Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona (4/18-21 and 4/25-27)

The Department of Theatre is pleased to present the first production in the PAHB Theatre, Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed and adapted by Eve Muson, beginning Thursday, April 18.

When Valentine and Proteus leave Verona to seek their fortunes in Milan, their boyhood friendship turns to rivalry when they both fall in love with the same girl. Proteus sets out to betray both his best friend and hometown sweetheart, only to find that the ladies in his life have a thing or two to teach him about loyalty and love. Quick-witted servants, bawdy outlaws and a faithful canine companion make this one of Shakespeare’s most lighthearted comedies.

Set in imagined renaissance Italy, this production melds past and present, transcends time and blends music and dance. A visual mash-up of time periods, the play explores what happens when the bonds of friendship and fidelity are put to the test.

A free performance for the UMBC community will take place this Thursday, April 18 at 4:00 p.m., all other showings are open to the public:
Friday, April 19, 8 pm
Saturday, April 20, 8 pm
Sunday, April 21, 2 pm (talkback following the performance)
Thursday, April 25, 8 pm
Friday, April 26, 8 pm
Saturday, April 27, 8 pm

Find additional information, including ticketing at our Arts and Culture Calendar.

Race and Shakespearean Performance (4/17)

On Wednesday, April 17, at 4 p.m. in the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, the Humanities Forum will present “Race and Shakespearean Performance” with Ayanna Thompson, associate dean of the faculty and professor of English at Arizona State University.

What does it mean to cast Shakespeare in a nontraditional way? How is Shakespeare’s universalism constructed within explicit discussions and debates about racial identity? And, do the answers to these questions impact our understanding of authorship, authority, and authenticity? This talk will examine the ways Shakespeare, race, and performance intersect on the twenty-first century stage.

Ayanna Thompson is Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of  Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of English at Arizona State  University. She specializes in Renaissance drama and focuses on issues  of race and performance. She is the author of two books: Passing Strange: Shakespeare, Race, and Contemporary  America (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Performing Race and Torture on the Early Modern Stage  (Routledge, 2008), and the editor of two books: Weyward Macbeth:Intersections of Race and Performance (Palgrave  Macmillan, 2010) (co-edited with Scott Newstok) and Colorblind Shakespeare: New Perspectives on Race and Performance  (Routledge, 2006).

This event is sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities with support from the Department of English and the Theater Department

Susan McCully, Theatre, Interviewed for What Weekly

What Weekly magazine featured Susan McCully, Senior Lecturer for the Department of Theatre, in an interview for their website last week. In the interview, she discusses the evolution of her work as a playwright and performer, and its influence in the “Baltimore Renaissance”.

“[Interviewer]: What do you think is the over-arching theme of our conversation?
Susan: Emergence. I feel like I’m at a place in my life where I’m emerging. That word is usually attached to someone in their 20’s. And there are all kinds of reasons why I’m emerging now, but I feel emotionally and artistically grown up now and ready to actually talk about things other than myself when I talk about my work. My work is about me, of course, but I’m grown up enough to talk about human beings. I feel like Baltimore theater is emerging. Emerging for a lot of reasons that have to do with the changes in the larger professional theaters, and with the younger groups coming here with the intention to grow together.” Segment from the interview, “Susan McCully, Late Bloomer Extraordinaire”.

Fabulous Presto Opens at UMBC (11/29-12/2)

Fabulous Presto, an original production created and directed by Department of Theatre faculty member, Colette Searls, opens this Thursday, November 29 in the PAHB Black Box Theatre, and will continue on through Sunday, December 2.

Fabulous Presto is a quirky variety show of puppet acts for adults, mixing humans with objects and old-fashioned spectacle with high-tech tricks. Creatures emerge out of packing material in one act — a puppet undergoes cosmetic surgery in another. At turns humorous, uncanny and weird, this is a production where anything goes and every THING wants to come out to play.

Performances:
Thursday, November 29, 4 p.m. (free performance for the UMBC campus community)
Friday, November 30, 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 1, 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 1, 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 2, 2 p.m.

This production is inappropriate for children under 12.

For reservations and ticket information, click here, or visit the Department of Theatre’s website.

Tim Miller, Glory Box (11/2)

On Friday, November 2nd at 8 p.m., internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller will preform his solo work Glory Box in the PAHB Proscenium Theatre.

“A charming and wildly energetic storyteller!”
—The New York Times

Tim Miller’s creative work as a performer and writer explores the artistic, spiritual and political typography of his identity as a gay man. Praised for his humor and passion, Miller has tackled this challenge in several pieces, including Glory Box, a funny, sexy and politically charged exploration of same-sex marriage that recounts the trials Miller has been forced to undergo in trying to keep his Australian partner in the United States. From Miller’s hilarious grade school playground battles over wanting to marry another boy to the harrowing travails of being in a bi-national relationship with his Australian lover, Glory Box leads the audience on an intense and humorous journey into the complexity of the human heart that knows no boundary. Glory Box (the term Australians use for “hope chest”) conjures an alternative site for the placing of memories, hopes and dreams of gay people’s extraordinary potential for love.

