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Ashland University Theatre Season 2009.2010

The Season of the HERO

 

Hero \'hir-(?)o\

 “a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities”

 

Heroine (\'her-?-w?n, 'hir-, 'he-r?-\

 “a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities”

 

Merriam-Webster clearly defines HERO, but the definition of hero is not black and white. It is gray and purely subjective. It is this uncertainty, this questioning of definitions, we explore by asking “how YOU would define a hero?” What qualities would he or she possess? Perhaps it is Gandhi, sacrificing his health and freedom to free the people of India. Or maybe it’s Harriet Tubman, leading slaves to freedom at great personal risk. Or is it the guy next door plucking his neighbor from a burning building? No matter your definition, though, it is true that heroes claim a long-standing history in the world. Despite the negative headlines that dominate our newspapers and televisions, the chronicles of the ordinary achieving the extraordinary are what capture our attention and our imagination. Sometimes heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching, these stories reawaken our faith in truth, mercy, and justice. From doctors to nuns and firefighters to teachers, heroes embody what is right with the world, sometimes arising out of need in the most unlikely and reluctant of people and in the most unlikely of circumstances. Heroes have shaped and inspired our world, engendering hope in the doubtful and creating peace out of chaos. Join Ashland University Theatre in our 2009.2010 Season of the Hero and create your own definition of a hero.

Equus

By Peter Shaffer

Directed by Professor Ric Goodwin

October 9, 10, 16, 17, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

October 11, 2009, at 2 p.m.

Hugo Young Theatre

SPECIAL STAGE SEATING WILL BE AVAILABLE!

Shocking an entire town, 17-year old Alan Strang has committed an unspeakable act to the horses in his care, horses he worships as gods. Our heroic figure is Dysart, the overworked but brilliant psychiatrist brought in to probe and heal Alan’s psyche. As Alan’s treatment unfolds, Dysart begins a serious introspection of his own life that has him questioning whether “curing” Alan will deaden his underlying passion and ultimately destroy his spirit. Personal belief vies with societal expectation, and religion and ritual sacrifice feature in Equus, as Shaffer offers a fictional explanation for a disturbingly true crime. Winner of the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1975 Drama Desk for Outstanding New Foreign Play (England). ADULT THEMES & CONTENT- NO CHILDREN UNDER 13 ALLOWED. Join us after the performance on Friday, October 16, for a talkback with the cast and crew.

“...Passion, you see, can be destroyed by a doctor. It cannot be created... You will, however, be without pain. More or less completely without pain.”

~Dysart, Act II

*Please join us after the performance on October 10 for a reception in honor or Ric Goodwin's 25th anniversary at Ashland University.

 

Measure for Measure

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Fabio Polanco

November 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.

November 15, 2009, at 2 p.m.

Studio Theatre

 

A 17th century thriller, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure underscores the abuse of power as well as the values of mercy, justice, and humility. After faking a trip to Poland, the Duke of Vienna disguises himself as a friar to spy on his citizens and to test deputy Lord Angelo’s apparent virtue under the weight of command.  When the lovely and virtuous Isabella pleads for her condemned brother Claudio’s life, the hypocritical Angelo violates his personal ideology, using his power to issue a stunning ultimatum to Isabella. With help from an unlikely source, can our heroine successfully deflect the Lord’s exploitation of his royal authority to free her brother and follow her conscience in a Shakespearian game of cat and mouse? Join us after the performance on Friday, November 20, for a talkback with the cast and crew.

 

 Is this her fault or mine?
The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?

~Angelo, Act II

 

Urinetown: The Musical

Music and lyrics by Mark Holloman

Book and lyrics by Greg Kotis

Directed by Dr. Teresa Durbin-Ames

February 19, 20, 26, 27, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

February 21, 2010, at 2 p.m.

Hugo Young Theatre

 

Not the typical Broadway fare, the Tony-Award winning musical comedy Urinetown takes on corporate greed, poverty and social injustice by parodying popular musicals like Les Miserables and West Side Story. Commanded by the ruthless Caldwell B. Cladwell’s mega-corporation Urine Good Company (UGC), mandatory public pay-per-use toilets have been installed due to a severe water shortage. Offenders of the policy are cast into the mysterious and much-feared Urinetown, never to return.  Bobby Strong, an employee of UGC, becomes a local hero, rebelling against the policy and inspiring others to action. The pure and lovely Hope Cladwell, strikingly different from her father, is captured and held hostage by the rebels. Will our hero save the day and get the girl? Will the hardened Cladwell relent and save his daughter? Despite its quirky title, Urinetown touches upon the serious issues which any so-called civilized society must face.  Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Director. Join us after the performance on Friday, February 26, for a talkback with the cast and crew.

