UMW Theatre 2016-17 Season Brochure

REVEALING HEARTFELT COLORFUL WICKED

THEATRE THEATRE

2016-17

SEASON

Come with us on a remarkable journey . . .

In the months ahead, you will have the extraordinary opportunity to experience fresh and celebrated views of what it means to be alive in the world. To go to the theatre is to sit in community with our fellow travelers as we navigate life’s challenges, celebrate its triumphs, and experience its passage from a perspective other than our own.

Our upcoming season is a remarkable collection of works that will linger with you long after you leave Klein Theatre. We open with Leslye Headland’s provocative comedy, Assistance, that dives into the exasperating world of work faced by a handful of recent college graduates. Next we bring you into the action with Rupert Holmes’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a musical based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Fear not! What Dickens did not finish, you will, when the audience solves the mystery and decides how the musical ends! The season continues with Robert Harling’s much-loved Steel Magnolias, heralding the strength, power, and community shared by women who are brought together by so much more than a trip to the beauty shop. Finally, we close with Shakespeare’s haunting Macbeth, the classic tragedy exposing the horrific consequences of ambition, conspiracy, and revenge.

Our popular seminar series, Backstage Pass, continues this season with Macbeth.

Participants will have a front row seat to how we conceive of the production, design the world of the play, and prepare it for performances. With presentations by guest scholars and artists, Backstage Pass is an incredible opportunity to learn first hand about what we do in Klein Theatre.

We are pleased to continue our AfterWords post-performance conversations, as well as Friday Night Out—where you can relax before the show with drinks and snacks while you talk with our actors about the play you are about to experience. We will offer sign language interpretation of every production at the Saturday matinee performance; if you have friends, neighbors, or loved ones who can take advantage of a signinterpreted performance, please let them know.

This is the inaugural season for UMW Theatre Road Trip, where we take our audience on the road to see professional theatre in one of the finest theatre cities in the world— Washington, DC! We have so much to look forward to in the coming season, and I can’t wait to greet you in Klein Theatre!

Gregg Stull Producing Director

Cover: Josh Bartosch ’16 as Princeton in Avenue Q

A QUICK LOOK BACK AT 2015-16!

The casts and production teams of Noises Off, Avenue Q, Frozen, and Tartuffe

Abraham Shaikh ’19 as Nicky in Avenue Q

ASSISTANCE

by Leslye Headland

September 29 - October 9

Night Out

AfterWords

Friday Night Out Pre-Show on September 30 Post-Performance Discussion on October 2 Sign-Interpreted Performance on October 8 @ 2 pm

Get a front row seat to the HOT MESS that is this group of 20-somethings struggling to keep up with the nearly impossible demands of their ultra-high-profile boss.

Constantly asking themselves if all the torture is really worth it, they can’t seem to reach an answer because the phone never stops ringing. The only glimmers of hope are that they are all in it together and their boss is rarely in the office.

With Leslye Headland’s incredibly insightful script, Assistance is sure to have you laughing at some of the most revealing moments of these young people’s lives.

“Fast-paced, gutsy, and good-looking.”

– New York Daily News

THE MYSTERY OF

EDWIN DROOD book, music, & lyrics by Rupert Holmes based on the novel by Charles Dickens

November 3- 20 “Boisterous and delectable.

Shimmering musical pleasure to savor.”

– The New York Times

Night Out

AfterWords

Friday Night Out Pre-Show on November 4 Post-Performance Discussion on November 6 Sign-Interpreted Performance on November 12 @ 2 pm

Charles Dickens was still writing his final novel when he died in 1870. Rupert Holmes’ Tony Award-winning musical aims to finish it with the help of the audience—resulting in a different ending every night! The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the unpredicatable whodunit musical where YOU get to solve the mystery! The egocentric and lecherous John Jasper is in love with his music student (the beautiful Rosa Bud) who, in turn, is engaged to his nephew, Edwin Drood, who very mysteriously turns up missing one snowy Christmas Eve. Toss in a few other colorful characters and you’ve got the makings of the ultimate musical murder mystery!

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

by Robert Harling

February 16 - 26

Gossip and witty Southern banter come forth like the spray from a new can of Aqua Net in Robert Harling’s beautiful and heartfelt comedy. The charming and never-without-an-opinion hairdresser, Truvy, does hair for the classiest and sassiest of northwest Louisiana. As they pass time in Truvy’s chair, at the shampoo basin, and under the hair dryer, these strong, resilient women celebrate one another’s joys and forge bonds that overcome life’s disappointments.

Popularized by the 1989 film by the same name, Steel Magnolias offers inspiration from a simpler time while reminding us that the best things in life are the company of faithful friends, a good laugh, and a trip to the beauty shop.

