Department of Theatre and Drama faculty announced the 2007-2008 season last Friday at a Theatre Circle-hosted dinner for donors and friends. Upcoming productions run the gamut from a Shakespearean comedy to an IU student’s original screenplay. There will be eight performances split between the Ruth N. Halls Theatre and the smaller, more versatile Wells-Metz Theatre.
Ruth N. Halls Theatre
In celebration of the department’s new Bachelor of Fine Arts program in musical theater, the season opens with “Seussical: the Musical.” Featuring classic Seuss characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant and Yertle the Turtle, the production is one the department promises all ages will enjoy. Directed and choreographed by George Pinney, associate professor of stage movement and musical theater, the show will run in October. \nWilliam Shakespeare enters the scene in early November with the department’s production of “Measure for Measure,” directed by Fontaine Syer, an associate professor of acting and directing. In classic Shakespearean style, identities are mistaken and issues of morality and justice are confronted on stage. \nAnton Chekhov’s play “The Seagull,” which opens in late February, tells the story of what happens when an aging Russian actress and her companion – a famous writer – stay at the actress’ countryside estate. Graduate student Erik Friedman will direct “The Seagull.”\nTo close the season next April, the department stages what it calls “one of the most beloved and enduring pieces” of American musical theater. Stephen Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” based on standard characters from ancient Roman comedies, features classic comedic devices and satirical twists. The show will be directed by a guest director and choreographed by faculty member George Pinney.
Wells-Metz Theatre
In October, the department will present Tom Stoppard’s Tony Award-winning play “The Real Thing.” Bruce Burgun, associate professor of acting and directing, will direct the comedy, which looks at love and disloyalty within two failing marriages. \nThe Wells-Metz Theatre will then host the world premiere of “Kings, Fools, and Fences,” an original work by Kevin Daly, an IU graduate student in the playwriting program. Set against the backdrop of Sept. 11, 2001, the play follows a man who returns home to visit family members with whom he had severed ties. Directed by Murray McGibbon, an associate professor of acting and directing, the play runs at the end of November and early December. \n2008 will likely bring changes all across campus, and the theater department will appropriately present Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses” as its first production of the new year. Based on Greek mythology, the show features the tales of King Midas, Orpheus, Eurydice, Narcissus and others. Directed by this month’s “Big Love” director John Maness, “Metamorphoses” will run in early February. \nRobert O’Hara’s “American Ma(u)l” brings serious issues to the stage in time for spring. The show, intended for mature audiences, confronts the potential repercussions of reinstating slavery in modern America. Directed by Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, associate professor of acting and directing, the play will run in March.
