The University of Central Arkansas Theatre has announced its line-up of productions for the 2010-2011 season.
The season opens with two productions in repertory, directed by senior Theatre majors Bradley Mancil of Harrison and Greg Antley of Conway. Mancil will direct Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard. In Shepard’s final play about family tragedies, the Tate clan struggle for control of the family farm in this darkly, comedic search into the American family psyche. The 1994 film version featured James Woods, Kathy Bates, and Randy Quaid. Antley will direct Oleanna by David Mamet.
This compelling story has become one of Mamet’s most controversial dramas. It features a female college student who accuses her professor of sexual harrassment, but the question remains – who is right and who is wrong? Curse of the Starving Class will run September 8, 10, and 16, and Oleanna will run September 9, 15, and 17. Both productions begin at 7:30 pm and will be performed in the Studio Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Admission is free. However, due to limited seating in the Studio Theatre, tickets are required.
The Bacchae by Euripides will be performed October 28, 29 and November 3, 4, 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre in the Snow Fine Arts Center. Dionysus, the god of wine, prophecy, religious ecstacy, and fertility, returns to his birthplace in Thebes in order to clear his mother’s name and to punish the insolent city state for refusing to allow people to worship him. Our contemporary version is updated with music, dance, and multimedia. Under the direction of Associate Professor Shauna C. Meador, tickets are $10.00 each and 2 free with a current UCA I.D.
The Festival of One Act Plays will take place December 7-9, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Two to three different one acts will be performed each evening, directed by the 2010 Directing Class and involving over 50 actors and crew. Play titles and subject matter will be available online at www.uca.edu/theatre beginning in mid-November. Admission is free and tickets are not required. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain.
UCA Theatre’s own traveling troupe of players, The Cadron Company, will present The Spider and the Bee by Steve Press. In this charming tale, we find the Spider busily constructing his web using math equations and scientific methods while the Bee is reciting poetry and bringing art and music to the world. The Butterfly and Ladybug must decide who is right and who is wrong. This captivating children’s play will delight audiences of all ages, but is especially fun for children age 4 through 10 and is under the direction of Liz Parker.
The play will be presented on January 28, 2011 at 7:30 pm and January 29 at 10:00 am in the Reynolds Performance Hall. Admission is free. Tickets are not required and seats are not reserved. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain. After the two campus performances, the play will begin touring elementary schools in the central Arkansas area.
Court Martial at Ft. Devens by Jeffrey Sweet will run February 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Based on a true story, several young black women are promised training as medical technicians when they join the Women’s Army Corps, but a racist Colonel has other ideas and demotes them to cleaning duty. When two of the women refuse, the court martial that ensues is a highly-charged trial that explores prejudice and injustice. The play is under the direction of associate professor Dr. Kevin T. Browne. Tickets are $10.00 each and 2 free with a current UCA I.D.
The Tony-winning musical, Urinetown, takes the stage on April 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 2011 at 7:30 pm in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. This satirical gem is written by Greg Kotis with lyrics by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, with music by Mark Hollman. Don’t let the title scare you! This is a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution. In a time when water is worth its weight in gold, the government has ruled that the public must pay to use the toilets owned by the corrupt Good Urine Company or face banishment to Urinetown. But our hero plans a revolution to lead the town to freedom. Tickets are $10.00 each and 2 free with a current UCA I.D.
Tickets to all UCA Theatre performances go on sale August 16, 2010 and are handled through UCA Ticket Central regardless of the performance venue. Ticket Central is located in the Reynolds Performance Hall, 201 Donaghey in Conway. Box Office hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. Reservations can be made by calling 501-450-3265. The general public may also purchase tickets online at www.uca.edu/tickets.
UCA Theatre has been an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) since 1995. UCA Theatre is recognized for its challenging and diverse theatre arts education program. It has consistently received honors and awards for its productions through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). UCA Theatre has received the prestigious Directors’ Choice Award or the Critic’s Choice Award from the state KCACTF festival in eleven of the last fourteen years and was invited to perform at the KCACTF Region VI festival in 2010, the fourth such invitation in the past several years. Faculty, professional staff, and theatre students have also been honored for excellence in acting, directing, designing, and stage managing. The program has had three students win the Region VI Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and has had one national winner of the competition.
Further information regarding UCA Theatre can be obtained online at www.uca.edu/theatre or by calling 501-450-5092.
