types of fabrics that were used, the type of undergarments (which affects the silhouette ), and have a general sense of what “fits” the time and what doesn’t. I had to concentrate more on figuring out what was appropriate to each character, and what reads as British and aristocratic rather than middle class or American (Hint: American fashion was flashier and more unhinged.) It takes a lot of specific research to develop an instinct for what works and what doesn’t within a certain context, especially when the differences can be so subtle. I struggled with making things look British enough, particularly since my director, Sarah Shippobotham, is a native Brit who experienced the 90’s personally. She was always able to point out when something didn’t look quite right, even in such small of details as Valentine needing to unbutton his shirt collar.

As for the Regency research, I researched the type of structural undergarments that were used, fabric types, popular colors, accessories, silhouettes, appropriate fabric patterns, and a little bit of research of what came before and after. Something you have to keep in mind is that you usually won’t the luxury of getting to build every costume from scratch. It’s just not economical, especially in a show like this with 43 costumes. Out of those, I was only able to build part or all of the costume pieces for five looks, and sadly one of those actually ended up being cut from the show. The rest of the costumes must be pulled from existing storage, rented from other companies, or purchased and altered. I came up with an idea for a costume to use at the end of the show that was sort of “out there.” It’s more symbolic, less literal; sort of a wearable metaphor. Luckily, Sarah was on board when I explained the idea. I won’t spoil the ending for those who haven’t seen the show yet, but I will say I’m really satisfied with how it turned out. Initially this had very little to do with the play itself, but together in a very specific moment of the play, they conjure up powerful imagery and symbolism that I felt added depth and emotion to the scene.

Arcadia runs November 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. and 19 and 20 at 2:00 p.m. at the Babcock Theatre.

By: Kim Davison

Playwright Carson Kreitzer’s Self Defense, or death of some salesmen is the Department of Theatre’s second production of the season. It tells the story of a woman who has been convicted of killing seven men; she claims that she killed them all in self-defense. In her preface, Kreitzer writes, “This play is dedicated to Aileen Wuornos, and all those whose names we don’t know.” The following are some behind-the-scenes conversations on the making of the Studio 115 production of Self Defense, or death of some salesmen.

 Production Team Alexandra Harbold (Director) "When I was asked to direct Self Defense, or death of some salesmen, I immediately fell in love with Carson’s script - its questions, velocity, scalpel wit, and compassion. The play makes pendulum swings; a scene will cut to the bone then torque with unexpected theatricality. Studio 115's three-quarter stage allows for an intimacy and immediacy of the work, and we worked to find a kinetic staging to serve the script in that space.  As a Cast and Creative Team, we stayed in a state of experimentation much longer than usual, which allowed us to develop the visual and aural language of our play-world over time." "The production is many drafts and layers deep because of their ongoing exploration and investment. Working on Self Defense, or death of some salesmen often felt more like rehearsing a devised theatre piece than on a traditional script. Although it is an established play, I felt it shape-shift with the casting of the ensemble and the particular demands and advantages of the space. This production feels like our very particular telling of Carson Kreitzer’s play. Throughout the process, Carson's dedication in the play’s preface has been our compass star: attention must be paid."

Zoe Fetters (Costume Designer) "The first thing I do as a costume designer is read the play. Then, I read it again. I probably read the play about 40 times to truly understand it. Then I do visual research and talk to the director about their vision for the show. For this play I tried to take ideas of the 80s and 90s and integrate them subtly to the piece. I did research for individual characters to find their visual story. I always want it to look like the costume pieces would come from each specific character’s closet. When I design I start broad and then narrow it down. For this production I found old magazines from the 80s and 90s and found my inspiration from there. Designing Self Defense, or the death of some salesmen stretched a design muscle for me on how artistic I can be."

Cate Heiner (Dramaturg) "A dramaturg builds the historical background for a piece of drama by making sure the story is clear and consistent. The first thing I do when starting a new production is get in touch with the director and talk about the concept. Then I do research and make a packet of information to help the actors. For this show I researched the law and sexual violence. After doing that research I discovered how rape and sexual violence are treated in the court system is extremely unfair. It was interesting to see how all of the pieces of Self Defense, or the death of some salesmen came together. One of the most challenging things about being the dramaturge for this production is the more we unpacked it the more we realized it really isn’t about Aileen Wuornos. It is about how other people and people of the court systems respond to sexual assault, rape and violence towards women."

Actors

 Isabella Reeder (Jo Palmer) "The rehearsal process for this show was a great mix of table work, movement-based exercises like ‘flocking’ and ‘Suzuki’, and playing with the set pieces pretty early on in the process. Particularly with the flocking work, it’s been a wonderful gift to see how all of us in the company have come together to grow and trust one another, which I think is so integral in a show that deals with the themes that Self Defense, or death of some salesmen does. These exercises have been incredibly helpful in this show, not only define character and relationships, but also to increase my own awareness of the kind of staging that needs to takes place in Studio 115. My character, Jolene Palmer, is based on the real-life first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos.  The most interesting part about playing my character has been diving into the personality, drive, and story of the actual woman. When I first started researching Aileen Wuornos, I expected to come up with an embittered, violent woman, but was surprised to find that she was actually a very loving, charismatic—and moreover, incredibly intelligent—individual. I love the collision of themes in this play: justice, shame, and hope in a kind of metaphorical (and at times, physical) courtroom; being able to hear the voice and points of views of women who are usually silenced in our everyday reality. It’s a very muscularly logical play, but it has such a deep vein of humanity running through it, which makes it all the more powerful."

