theatre arts

Tag: theatre arts

Tony Award-Winning Musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” Performed at Lawrence University

Four performances of Lawrence University’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” will be staged Oct. 25-27 in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Curtain time is 8 p.m. each night with an additional 3 p.m. matinee performance Saturday, Oct. 27. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

A “musical within a comedy,” “The Drowsy Chaperone” parodies 1920s musicals with a show-within-a-show plot device. The show begins in the apartment of a character known only to the audience as Man in Chair, an agoraphobic Broadway fanatic who has acquired a recording of a fictional 1928 musical titled “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As he listens to the record, the musical’s characters appear in his apartment to tell the farcical story of fiancés Janet Van de Graaf, a Broadway chorus girl giving up show business for married life, and Robert Martin, an oil tycoon.

“This piece echoes the 1920s, the decade that developed our shared definition of Broadway, and through those references lets us explore our own ideas about entertainment and escape,” said Kathy Privatt, associate professor of theatre arts and the production’s director.

Associate Professor of Music Phillip Swan serves as the music director for the production, which is based on a book by Bob Martin and Don McKeller.

Among the 1920s-era musical clichés “The Drowsy Chaperone” spoofs are stock characters — a ditzy chorus girl, comic gangsters and a stiff English butler, among others — impromptu tap-dancing numbers and mistaken identities.

Freshman David Pecsi plays the Man in Chair, with juniors Madeline Bunke and Alex York portraying Janet Van de Graaf and Robert Martin. Junior Gabriella Guilfoil plays the titular character, the drowsy chaperone, an alcoholic stage diva tasked with keeping Janet away from Robert until the wedding.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,450 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

 

Baroque Opera “The Fairy Queen” Gets “Hippie” Update in Lawrence University Production

Baroque composer Henry Purcell’s opera “The Fairy Queen” receives a modern adaptation in Lawrence University’s production of the fantastical tale of romance and magic. The opera will be performed March 1-3 at 8 p.m. and March 4 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Originally written as a “masque” — light entertainment featuring lavish costumes and scenery but nearly devoid of narrative — the opera was inspired by Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  The story follows four young lovers’ escape to an enchanted forest.

The updated adaptation, written by Professor of Theatre Arts Timothy X. Troy ’85, who also serves as the production’s director, replaces the anonymously written libretto with Shakespeare’s own words.

“I restored the actors’ text to the First Folio version before shaping a narrative that closely followed the story of the young lovers who are tricked in the forest by Puck, the most famous of all fairies,” said Troy.

His adaptation was inspired by the psychedelic cover art of fairies on an LP of English composer Benjamin Britten’s 1973 recording of “The Fairy Queen.” It transports the action to a hippie commune in the woods outside Athens, Ga., immediately after a tornado. The new and modern setting offered creative opportunities for the production team.

Costume designer Karin Kopischke ’80 playfully explores the eclectic fashions of hippie culture of the commune-dwelling fairies against the academic preppy and jockish culture of the quartet of young lovers and their pursuit of true love.

“Karin’s costumes are inspiring, lively and delightful,” said Troy. “She found ways to model the repurposing impulse of the period to create a delightful sense of surprise and individuality to each of the 60 costumes you see on stage.”

Rebecca Salzer, Lawrence Fellow in Dance who served as choreographer for the production, worked closely with a corps of six dancers to blend Purcell’s set dance pieces with popular dance forms from the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

“To support Tim’s melding of times and places in this production — Baroque music, Elizabethan theatre and a 1970’s American setting — the choreography also had to be a mix of styles,” said Salzer. “If you look closely, you’ll see movement inspired by 60’s mods, 70’s funk and even the occasional minuet.”

Because Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen” is considered a “semi-opera” — an amalgam of scenes from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and musical interludes — it presented special challenges and opportunities for Bonnie Koestner, associate professor of music, who served as the production’s vocal coach.

“The masque portions (musical interludes) reflect the mood and general spirit of the spoken scenes, but are not directly tied to a plot line,” said Koestner. “It’s somewhat like the difference between a musical revue with its diverse collection of numbers and a Broadway show like ‘Carousel,’ in which the music really does play a part in character development. Both Shakespeare and Purcell have given us works of genius and if the audience doesn’t worry about the lack of a single coherent plot, I think that they will find it very entertaining.”