Since 1999, Miller has focused his creative and political work on marriage equality and the injustices facing lesbian and gay couples in the United States and has vowed “to continue the fight for freedom of expression for fierce, diverse voices.”

Author, teacher, activist and performer Tim Miller will perform at UMBC for one evening only.

To read more about Tim Miller, his performance and/or ticketing information, click here.

3D: Disparity, Diversity and Dialogue (10/16-10/20)

Tuesday, October 16 through Saturday, October 20 the collaborative theatre production 3D: Disparity, Diversity and Dialogue will be held in the Performing Arts and Humanities Building.

3D: Diversity, Disparity and Dialogue, directed by Alan Kreizenbeck, is a collection of scenes and monologues examining today’s fractured social and political environment created by the actors working with devised theatre specialist and renowned solo performer Tim Miller.

A unique performance event, 3D will begin in the PAHB lobby, and move through various locations throughout the building. Audience size for each performance is limited, so two performances nightly, at 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm, will be hosted to accommodate large audiences.

Read more about the production here, or order advance tickets online through MissionTix.

Department of Theatre’s “Incorruptible” Reviewed by the Baltimore Sun

UMBC Theatre students Brad Widener (left) and David Brasington (right) in Incorruptible. Photo by Rich Riggins.

Arts critic Mike Giuliano, writing for the Patuxent Papers and The Baltimore Sun, gave high marks to the Department of Theatre’s current production, Incorruptible, in a review published today. “Director Colette Searls ensures that the plot’s zany complications keep coming our way,” he remarked, while also mentioning set and costume design by Elena Zlotescu, associate professor of Theatre; and students Brad Widener, Daniel Friedman, Anderson Wells, Christopher Dews, Samantha Van Sant, Sydney Kleinberg, David Brasington and Jessica Ruth Baker. Read the full review here.

Department of Theatre’s “Incorruptible” Reviewed in BroadwayWorld (4/19)

The Department of Theatre’s current production, Incorruptible, which runs through April 28, received praise from critic Jack L. B. Gohn of BroadwayWorld.com in a review published on April 19 (click here to read). In conclusion he remarked, “Incorruptible is a hoot. You should go.” Theatre students Sydney Kleinberg, Christopher Dews and Jessica Ruth Baker all received mentions. For more information about the production, which is directed by Colette Searls, associate professor Theatre, visit the Arts & Culture Calendar.

Incorruptible at the UMBC Theatre (4/18 – 4/28)

From April 18 through 28, the Department of Theatre presents Incorruptible (“A Dark Comedy About the Dark Ages”) by Michael Hollinger, directed by Colette Searls, associate professor of Theatre.

Part farce, part grotesque sitcom, Incorruptible takes us to Medieval times Monty Python-style.

Welcome to Priseaux, France, c. 1250 A.D., where the dark ages are looking pretty dark. The river flooded again last week, the chandler’s shop just burned to the ground, and the skeletal relics of Saint Foy–patron of the local monastery–hasn’t produced a miracle in thirteen years. All eyes turn to the Pope, whose promised visit will surely lure more pilgrims, and restore the abbey to its former glory. That is, until a rival church claims to possess the relics of Saint Foy–and “their” bones are working miracles. All seems lost until the destitute monks take a lesson from a larcenous one-eyed minstrel, who teaches them an outrageous new way to pay old debts.

Performances:
Wednesday, April 18th, 8 pm (preview)
Thursday, April 19th, 4 pm (free performance for UMBC students, faculty and staff)
Friday, April 20th, 8 pm (opening night)
Sunday, April 22nd, 2 pm
Thursday, April 26th, 8 pm
Friday, April 27th, 8 pm
Saturday, April 28th, 2 pm

All performances in the UMBC Theatre. $10 general admission, $5 for students and seniors, and $3 for the preview.

To order tickets in advance using a credit card, order online through MissionTix or call 410-752-8950. Patrons who would prefer to pay by cash or check at will call may make a reservation through the online Theatre Box Office or by calling 410-455-2476.

Theatre with Dinner (4/20)

The Friends of the Library & Gallery will host its annual Theatre with Dinner on Friday, April 20, 2012.

Reserve by April 10, 2012. The play will be “Incorruptible” (“A Dark Comedy About the Dark Ages”) by Michael Hollinger, presented by the UMBC Department of Theatre and directed by Colette Searls. The event will begin at 5 p.m. on the 7th floor of the Library with a wine and soft drink reception. Dinner will commence at 6 p.m., with remarks by director Colette Searls after dinner at approximately 7 p.m., and the play will be held in the UMBC Theatre at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at $35 per person. Reservations will be accepted for individuals, couples or full tables for up to 8 people. Tickets include the reception, dinner and admission to the play.

See http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/admin/friends/events.php for full details and reservation form. For additional information and last minute reservations, call the Library Administrative Offices at ext. 5-2356.