NewsRelease

"Sound of Music" Runs Sept. 25 - 29
 
“The Sound of Music,”  7 p.m. Wednesday &Thursday, Sept. 25-26; 10 a.m. & 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27; 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29.  Aycock Auditorium, free parking in lot behind Weatherspoon Art Museum. $14 adults; $12 seniors, children, non-UNCG students; $6 UNCG students; $9 groups 10 or more. Matinee tickets: $6 adults, $5 children. (Reservations for matinee recommended.) (336) 334-4849

GREENSBORO -- UNCG Theatre will present one of America’s most beloved film and Broadway musicals, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” on Sept. 25-29 in Aycock Auditorium.

Amy Blue and Brandon Ellis are Maria and Captain Georg von Trapp in UNCG Theatre's "Sound of Music" opening Sept. 25 in Aycock Auditorium.

Working in the spirit of collaboration for which she is well-known, Director Marsha Paludan has drawn input from across the campus and the community to create a memorable evening of entertainment.

The Greensboro Folk Dancers will treat theatre goers to performances of Austrian folk dance before each performance in the lobby of Aycock. A hand-bell ensemble from First Presbyterian Church will add to the opening aura, ringing in the first scene to simulate the sound of church bells echoing in the Alps. Eight Greensboro children, several of them experienced actors, were recruited to play the five younger von Trapp childen. Some of the younger roles are double cast, with the youngsters alternating performances.

For the choral selections in the abbey scenes, the 65-member School of Music Women’s Glee Club will create the sensation of surround-sound from the balcony. Also featured from the School of Music will be an orchestra under the direction of Richard Waters and Ben Hutchins, and trained opera singers, in the roles of the abbey nuns. Some of the members of the 16-piece orchestra are professional musicians recruited from the community. The campus bookstore will have books by the real Maria von Trapp for sale in the lobby.

The story of the von Trapp family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Austria serves as a timely reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of violence and war.

“This is such beautiful music that I want the audience to feel surrounded by it. To feel its full impact,” Paludan said. “My prayer is that it will reach out to people after the anniversary of Sept. 11 and provide a time to reflect and heal hearts, because that is what we need. We need joy and hope and faith, all of which ‘The Sound of Music’ celebrates.”

The 33-member cast includes Amy Blue as Maria, Brandon Ellis as Captain Georg von Trapp, Toni Dolce as the Mother Abbess, Hannah Guthmann as Liesl, John Wilson as Friedrich, and Brooke Barnett as Elsa Schraeder, the glamorous rival for the captain’s affections.

Children in the cast are: Molly Hassell and Hannah Newman, double cast as Louisa; Michael Vine as Kurt; Bayly Hassell and Taylor Klass double cast as Brigitta; Alyssa Torres as Marta, and Bonnie Flannery and Patti Hazlett double cast as Gretl. Costumes are by Deborah Bell, sets are by Vandy Wood and lighting is by Erin Hisey.