Featuring some of the most famous music of the Baroque period with virtuosic arias and complex ensembles and choruses, “The Fairy Queen” offers its audience a stunning variety of vocal talent alongside innovative choreography and compelling acting.

“It’s a delight to integrate the talents of our strongest actors with those of our accomplished singers,” said Troy.

About Lawrence University

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries.

Tim Troy’s “The Life of Me” Gets Reading at Minneapolis Theatre

The latest playwriting project of Tim Troy, professor of theatre arts at Lawrence University, “The Life of Me,” will be performed Monday, Dec. 19 at the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, Minn., as part of the company’s Members Stage Reading series.  The reading, at 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Professor of Theatre Arts Tim Troy

The reading, which explores many of the cultural and political conflicts that marked the period from 2003-05, features Katie Hawkinson ’09 in the role of Julie and veteran Milwaukee area actor Jacque Troy in the lead role of Kate, along with some of the Twin Cities best actors. An earlier version of the play was presented at Lawrence in the spring of 2006.

A parent’s capricious demand to inflate her son’s grade threatens Kate’s career. Surrounded by eclectic siblings who’ve conspired to reconcile an on-going family crisis, Kate desperately seeks renewed stability in her personal and professional relationships. She turns to art, literature and religion to lead her past doubt, learning that even a middle school teacher is vulnerable to those who will use faith as a weapon.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries.

Luigi Pirandello’s Tragicomic Masterpiece “Henry IV” Comes to Stansbury Theatre

Four performances of Lawrence University’s production of Sicilian playwright Luigi Pirandello’s tragicomic masterpiece “Henry IV” will be staged Oct. 27-29 in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Performances are at 8 p.m. each night with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 29. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens/students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

A study in madness, the play follows an Italian aristocrat who, at a historically themed party, is thrown from his horse and comes to believe himself to be the character he portrayed — Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor — setting off a near-20-year hoax, complete with a recreated throne room and attending knights. Di Nolli, the aristocrat’s nephew, pays a visit seeking to fulfill his mother’s dying wish that “Henry” finally be cured of his delusion.

“It’s a great privilege to introduce my students and the larger community to a play that examines such complex questions with humor and striking theatricality,” said Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, who will direct the production.

The play features costuming by new department designer Karin Kopischke, a 1980 Lawrence graduate, who mixes the latest Italian fashions with all the trappings of an 11th-century German king.

Senior Kyle Brauer plays the title character madman and sophomore Madeline Bunke portrays Matilda, who spurned Henry’s love before his accident. Senior Hannah Kennedy plays Frida, Matilda’s daughter, whose resemblance to her mother plays a key part in the family’s attempt to restore Henry’s sanity.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,445 students from 44 states and 35 countries.

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” Gets East Asian Treatment in Lawrence Senior Experience Production

William Shakespeare’s classic “The Tempest” gets an East Asian interpretation in four performances May 5-7 of Lawrence University’s theatre arts production.

The story of love, revenge and redemption will be staged at 8 p.m. each day with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, May 7 in Cloak Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The production is a collaborative Senior Experience of 10 graduating theatre arts majors.

“The variety of knowledge and experience brought to the table both on the stage and in terms of design is astounding,” said student director Andi Rudd. “The design of the island and its inhabitants invokes elements of Shintoism, Buddhism and traditional Japanese folklore, while the court and the text of the play remain traditional European.”

The familiar narrative follows Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, now dwelling in exile as a sorcerer on a magical island with his daughter Miranda, the monstrous Caliban and the spirit Ariel. Their island life is interrupted when a shipwreck brings King Alonso and his crew, including Prospero’s usurping brother, Antonio, and Miranda’s future lover, Ferdinand, to its strange shores.

Rudd said the production should provide closure both for the seniors involved in the production as well as this year’s freshman class.

“‘The Tempest’ was one of their Freshman Studies works this year, so hopefully they will find the show to be an entertaining close to their first year at Lawrence as the seniors finish their college careers with this final production.”