 

“Sometimes- in a musical- it’s better to focus on one big thing rather than a lot of little things. The audience tends to be much happier that way. And it’s easier to write.” 

~ Office Lockstock, Act I

 

Experience/Experiment: The 2010 One-Act Festival

Produced and directed by Ashland University Theatre students

April 20-24, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

Studio Theatre

 

Theatre students take over the reins of production as they select, interpret, cast, design, rehearse and perform one-act plays for your pleasure.  Follow the journey of our talented students as they challenge themselves mentally and physically… with thought-provoking results!

 

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.” Shakespeare

 

Don’t miss our FREE performances! Please note that these performances also require tickets. You can reserve yours by calling the Ashland University Box Office at 419.289.5125.

 

Senior Project

A performance by senior Thea Grabiec

Stop Kiss

By Diana Son

Friday, September 25, 2009

Studio Theatre, 7 p.m.

 

Our first senior project of the season, Stop Kiss reveals the story of two very different women, whose newfound friendship develops into a physical attraction, surprising them both. But a single kiss provokes an act of violence that shatters their happiness, leaving one comatose and the other struggling to understand. ADULT CONTENT.

 

Children’s Theatre: Cinderella Confidential

By Eric Coble

Directed by senior Rachel Galambos

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Studio Theatre, 3 p.m.

 

Follow the rival media personalities in the Kingdom as they compete to discover the owner of one dainty glass slipper left by one lovely, mysterious girl who fled from one silly prince. Interactive fun for the whole family!

 

Drop of a Hat Spring Showcase

Fabio Polanco, Artistic Director

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Studio Theatre, 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.

 

Drop of a Hat performs its annual spring concert of traditional and contemporary musical theatre favorites. Due to popularity, a second performance has been added.

 

Senior Project

A performance by Antoinette Kula

Sunday, April 10-11, 2010

Studio Theatre, 7 p.m.

 

Here's what you missed in our 2008.2009 season!

Image by Design

We frequently make the unconscious decision to design meticulous images of ourselves for the outside world to see. Whether it’s a vision of virtue or an illustration of urbanity, the faces we display to the public do not necessarily reveal our true colors. Women, especially, may still be expected to conform to stereotypes, despite contrary inward thoughts and feelings.  In Ashland University’s 2008.2009 season, painted-on smiles hide hearts in turmoil and the portrait of a gentle soul is discovered beneath scarred layers of bitterness when we present the unvarnished truth of the image by design.

 

The Crucible may have you asking “How can a seemingly innocent young lady destroy the soul of a Puritan village (ironically) in the name of religion?”

 

Crimes of the Heart will have you thinking “How can three sisters have the strength to overcome such adversity in this warm, funny (and Pulitzer-prize winning) play?”

 

“Why don’t they make more musical heroines like this?” you will wonder as you float out of the theatre humming to yourself after enjoying every note of The Spitfire Grill, an all-American musical with a soaring, soulful score and a feel-good story of redemption and hope.

 

“Outrageous. A wicked lack of conscience” you might muse, shaking your head at the shocking (you won’t believe it!) conclusion of The Shape of Things.

What are the true colors of these women? Draw your own conclusions!

The Crucible

By Arthur Miller

October 10, 11, 17, 18, 2008

Hugo Young Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

October 19, 2008

Hugo Young Theatre, 2 p.m.

Join us on Friday, October 17 for an after-performance panel discussion of the historical relevance of The Crucible. More details to come!

 

“But it's that last, tragically knowing glance between Proctor and Elizabeth -- eloquent with the consciousness of a shared future that will never be -- that most fully measures the damage of the nightmare that was Salem in 1692” ~Ben Brantley, New York Times, March 8, 2002

Determined to have her way at any cost, young Abigail turns her romantic obsession into murder as the discovery of young girls dancing and chanting in the forest unleashes the jealously, greed, and retribution simmering beneath the surface in the repressive Puritan society of 1692 Salem, sparking the famous witch trials.  The zealous and unrelenting pursuit of personal passions, colored as religious fervor and righteousness, possesses the village, resulting in the most absolute sacrifice of human life. In his classic, always-relevant theatrical work of art, Miller shows us that evil is characterized not by that which surrounds us, but by that which is within us, by that which is borne in our souls. The Crucible is an enduring piece that addresses tolerance and reason lost amidst an unparalleled mass hysteria.

 

“The Deputy Governor promise hangin’ if they’ll not confess, John. The town’s gone wild, I think—Mary Warren speak of Abigail as though she were a saint… and where she walk the crowd will part like the sea for Israel.”  ~Elizabeth, Act I

 

Crimes of the Heart

By Beth Henley

November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 2008

Studio Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

November 23, 2008

Studio Theatre, 2 p.m.

Join us on Friday, November 21 for an after-performance talk back with the cast and director of Crimes of the Heart. More details to come!

