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UE Theatre Announces 2012-13 Season

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2012

The University of Evansville Theatre’s 2012–2013 season features two exciting works by Pulitzer Prize-finalist female playwrights, a Tony Award-winning musical, and one of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedies. All four productions are slated for Shanklin Theatre, featuring a completely renovated theatre lobby, on the University of Evansville campus.

Opening the season in September is a play by the most widely acclaimed and influential female playwright of the decade, Sarah Ruhl. Her imaginative play, Eurydice, lyrically recounts the classic Greek myth of Orpheus, only this time through the eyes of the heroine. After tragically dying on her wedding day, Eurydice must face a surreal underworld, including a raining elevator, a swim across a memory-erasing river, and a chorus of talking stones. This Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright utilizes powerful imagery and a sense of wonderment to gently move audiences through an enduringly appealing story of love and its fragility. Directed by Diane Brewer, Eurydice plays September 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. on September 23 and 30.

Next in Shanklin Theatre is the musical Drood. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ final (and unfinished) novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, this thriller garnered the 1986 Tony Award for Best Musical, in addition to winning Best Book and Best Score. After a young groom, Edwin Drood, disappears one stormy night, a veritable smorgasbord of eccentric characters are suspected to have played a role in the bizarre mystery. Grand musical numbers are interspersed with the twists and turns of a tightly woven whodunit culminating in an unusual finale with audience members voting on the hilarious resolution. Directed by R. Scott Lank, with musical direction by Gregory B. Rike, Drood will play November 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. on November 11 and 18.

The second semester kicks off with The Heidi Chronicles, by Wendy Wasserstein. Winner of the 1989 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this comedic and poignant play by Wendy Wasserstein is an unflinching portrayal of the Baby Boom generation’s coming of age. Following Heidi and her friends over 23 years, Wasserstein deftly explores the women’s rights movement and its effects on a group of intelligent and well-educated women attempting to succeed in a male dominated world. Audiences will be left in awe at the huge strides made by women in their attempt to “have it all” and pondering the hurdles still remaining in today’s society. Directed by R. Scott Lank, The Heidi Chronicles runs February 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. on February 17 and 24.

The season finale is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular and well-known plays, Romeo and Juliet, set in the lush Italian city of Verona. This romantic tragedy features an adolescent couple inevitably drawn to one another, despite a deep-seated family feud. Rebelling against the demands of their kinsfolk, the teenagers wed in secrecy, and the repercussions disrupt the entire city and drag others into a vortex of misunderstandings and revengeful plots. Beloved and recognizable characters combine with exquisite and memorable poetry to make this particular Shakespearean play easily accessible and always an audience favorite. Directed by John David Lutz, Romeo and Juliet runs April 12, 13, 18, 19, and 20 at 7:30 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. on April 18 and 21.

All four plays may be purchased on a season subscription for $44 for adults and $38 for senior adults (65 and over), UE faculty/staff, and any student. Single ticket prices for plays are $14 adult, $12 discount and for the musical is $16 adult, $14 discount.

For more information and season ticket packages, please call Sharla Cowden, UE Theatre marketing director, at 812-488-2747.

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