- Dry Land by Ruby Rae Spiegel, directed by junior, Angel Lee
October 24-26, 2019, 8 p.m., Black Box Theatre - Macbeth by William Shakespeare, directed by David Charles Goyette
November 13-16, 2019, 8 p.m., Severns Theatre - The Charm of Preparedness by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, directed by Michelle Winchester
February 19-22, 2020, 8 p.m., Severns Theatre - Spring Lab Show, Title TBA, directed by TBA
March 26-28, 2020 - Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, directed by Dana Smith
April 15-18, 2020, 8 p.m., Severns Theatre
Theatre Class Presents One-Act Plays
The Theatre Department’s play direction class will present the work of nine new directors in one-act plays at 8 p.m. Dec. 6-8 in the Ophelia Parrish Hall James G. Severns Theatre.
Taught by assistant professor David Charles Goyette, the class directs plays from some of the best playwrights from around the country as a final assignment. The plays had to be published within the last 80 years, between 10-30 minutes in length and without heavy science, costume, light or sound effects.
These final productions represent a synthesis of numerous concepts explored in the course of the semester. Students explored composition and picturization techniques, scene analysis, how to develop a directorial approach and methods on how to work with actors.
The play direction course is required of all theatre majors in order to graduate. Admission is free for the one act plays. For more information, contact Goyette at dcgoyette@truman.edu.
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Theatre Department Presents “The Spitfire Grill”
The Theatre Department will perform the musical “The Spitfire Grill” at 8 p.m. Nov. 7-10 in the James G. Severns Theatre in Ophelia Parrish.
“The Spitfire Grill” combines warm and satisfying music with a touching and exhilarating story. It follows the story of Percy Talbot after she has just been released from prison after serving five years for manslaughter. She travels to the small town of Gilead after finding it in an old travel book where the local sheriff, and her parole officer, Joe Sutter finds her a job at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill. The grill is for sale, but with no interested buyers Hannah decides to raffle it off with an essay contest. Soon, mail is arriving by the wheelbarrow full and things definitely heat up at the Spitfire Grill.
Based on the Award-winning movie, “The Spitfire Grill” by James Valcq and Fred Alley premiered Off Broadway in 2000. It charmed audiences with its endearing musical numbers and heartwarming characters receiving a number of critical accolades. The American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded “The Spitfire Grill” the Richard Rodgers Production Award, and it was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award and two Drama Desk Awards.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance now until showtime 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Ophelia Parrish Box Office. For out of town reservations, call 660.785.4515.
Casting for Directors’ Showcase
Auditions for the Fall Directors’ Showcase will take place at 5 p.m. Oct. 8 in the Black Box Theatre, Ophelia Parrish 2302.
Nine new directors will be looking for actors for the showcase, which runs Dec. 6-8 in the Severns Theatre. Actors should prepare 60 seconds of material that shows how they move and talk. Examples include: reciting a list of their best jokes, doing a dramatic reading of a Drake song, performing a monologue, doing yoga while reciting a roommate’s annoying morning routine, etc. Ultimately, interested actors need to do something that will grab the directors’ attention and make them remember the actor’s performance.
On each night of the final performances, the directing class presents a different set of one act plays written by some of the best playwrights from around the country. The following plays will be divided between the two nights
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Theatre Department Presents Comedic Play
The Theatre Department’s production of “In-Laws, Outlaws and Other People (That Should be Shot)” will be performed at 8 p.m. Sept. 26-29 in the James G. Severns Theatre in Ophelia Parrish.
The craziness of family get togethers around the holidays and other antics will be showcased in this comedic play. It is 6 p.m. and the Douglas family is busily preparing to be invaded by their quirky relatives for their annual Christmas Eve dinner. After robbing a neighborhood liquor store, high-strung and irritable Tony and his dim-witted sidekick Vinny find themselves in need of a place to briefly hideout. Using a ruse to gain entrance into the Douglas home, they suddenly find themselves in charge of an ever-growing list of family members they are forced to hold hostage. From smart-aleck teenagers to nosy neighbors and bickering adults, the laughs – like the flow of people – are non-stop, and the audience will wonder who is holding who hostage.
Tickets can be purchased for $5 in advance at the box office in Ophelia Parrish or by calling 660.785.4515.