Machiavelli’s “The Mandrake” Gets Contemporary Adaptation in Theatre Arts Production

Nicolo Machiavelli’s 16th-century devious comedy “The Mandrake” gets a 20th-century adaptation in four performances of Lawrence University’s theatre production. The play will be staged March 3-5 at 8 p.m. with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on March 5 in Cloak Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The adaptation, written by Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, sets the play in 1962 in Florence, Italy. The fast-paced conspiracy follows Callimaco, a young man smitten with the beautiful, virtuous and, unfortunately for him, already-married Lucrezia. Nicia, Lucrezia’s husband, is an educated, but-not-overly-bright tightwad who desperately wants children. Six years into his marriage, though, he has yet to produce any offspring. The story cleverly unfolds in a twisting and twisted pattern.

Among Troy’s tweaks to the original story is having Callimaco return to Italy from America, rather than Paris. The change provided director Kathy Privatt numerous possibilities for interesting music choices.

“We’ve compiled a playlist that includes American hits from the late 50’s-early 60’s and Italian pop songs from the same period, including some directly influenced by the U.S., and Elvis in particular,” said Privatt, associate professor of theatre arts and James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama.

An original story by Machiavelli, rather than an adaptation of a Greek or Roman source as was common at the time, Privatt says “The Mandrake” still has the ability to surprise us today.

“Choosing to direct this adaptation of Machiavelli’s work was easy,” said Privatt. “Tim’s adaptation stays true to the events in the original script, keeping the events in Florence but giving it a bit more contemporary time frame. That change gives us more ways to connect to the ideas in the play as well as reminding us that history does repeat itself.

“Best of all, with its fast-paced fun, this play requires our actors to be at the top of their game where the stakes are greatest and so are the rewards.”

Senior Nate Peterson portrays the love-struck Callimaco. Junior Aubrey Neuman plays the smart, young Lucrezia, while freshman Eric Smedsrud is cast as her homebody husband Nicia. Senior Kyle Brauer portrays Ligurio, the scheming mastermind behind the plan that drives the play.

Get “Happy” in Wild Space Dance Company Performance in Stansbury Theatre

Inspired by the quest for joy, exuberance and delight, seven members of Milwaukee-based Wild Space Dance Company present the critically acclaimed program “Speaking of Happiness” Friday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. in Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton, 920-832-6749.

Witty, insightful, compelling and emotionally charged, “Speaking of Happiness” conveys sentiments of warmth and tolerance through intimate gestures and small human interactions in 24 overlapping episodes performed in 80 minutes. One reviewer described the program as “ingenious in a thousand small ways.”

The program is a collaboration among Wild Space Artistic Director Debra Loewen and choreographers Monica Rodero and Dan Schuchart. Dancers with Wild Space for the past eight years, Rodero and Schuchart serve as artists-in-residence in Lawrence’s theatre arts department.

According to Loewen, the production grew out of a conversation she had with Rodero and Schuchart about ideas and writings on the subject of happiness.

“This performance looks beneath the surface at our elusive pursuit of happiness and asks, ‘How do we find it? Why does it matter?”’ said Loewen. “It weaves the obvious with the mysterious, outward appearance with hidden emotions and how we think and express happiness.”

Wild Space Dance Company has served as a company-in-residence at Lawrence since 2000, bringing professional dance to the Lawrence community and providing students principles of dance art in performance through classes and workshops taught by Loewen and members of her company.

Described as “richly imaginative and witty” by the New York Times, Wild Space Dance Company was founded in 1986. Known for site-specific dance events and artistic collaborations, Wild Space combines dance with visual art, film, text, architecture and unusual environments in an effort to expand the audience for contemporary dance throughout Wisconsin.

Stephen Sondheim Musical “Into the Woods” Comes to Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre

Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical of what happens after “happily ever after” is explored in four performances of the Lawrence University production of “Into the Woods.”

The musical will be performed Oct. 28-30 at 8 p.m. with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 30 in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

“Into the Woods” blends popular fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel with an original story of a baker and his wife, who attempt to reverse a curse that has been placed on them in order to have a child. The musical continues past the typical fairy tale ending to explore ideas of community responsibility and the consequences of one’s actions.