 

“…the playwright's compassionate understanding of her characters makes it easy to get caught up in the volatile world of these Southern women, sharing their affections, animosities and the bruised ambivalence their rocky history with men has bred.”  ~David Rooney, Variety, Feb. 14, 2008

 

“I just didn’t like his stinking looks,” is all Babe Magrath Botrelle says when asked why she shot her crummy Senator husband in the stomach. And so it goes for the three Magrath sisters who have endured one tragedy after another in the Pulitzer-Prize winning comedy Crimes of the Heart, set in rural Hazelhurst, Mississippi. This time the sisters come together to await the fate of Babe and their ailing grandfather, the family patriarch. The shooting propels the past into the present as the ladies are again forced to face the unflattering picture painted so many years ago when their father walked out and their chain-smoking mother subsequently hanged herself in the cellar… with the family cat. Their tragic background kindles a surprisingly humorous and heartfelt story about three sisters on a soul-searching journey who must find the strength to overcome the past to face the future (and outline a new family profile!). These sisters just might make it… despite the overflowing closet of skeletons!

 

“The thing about Old Grandaddy is, he keeps trying to make us happy, and we end up getting stomachaches and turning green and throwing up in the flower arrangements.”  ~Meg, Act II

 

The Spitfire Grill

Music and book by James Valcq

Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley

Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff

February 20, 21, 27, 28, 2009

Hugo Young Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

March 1, 2009

Hugo Young Theatre, 2 p.m.

Join us on Friday, February 28 for an after-performance talk back with the cast and director of The Spitfire Grill. More details to come!

 

“…James Valcq, the composer, and Fred Alley, the lyricist, who collaborated on the book, make it clear that rebirth is not a matter of ritual but is instead a matter of human connection."  ~Alvin Klein, New York Times, Dec. 10, 2000

 

Praised for its soaring, folksy score reminiscent of Americana, The Spitfire Grill follows an unlikely heroine to a one-horse town in need of hope, which unexpectedly arrives in the form of Percy, an ex-convict in search of better lighting and a fresh start.  To most of the citizens of Gilead, Wisconsin, she’s no heroine, only trouble. But Hannah, the aging, feisty owner of the Spitfire Grill, employs the combative Percy, exposing her to an unwelcoming gallery of critics.  With biting sarcasm Percy makes no secret of her time in prison, broadcasting to the café “…And I only got locked up in solitary three times. Imagine that…. ” Despite the antagonistic self-portrait she has purposely sketched, Percy cultivates an improbable friendship with a meek housewife. Together the women restore the fading town’s landscape in a most unusual way.  With a rare simplicity in an age of big and brassy musicals, The Spitfire Grill takes us on a soulful musical journey of redemption, renewal, and reawakening when Percy lights upon the idea of raffling off the grill in an essay contest. Good luck getting these tunes out of your head!

 

“I wish you’d called me up before you brought her down. She’s not the kind of new blood we need in this town.”  ~Caleb, “Something’s Cooking at the Spitfire Grill,” Act I

 

The Shape of Things

By Neil LaBute

March 26, 27, 28, April 2, 3, 4, 2009

Studio Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

April 5, 2009

Studio Theatre, 2 p.m.

Join us on Friday, April 3 for an after-performance talk back with the cast and director of The Shape of Things. More details to come!

 

“LaBute has a knack for challenging our concepts of love and relationships, and for mixing entertainment with strong messages.”  ~ Paul Clinton, CNN.com, May 8, 2003

 

At what cost art? In his witty and seductive play, LaBute reshapes the artless Adam’s life when he introduces him to Evelyn, a beautifully painted graduate art student (beware, though, something else is lurking beneath that fair façade). As the relationship progresses, the coolly sophisticated Evelyn coaxes Adam to change his lifestyle. Not only does Adam succeed in losing his extra pounds, his glasses, and his favorite ratty jacket, but also his friends and himself, for the sake of Evelyn who tests the boundaries of friendship, love, and art in her surprising quest. Societal norms are questioned, and life as art is interpreted literally in The Shape of Things, a cleverly twisted interpretation of the fall of man! Warning: prepare to be shocked!  ADULT THEMES

 

“Someone always pays for people like you. And if you don’t get that, if you can’t see at least that much… then you’re about two inches away from using babies to make lamp shades and calling it ‘furniture.’” ~Adam, Act II

 

Don’t miss our FREE performances:

Drop of a Hat Spring Showcase

Our musical theatre troupe will present a choreographed performance of their favorite Broadway musical numbers.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Hugo Young Theatre, 2 p.m.

Senior Theatre Project Weekend

Our seniors will present their performance projects, the culmination of their learning at Ashland!

Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19, 2009

Studio Theatre, 7 p.m.