Most perceptive… an evening of sweet sympathies and small-town chatter.

– The New York Times

Night Out

AfterWords

Friday Night Out Pre-Show on February 17 Post-Performance Discussion on February 19 Sign-Interpreted Performance on February 25 @ 2 pm

MACBETH

by William Shakespeare

April 13 - 23

“Sleek, sharp, and lethal…a thriller from start to finish.”

–The Seattle Times

GE BACKSTA

PASS

Long before Game of Thrones, William Shakespeare wrote the quintessential tale about taking a life for personal gain. When three witches provide a Scottish general with a prophecy that he will become King of Scotland, he and his wife hatch a plan to hurry the process along. In their quest for power, they discover the many physical and psychological ramifications that can result from the unscrupulous act of murder.

Macbeth, often referred to as “the Scottish play� by the most superstitious of theatregoers, has remained a revered favorite in the theatrical canon for over 400 years. Something wicked this way comes . . .

Night Out

Friday Night Out Pre-Show on April 14 Sign-Interpreted Performance on April 22 @ 2 pm

AfterWords

Post-Performance Discussion on April 23

LEARNING BY

DOING

We showcase the boundless creative energies of our student directors, actors, designers, and playwrights throughout the season in our flexible and intimate Studio 115 on the first floor of duPont Hall. One-acts, festivals, full-length plays and musicals, solo performances, scenes, and monologues comprise the rich and diverse array of Studio 115 offerings during the fall, winter, and spring.

For more information about Studio 115, call (540) 654-1397.

Photos for Studio 115 by Kenny Bellamy ’17

S TO DATES AND TIME BE ANNOUNCED.

SEPT. / OCT.

Assistance

SU

WE

TH

29 6

2

2pm*

FR

30

7:30pm§

7

SA

1

7:30pm

8

7:30pm

7:30pm

2pm† 7:30pm

TH

FR

SA

9

2pm

MO

TU

WE

3

NOVEMBER

Edwin Drood

TU

7:30pm

SU

The Mystery of

MO

7:30pm

6

10

2pm*

7:30pm

13

17

2pm

4

5

7:30pm§

7:30pm

11

12

7:30pm

2pm† 7:30pm

18

19

7:30pm

7:30pm

2pm 7:30pm

TH

FR

SA

20 2pm

Steel Magnolias

FEBRUARY

SU

MO

TU

WE

16

7:30pm

22

19

2pm*

23

18

7:30pm

24

25 2pm† *

7:30pm

7:30pm

7:30pm

7:30pm

WE

TH

FR

SA

26 2pm

SU

MO

TU

13

7:30pm

APRIL

Macbeth

17

7:30pm§

19

7:30pm

20

7:30pm

14

15

7:30pm§

7:30pm

21

22

7:30pm

2pm† 7:30pm

*

23

2pm* §

Friday Night Out Post-Performance Discussion Sign-Intepreted Performance

*AfterWords †

Assistance

Edwin Drood Steel Magnolias

Macbeth

Standard

$18

$24

$18

$18

Student/Senior

$16

$20

$16

$16

Military ID/UMW Alumni

$16

$20

$16

$16

Groups

$14

$16

$14

$14

GCC or UMW ID

$8

$10

$8

$8

Friday Night Out

$35

$40

$35

$35

BRING AG Camarey Chambliss ’19 as Gary Coleman in Avenue Q

GROUP Bring a Group to Klein Theatre!

We would love for you to gather your friends and colleagues to experience a performance in Klein Theatre.

Our productions offer perfect and affordable opportunities for a celebration, special night out, or just a casual gathering of the people in your life. We welcome business, civic, faith, social, student, fraternal, and alumni groups.

While a night out at the theatre is a great event, you may want to plan around another program affiliated with a production: AfterWords—a post-performance conversation, Friday Night Out—featuring drinks and hors d’oeuvres and conversations with the cast, a sign-interpreted performance, or one of our UMW Theatre Road Trip adventures. We have many ways to make your theatre outing a special experience for your group!

Gathering a Group is Easy!

If you have 10 or more people, you are a group. This entitles you to early booking, discounts for most events, and flexible payment terms.

Booking Tickets is Simple!

Our Group Sales staff will work with you to reserve tickets in advance of the production without requiring you to pay at the time of the reservation.

We will work with you to establish a deadline to lock into a final number and pay for the tickets.

If you plan in advance, you can reserve your tickets before they go on sale to the public—ensuring you great seats, as well as availability for performances that may sell out quickly.

Get in Touch!