Cece Otto (Lu) "Working with Andra has been awesome. She makes you feel like a star and like you are in a safe space. Being in my first show at the U is nice and scary at same time. I feel like I have been out of practice the last few years; I haven’t performed for the public at the U and have been undercover, hiding, learning technique freshman and sophomore years. In the last two years in the ATP we focused a lot on the voice work, which was something I had never done before. Learning how to speak properly and following arguments are important and are helping me in this production. Something that I discovered in this show is that sometimes the bold choice isn’t always the loud choice. This show is very ensemble-heavy, unique, and it is a female-based show. People should come see it because it’s fun. It is full of strippers and prostitutes. What more could you want?!"

Alex Coltrin (Prosecutor/Cameraman/Cop) "This is my first time working with Andra, and it has been interesting. She’s not like any other director I have worked with. She has been hands-on since the beginning. In this production, we have spent more time discovering the world vs. discovering characters. Being in a contemporary show like this has been fun, because it is easier to relate to. I love the movement work and ensemble work we have put into this show. It has a Greek chorus feel and is very compelling to watch. This show has a new take on storytelling, and is not told like any other play I’ve seen. Self Defense, or death of some salesmen is a different kind of show for our department to do, and there is a lot of new talent in the show because of the number of sophomores in the cast."

 Kelsey Jensen (Cassandra Chase/Pandora/Reporter/Corner 4) "Working with Andra has been great; she pays attention to every little detail. She wants the best for every person in the cast and wants them to be the best they can be. Being in my first production at the U, I feel like all my hard work from my classes the last two years finally gets to pay off. One of the most challenging things in this show has been diving in and finding the back-story for each character. Finding out who a character is and why they’re speaking, and what each word means. People should come see this show because it shows how corrupt the justice system can be. It is also very visually appealing; there are so many cool tech elements. The show is fast-paced so the audience will be on the edge of their seats the whole time."

Bailey Walker (Daytona/Jean/Muse) "The rehearsal process for this show has been awesome! We’ve been experimenting a lot with movement and the world of this non-linear play. Working with Andra on this production has been absolutely amazing!!! She has such a creative mind and is constantly looking at how to incorporate movement to help move the storyline. She is so passionate about this play; on her time off she was sending us research, inspiration, or working with cast members who want to work more outside of rehearsal. Self Defense, or death of some salesmen has a story that is very relevant to today’s society: how we perceive the truth, gender roles, sexual assault, and how the media portrays all of these things."

Make sure to catch Self Defense, or death of some salesmen in Studio 115 while you can! This thrilling play is a must see.

Welcome to the 2016-17 Department of Theatre Season!

We kick off the season by returning to the Hayes Christensen Theater at the Marriott Center for Dance to open Bring It On: The Musical, with music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In The Heights.

Highlights from the 2016-17 theatre season include Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia; Self Defense, or death of some salesmen, inspired by the true story of American serial killer Aileen Wournos; the musical Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Peter Duchan; and Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed, a play about the Liberian Civil War with an all-black female cast, which played on Broadway spring of 2016.

In April, we conclude the season with the premiere of The Two Noble Kinsmen written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, translated by professor Tim Slover and dramaturged by Martine Kei Green-Rogers as part of the 36 new plays translated into modern English as part of the Play On! Project by Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The Department of Theatre strives to maximize the access, interest and impact of theatre for our diverse audiences. The productions will ignite exciting dialogue through talkbacks, panel discussions and other artist interface opportunities. This season will be everything you have hoped for and nothing like you expected.

Bring It On: The Musical
Bitingly relevant, sprinkled with sass, and inspired by the hit film, Bring It On. The Musical takes audiences on a high-flying journey filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal, and forgiveness. Uniting some of the freshest and funniest creative minds on Broadway, Bring It On features an original story by Tony Award winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), music and lyrics by Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In The Heights, Hamilton), music by Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next To Normal), lyrics by Broadway lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity) and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Self Defense, or death of some salesmen

A hitchhiking, highway prostitute is turned into a nation–wide celebrity when she is arrested for the murder of seven men. Is she the nation’s first female serial killer, as the media paint her, or a victim? Self Defense gives a long, hard look at an America most of us don’t want to admit exists.

Arcadia
This vibrant play moves effortlessly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our life orbits, the attraction Newton left out.

Dogfight
On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion.

Eclipsed
Based on the real life stories of the women and girls who helped bring peace to the African nation of Liberia during its second civil war, Eclipsed doesn’t only capture a piece of untold history, it’s also making it. Eclipsed became the first play with an all-black and female creative cast and team to premiere on Broadway in 2015.

The Two Noble Kinsmen
Two cousins, Palamon and Arcite are captured while fighting for Thebes against Athens. While imprisoned, they find themselves attracted to Emilia, who is the sister of Hippolyta, wife of Theseus. The Two Noble Kinsmen is one of 39 plays to be translated and adapted for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s three-year Play On! project. This production will be translated by playwright Dr. Tim Slover and the dramaturgist is Dr. Martine Kei Green-Rogers.

by Josiane Dubois