au theatre 2008.2009
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.
Here's what you missed in our 2007-2008 season!
au theatre 2007-2008
In February 2008 Ashland University hosted the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, a campus-wide series of events designed to create dialogue on capital punishment, an issue currently at debate in the courts. In addition to the Department of Theatre's production of Dead Man 
Walking (see below) and the many other events surrounding this Project, Sister Helen Prejean, author of the book on which the production is based, discussed her experiences with the death penalty on Saturday, February 23, 2008, in Hugo Young Theatre. About 400 were in attendance for the lecture and book signing. Sister Helen also attended the performance that evening and offered her praise on our efforts with the Project. Photo: Sr. Helen signs a book for senior Rachel Frady who performs as Sr. Helen in Dead Man Walking. Photo by Maurer Photography.
nothing ventured, nothing gained
We have heard this quotation many times over, but have we really stopped to ponder its meaning? In its 2007-08 season Ashland University Theatre explores the stories of those who have realized its worth and who have risked all to defy fate. While many are willing to sit on the sidelines waiting for life to happen, Nick and Miranda, Mary, and Sister Helen refuse to let their fates be dictated by chance. Instead, they determine to mold their own destinies through hard-fought battles, willing to bear the consequences should they fail. So take a chance, take a seat, and follow the lives of these risk-takers who know that nothing ventured is, indeed, nothing gained.
“It’s only by risking... that we live at all.”
- William James, philosopher
expecting isabel
By Lisa Loomer
October 4-13, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
October 14, 2007, 2 p.m.
Studio Theatre
Directed by Professor Ric Goodwin
From self-help books to in vitro fertilization, the comedy Expecting Isabel follows the story of Nick and Miranda, an infertile and seemingly mismatched couple who must traverse the minefield of modern baby-making in their quest for parenthood. As their mounting frustrations reveal cracks in their relationship, Miranda’s increasingly obsessive crusade risks not only her health, but also their savings and their marriage. Nothing ventured will surely gain no child, but will all else be lost on the journey to Isabel?
*Please note that Expecting Isabel contains adult themes and language.
“Because God doesn’t play dice with the universe, right? But what if He does? What if He’s got a serious gambling problem?”
- Nick, Act II
the secret garden
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman
Music by Lucy Simon
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
November 2-10, 2007
Hugo Young Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Dr. Teresa Durbin-Ames
“Mistress Mary, quite contrary….” Orphaned and alone in India, spoiled Mary Lennox sets forth to England to live with her last surviving relative, a reclusive, hunch-backed uncle. As Mary struggles to adapt to her bleak, yet almost-magical, surroundings, she discovers her sickly cousin and a secret, locked garden that has been purposefully neglected by her grieving uncle since her beautiful Aunt Lily’s death. Mary risks the estrangement of her uncle and the wrath of his brother in her determined pursuit to bring the garden, and her family, back to life.
“Hold on,
Hold on to someone standin’ by.
Hold on,
Don’t even ask how long or why.”
- Martha, Hold On, Act II
dead man walking
By Tim Robbins
Based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean
February 22-March 1, 2008
Hugo Young Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Professor Ric Goodwin
Dead Man Walking is based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean’s interactions with a death row inmate. Venturing into mortal and moral combat, the Sister risks alienating herself from the grieving families if she supports the murderer, yet she risks failing her conscience should she turn her back on him. As a servant of God, should she pray for the souls of the dead or for the soul of the killer? Can she pray for both? Is it an eye for an eye, or do we turn the other cheek? As Sister Helen soon learns, there are no easy answers.
“What he was involved in was evil. I don’t condone it. I just don’t see much sense in doing the same to him. Killing people who kill people to show that killing is wrong….”
- Sister Helen Prejean, Act II
AU’s Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project will encompass a campus-wide series of events exploring the controversial issue of capital punishment. www.ashland.edu/deadmanwalking.
experience/experiment:
the 2008 one-act festival
April 21-26, 2008
Studio Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Produced, directed and performed by AU students, the bi-annual One-Act Festival is the perfect opportunity for our students to explore their talents. In two or three short productions each evening, the students participating in Experience/Experiment will venture into the unknown and showcase the reasons AU Theatre has had the honor of performing in the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival two consecutive years and why our students consistently win awards.
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
- T.S. Eliot, poet