For more information about Group Sales, email groups@fredtix.com or call (540) 654-1243. We would love to help you plan a theatre event for your group!

From Top: Lauren Frautschi ’18, Daniel Greiss ’18, Margaret Lewis ’16

Backstage Pass is back!

Join us for this innovative audience seminar featuring faculty conversations, production rehearsals, and special events. Take a journey with us as we nurture Macbeth from the printed page to a fully realized theatrical event.

GE BACKSTA

PASS

William Shakespeare:

Genius or Fraud?

March 1 @ 7 pm

Helen Housley, director & associate professor of theatre

Explore the ongoing debate over who wrote Shakespeare’s plays with a lively look at original sources, contemporary scholarship, and enduring mysteries.

A Strange Brew–

The Making of Macbeth

March 15 @ 7 pm

Maya Mathur, associate professor of English

Discover how prophesying witches, rogue priests, and treacherous aristocrats inspired this bloodthirsty tale of a ruthless warrior and his ambitious wife.

Speak the Speech–

Shakespeare’s Language

March 22 @ 7 pm Helen Housley, director & associate professor of theatre

Dive into the text and discover its gorgeous and true meanings and how actors bring life to the words that have immortalized the Bard.

Macbeth “First Rehearsal”

March 29 @ 7 pm

Helen Housley, director and associate professor of theatre Claire Crusott, scene designer and senior theatre major Kevin McCluskey, costume designer and associate professor of theatre Andrew Baynard, lighting designer and senior theatre major Explore the world of Macbeth as imagined by the artistic team.

Inside the Rehearsal Room April 3 & 4 @ 6 pm or 7 pm Sit in on a rehearsal of Macbeth and observe the director, actors, and stage managers in action.

Blood, Sweat, and Steel April 5 @ 7 pm Casey Kaleba, fight director & adjunct instructor of theatre

Discover the process of creating, rehearsing, and performing the fight scenes in one of Shakespeare’s most action-packed plays.

Invited Dress Rehearsal April 12 @ 7 pm

Join other invited guests to be the first audience to experience Macbeth at UMW!

Wrap-Up Conversation April 24 @ 7 pm Gather with the cast after Macbeth closes to talk about the production and your experience in Backstage Pass.

Bonus Events Throughout the process we will invite you to several other events—a backstage tour to see the shops in action building the scenery and costumes and conversations with the actors.

REGISTER TODAY! Registration for Backstage Pass is only $75 per person.

This gives you exclusive admission to the eight sessions plus the additional bonus events. Online registration is now open. www.FredTix.com/BackstagePass For more information, call Jon Reynolds at (540) 654-2233 or email jreynol2@umw.edu

We are privileged to live an hour away from a world-class theatre city, Washington, DC, home to a great number of spectacular companies. This season we are taking you on a road trip to experience the breathtaking work of these theatres.

This season, we will attend Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre and A Raisin in the Sun at Arena Stage. We will board a charter bus at duPont Hall at noon to travel to the theatre for a matinee performance. While on the road, a member of our faculty will talk about the theatre and the production we are about to see. On the way home we will enjoy a post-performance discussion about our theatre experience.

Each Road Trip is only $75. Your cost covers your transportation to and from the theatre and your ticket. No driving. No parking. Going to the theatre in Washington could not be easier!

Background image: Arena Stage Mead Center for the American Theatre

Charles Chaisson

A Raisin in the Sun

Seating is limited. Reserve your seats today!

Tickets are on sale now. www.FredTix.com/RoadTrip Questions? Call (540) 654-2233

Sunday, September 25, 2016

When John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln as he watched Our American Cousin from the Presidential Box on April 14, 1865, Ford’s Theatre became uniquely entwined with the history of the American theatre. Join us for a trip to the gorgeously restored Ford’s Theatre for a Broadway-bound musical.

Come From Away

Book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein Ford’s Theatre

Fresh off sold-out runs in Seattle and San Diego, the new musical Come From Away tells the heartwarming true story of how a small Canadian town cared for 6,579 airline passengers stranded there on 9/11. When 38 planes were diverted to its doorstep, the town of Gander doubled in size, playing host to an international community of strangers and offering food, shelter, and friendship.

Featuring a rousing score of folk and rock, Come From Away honors the better angels of our nature, revealing hope and humanity in a time of darkness.

The production marks the Ford’s debut of Tony Award-nominated director Christopher Ashley. See this hit musical prior to its Broadway engagement!

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Founded by visionary pioneers Zelda Fichandler, Tom Fichandler, and Edward Mangum, Arena Stage became one of the first nonprofit professional theatres in the country. Its groundbreaking growth helped give birth to the regional theatre movement that changed forever the availability of plays and musicals to the American people.

