By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 8-01-07
GREENSBORO, NC – From the stomach-turning tale of “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” to the jazz beat of Nina Simone’s sultry music, UNCG Theatre offers a diverse and titillating 2007-08 line-up.
Tickets are sold through the University Box Office at (336) 334-4849 and online at http://boxoffice.uncg.edu. Season tickets are now available.
The new season opens Oct. 3 and concludes May 4. Specific shows and dates are:
Sweeney Todd
Oct. 3-10
Taylor Theatre
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Dr. Marsha Paludan
Based on the 19th-century legend of Sweeney Todd, the play follows Todd’s plans for revenge when he returns from Australia to find his wife dead and his daughter the ward of the man who ruined his life, Judge Turpin. Todd and his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, become conspirators in a dastardly plot that results in mass murder, booming business for Lovett's meat pie shop and a tragic end.
The Rimers of Eldritch
Oct. 18-21
Taylor Theatre
by Lanford Wilson
Directed by Michael Flannery
Lanford Wilson's fascinating murder mystery is set against the backdrop of a small Midwest town, exploring the hypocrisy and viciousness that can masquerade as morality.
The Taste of Sunrise
Nov. 10-18
Taylor Theatre
by Susan L. Zeder
Directed by Rachel Briley
This bi-lingual play, in American Sign Language and spoken English, takes place in the mind of Tuc as he journeys through memories of his childhood including the fever that took his hearing, the language of nature and the deaf school where his mind explodes with the discovery of sign language. After the death of his beloved father, Tuc must navigate the perilous path of loss, love and language as he struggles to weave a family out of wishes. This play explores the moral ambiguities of our times and the cultural complexities of deafness with humor and compassion.
Appropriate for grades three and up.
11th Annual Flannel Shorts
Dec. 5-8
Taylor Theatre
Directed by graduate students with faculty assistance
Enjoy the energetic and creative work of our student playwrights as sophomore BFA acting students perform in original 10-minute plays. Contains adult language.
Simply Simone—The Music of Nina Simone
Feb. 6-10
Brown Building Theatre
Created by Robert Neblett and David Grapes
Musical Arrangement by Vince diMura
Directed by Tom Humphrey
Child prodigy. Jazz superstar. Civil rights activist. Political exile. Nina Simone was all of these things, and more. One of the true divas of the 20th century and a genuine musical powerhouse, she defined a generation and defied classification.
Love’s Fire
Feb. 14-17
Brown Building Theatre
by Eric Bogosian, William Finn, John Guare, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, Ntozake Shange and Wendy Wasserstein
Directed by Christine Morris
The sonnets and plays in “Love’s Fire” are the seeds and fruit of an extraordinary project: seven sonnets by Shakespeare, newly envisioned for the stage, in one-act plays by seven brilliantly gifted contemporary playwrights. The greatest love poetry in the English language provides the springboard for master playwrights’ never-before-published works about the triumphs and tragedies of the heart. Contains adult language.
The Country Wife
Feb. 22-March 2
Taylor Theatre
by William Wycherly
Directed by Jim Wren
London’s elite is reeling from the news that its most notorious playboy, Mr. Horner, is back from France, a medically certified eunuch. Horner, a “devilish” rogue, devises a plan to seduce the wives of his friends. Horner’s antics, coupled with the men’s jealousies and the wives’ hidden desires, create a hilarious mix of innuendo, pride and honor.
Degas’ Little Dancer: A Magical Story of Time Travel and Dance
April 1-5
Brown Building Theatre
by Wesley Middleton
Directed by Jennifer Ridgway
A fantastical tale of a young woman’s commitment to her art as a dancer inspiring an aging artist. This magical play will delight children who love to dance, adults who love art and parents who want their children’s talents to soar. It celebrates the beauty of dreaming, the power of imagination and the joy of discovering who you truly are.
UNCG Opera
April 10, 11, 13
Taylor Theatre
The UNCG Opera is collaboration between the School of Music and UNCG Theatre. The UNCG Opera productions regularly win national awards.
Title to be announced in Dec. 2007.
Tales of the Lost Formicans
April 16 –May 3
Brown Building Theatre
by Constance Congdon
Directed by Stephen D. Hyers
This dark comedy is an exploration of an estranged family who comes together only to fall apart when Grandpa becomes increasingly disabled due to Alzheimer’s disease. And then the aliens show up…Alzheimer’s, adolescence and aliens? Just another day in the U.S.A.
Jersey Shore House
April 23-May 4
Brown Building Theatre
By Michael Ferrell
Directed by John Gulley
After the death of his fiancée, Nick Monaco gathers with his family at their Jersey Shore house for comfort and healing. Unfortunately his quirky, challenging family provides little comfort. With a loveable but irascible grandmother, a stubbornly traditional father, a liberal-thinking mother, an estranged brother (and his quick-witted, Asian American boyfriend), a sarcastic older sister (and her African American performance artist boyfriend), Nick soon realizes that healing is out of the question. Or is it? In this funny and moving new play, Nick and his family are forced to take a hard look at themselves. And in the end, the Monaco family, as wacky and diverse as America itself, stumbles reluctantly into the 21st century.
Tickets for plays are $12 for adults, $10 for students, senior citizens, and children, $8 for groups of 10 or more and UNCG Alumni Association members, and $7 for current UNCG students.
Tickets for musicals (“Sweeney Todd,” “Simply Simone” and the UNCG Opera) are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students, or children, $9 for groups of 10 or more and UNCG Alumni Association members and $7 for UNCG students.
For weekday school matinee performances of the North Carolina Theatre for Young People productions “Taste of Sunrise” and “Degas’ Little Dancer”: Tickets are $7 for adults and UNCG students, $6 for children, students and senior citizens, and $5 for groups of 10 or more.
