The Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance, celebrating its 100th anniversary, announces its exciting 2013-2014 season of theatre and dance productions.
The school and its three theatre spaces are housed in the Kent State Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Music and Speech Center, at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus. Single tickets for all theatre and dance productions are $8 for non-Kent State students with valid ID or students under 18; $14 for Kent State faculty, staff and Alumni Association members; $12 for seniors (60+); and $16 for adults. Groups of 10 or more are $10 per person.
Flex passes for three, four or seven theatre and dance productions are available for purchase. Prices for the flex passes are $42 - $98 for adults; $30 - $70 for seniors, Kent State faculty, staff and Alumni Association members; and $19.50 - $45.50 for non-Kent State students with valid ID. For tickets or more information, call the Performing Arts Box Office at 330-672-ARTS (2787). The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, cash and personal checks. The box office will open for business on Sept. 9, and will be open weekdays, noon – 5 p.m.
She Stoops to Conquer
Oct. 4 - 13
Wright-Curtis Theatre
Directed by Eric van Baars
A comedy of manners by Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, which was first performed in London in 1773. One of the great, generous-hearted and ingenious comedies of the English language, Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer offers a celebration of chaos, courtship and the dysfunctional family. It is one of the few plays from the 18th century to have an enduring appeal. Lillie Langtry had her first big success in this play in 1881.
Plain and Fancy
Oct. 25 - Nov. 3
E. Turner Stump Theatre
Directed by Terri Kent
A musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn raising and an old-fashioned country wedding. New York City sophisticates Dan King and Ruth Winters travel to Bird-in-Hand in the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pa., to sell a piece of property to Jacob Yoder, who intends to present it to his daughter, Katie, and her intended, Ezra, as a wedding gift. While there, they become involved with the local villagers, including Hilda Miller, who mistakes Dan's kindness for romantic overtures, and Ezra's banished brother Peter, who returns to claim the hand of his childhood sweetheart, Katie.
Dance 2013: This Time
Nov. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m.
Nov. 24 at 2 p.m.
E. Turner Stump Theatre
Andrea Shearer, artistic director
Legally Blonde
Feb. 21 – March 2
Directed by Amy Fritsche
Music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner. She discovers how her knowledge of the law can help others, and successfully defends exercise queen Brooke Wyndham in a murder trial. It received seven Tony nominations and 10 Drama Desk nominations. The West End production was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards and won three, including the Best New Musical award.
Student Dance Festival/BFA Senior Concert
March 14 -16
Erdmann-Zucchero Theatre
Kent Dance Ensemble: Movin’ on Up
April 4 - 6
E. Turner Stump
Artistic Direction by Kimberly Karpanty
Student Theatre Festival
April 11 - 13
Erdmann-Zucchero Theatre
Roe Green Visiting Director Series Presents
Pride and Prejudice
April 18 – 27
Wright-Curtis Theatre
Directed by Guest Director Joseph Hanreddy
Jane Austen’s witty comedy of manners and one of the most beloved novels of all time, tells the story of the five Bennet daughters who are in need of suitable husbands. The arrival of the wealthy Mr. Bingley and his best friend, Mr. Darcy, stirs romantic thoughts among the sisters and the matrimonial matchmaking begins. Tensions mount between the young, spitfire Elizabeth and the arrogant Mr. Darcy, though he cannot escape a growing attraction to her rebellious behavior. A tangle of mistaken impressions and unexpected revelations keeps Austen’s famous young couple apart until a major social error ironically allows Darcy to swallow his pride and Elizabeth to rethink her prejudice.
Joe Hanreddy served as the artistic director for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1993 to 2010, after leading the Madison Repertory Theater and the Ensemble Theater Company in Santa Barbara, Calif. His recent directing work includes Richard III for the Idaho and Great Lakes Shakespeare Festivals, Moliere’s The Misanthrope Off-Broadway, which was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award, The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead for the Writer’s Theater in Chicago, which was nominated for a Jeff Award, O Beautiful for the Connecticut Repertory Theater, Our Country’s Good for the REP/Delaware as well as productions of Private Lives and Macbeth for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. His and JR Sullivan’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice has been performed at major regional theaters including the Oregon and Utah Shakespeare festivals, the South Coast Repertory Theater and the Cincinnati Playhouse. He has taught acting and directing at both the Madison and Milwaukee campuses of the University of Wisconsin and at Northwestern University. Following this production of Pride and Prejudice, Hanreddy will direct the premiere of his and Sullivan’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility for the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
For more information, visit www.theatre.kent.edu for details on the upcoming anniversary celebration and additional special events.