Board the bus for a trip to the legendary Arena Stage to experience one of the most remarkable American plays in the dramatic literature.

A Raisin in the Sun

by Lorraine Hansberry Arena Stage

The “play that changed American theater forever” (New York Times) finally comes to Arena Stage. Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking masterpiece follows the Younger family’s yearning for a better life far from the cramped confines of their Chicago tenement. Hope arrives in the form of an unexpected financial windfall, but family ties are strained when they realize they have differing definitions of the American dream—but which dreams get realized and which deferred? A Raisin in the Sun paints the African-American experience in brilliant and powerful strokes, as vibrant and vital today as it was in 1959.

t u O t h g i N

Erik Gajeton ’15 as Christmas Eve in Avenue Q

Back by popular demand!

September 30 November 4 February 17 April 14 Let the stress of the week melt away with other theatregoers as we kick off your evening of theatre! We welcome you to join UMW Theatre at the Hyatt Place Fredericksburg-Mary Washington for a beer or a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres while you chat with the cast of the production. Visit with our students as they tell you about their experiences and the rehearsal process before you see them perform the roles they have been preparing for weeks. We can think of no better way to spend a Friday night!

MEET THE CAST! DRINKS!

DOOR PRIZES! HORS D’OEUVRES!

Friends of Theatre Let's be friends!

While our students love the applause they hear following every performance, your appreciation for their outstanding contributions to our production program doesn’t help them pay their tuition or buy their books and supplies. You can, however, help them with that, too!

A tax-deductible gift to Friends of Theatre helps us help our students through scholarships, classroom supplies, and artist residencies. Your gift makes an extraordinary theatre education at the University of Mary Washington possible for our deserving students.

JOIN TODAY! Membership in Friends of Theatre enables you to: • give scholarships and sponsor special educational activities for theatre students • receive acknowledgement in production programs • receive advance notice of special opportunities and events For more information, and to join online, visit cas.umw.edu/theatre/make-a-gift

TAKE YOUR SEAT!

For just $500, you can name a seat in the beautiful Klein Theatre. Most importantly, you will be personally responsible for creating amazing opportunities for our students as they discover themselves, the theatre, and the world beyond our campus.

Visit cas.umw.edu/theatre/take-your-seat to learn more.

Maggie Murphy ’16 as Dorine in Tartuffe

The Fine Print

Location

Klein Theatre is located in duPont Hall on College Avenue at Thornton Street.

Parking

There is plenty of free parking along College Avenue and in Lot 28 on Thornton Street.

Two short-term box office parking spaces are available in Lot 28 during box office hours.

Tickets

Tickets become available at the Klein Theatre Box Office in duPont Hall starting one week before opening. Tickets are also available online through our website, www.fredtix.com.

Handling fees apply to telephone and convenience fees apply to online purchases.

Student projects in Studio 115 are free.

Groups

Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or email groups@fredtix.com.

AfterWords

AfterWords post-show discussions allow you the opportunity to speak to the actors and ask questions about the process of mounting a production. Be sure to stick around to hear from our students about their experience working on a show with us!

BackStage Pass

Join us for a series of lectures and VIP experiences that will give you an insider’s look into the work we do with our students. Visit rehearsals, get a tour of the backstage spaces, learn about all the hard work it takes to get a show from choosing a title to opening night, and much, much more!

Friday Night OUT

Take some time to enjoy the end of the week with a drink or two, some light hors d’ouevres, and the chance to win a door prize before taking your seat in Klein Theatre for the evening’s performance.

UMW Theatre Road Trip

Hop on the bus for an onboard conversation led by our faculty prior to seeing a professional theatre production in one of Washington’s extraordinary theatres.

Information

Season subject to change. For more information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111 or visit cas.umw.edu/theatre.

Accessibility

Wheelchair-accessible seating is available. Please inquire when purchasing tickets.

Accessible parking is available in Lot 28 and in the rear of duPont Hall.

We offer sign language interpretation on the second Saturday matinee performance of every production. Please let the box office know if you would like to have a seat in view of the interpreters.

Assistive listening devices are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the Klein Theatre Box Office.

Large print programs are available at the Klein Theatre Box Office.

We are eager to help you plan your visit. For more information on accessibility or parking, please call the Klein Theatre Box Office at (540) 654-1111.

Photography by Geoff Greene, Jon K. Reynolds, and Taryn Snyder

Follow us!

Join us for our 2016-17 Season!

From Left: Margaret Lewis ’16, Lauren Frautschi ’18, and Jake Crowley ’16 in Noises Off

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