“Sondheim seamlessly weaves spoken words and song in such a way that the audience is carried from one storyline to the next with ease,” said Timothy X. Troy, professor of theatre arts and J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, who is directing the production. “The final effect is that we witness a large ensemble cast grow from simple storybook characters to people like us, full of contradictions and unable to know what the future holds.”

Troy previously directed a production of “Into the Woods” for Attic Theatre in 1992.

“This has been a wonderful process of rediscovery for me,” said Troy. “I’ve matured and gathered both joyous and challenging experiences like the characters do in the course of the play. My responses to the material have deepened, and my appreciation for Sondheim’s extraordinary skills has equally appreciated since my first encounter with his work.”

Phillip Swan, assistant professor of music, serves as music director for the production, which features a double cast.  Junior Alex Wilson and senior Evan Bravos share the lead role of the baker, while seniors Amanda Ketchpaw and Chelsea Melamed sing the role of the baker’s wife.

The production features guest lighting by Jason Fassl, artistic associate for First Stage Milwaukee and the resident lighting designer for Renaissance Theaterworks, and guest costume design by 2001 Lawrence graduate Emily Rohm-Gilmore.

First performed on Broadway in 1987, “Into the Woods” was nominated for nine Tony Awards and earned Sondheim a Tony for best score. It also earned the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for best musical.

Theatre Dept. Brings Psychological Thriller “Murder in Green Meadows” to Cloak Theatre

The twists and turns of contemporary playwright Douglas Post’s psychological thriller “Murder in Green Meadows” will be recreated in three performances by the Lawrence University theatre department. The play will be staged Friday, May 28 at 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 29 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Cloak Theatre of the Music-Drama Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749. The production contains adult themes and language.

Set in the serene suburban town of Green Meadows, the fast-paced plot thrusts deceit, adultery and murder into the average American home as it explores the seemingly idyllic relationship between new neighbors Joan and Thomas Devereaux and Carolyn and Jeff Symons. Their perfect households unravel, however, as secrets from the Devereaux’s past are uncovered and Joan pursues an affair with Jeff. Manipulative deceptions, threats and duplicity of character combine to keep the audience in suspense until the very end.

Originally written as a broadcast for Chicago’s WMAQ-TV, Post turned the story into a full-length theatre production. The television broadcast earned six Emmy Award nominations.

Professor of Theatre Arts Timothy X. Troy, who is directing the production, calls it “an especially well-crafted modern melodrama, which is a form we don’t often explore in our productions. A good melodrama works on an audience’s expectations about what makes theatre lively and exciting.”

Lawrence juniors Katie Cravens and Kyle Brauer portray Joan and Thomas Devereaux, while juniors Nate Peterson and Erika Thiede are cast as Mr. and Mrs. Symons.

Troy produced the show in collaboration with student Yexue Li, who developed the set and costume design as her senior project in theatre arts.

Irish Restoration Comedy “The School for Scandal” Staged May 13-15

Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comedy “The School for Scandal” comes to the  Stansbury Theatre stage in four performances by the Lawrence University Theatre Department.

The play will be performed Thursday-Saturday, May 13-15 at 8 p.m., with a 3 p.m. matinee Saturday, May 15. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

A Restoration comedy of morals and manners, “The School for Scandal” was originally produced in London in May, 1777.  Filled with disguises, misconceptions and scandals caused by constant, vivid gossip, the comedy is considered Sheridan’s defining work.

Widely popular during its original run of 65 performances over two seasons, the comedy explores the gossip-filled world of Lady Teazle and Lady Sneerwell. Young, newly-married Lady Teazle carries on an affair with Joseph Surface, just to be in fashion, while Lady Sneerwell plots with her allies to destroy the budding romance of Joseph’s brother, Charles, and Maria. The result is a comedic story of lives and relationships entwined by false accusations and misunderstandings.

Senior Caroline Mandler portrays  Lady Sneerwell and junior Alison Thompson is  Lady Teazle. Sophomores Amanda Martinez and Sasha Johnston are cross-cast as the Surface brothers, Joseph and Charles.

The production, directed by visiting theatre arts professor George Grant, a 1988 Lawrence graduate, features costume design by 2006 Lawrence graduate Katrina Schuster.