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GWU New Plays Festival Discontinued
THE LESSON to open next! Gardner-Webb University Theater presents another outrageously funny and very absurd comedy by Eugene ionesco, the master of French absurd comedy. This companion show to The Bald Soprano will play for four performances in the Millennium Playhouse 22, 23, 24, & 25 April at 7:30 pm each evening. The play stars Heather Bartlett as The Professor and Stacie Worrell as the Pupil. Ticket reservations are available at 704-406-4372. THE BALD SOPRANO a big hit! Gardner-Webb University Theater's production of The Bald Soprano was a big hit this week with audiences of all ages. Sam Dowell and Traci Beckett as Mr. & Mrs. Smith were delightful in their comic roles, as were Brianna Bleymaier and Ashley Burton as the Martins. Chad Mann and Mary Goforth brought down the house with their incidental comedy and funny business. .
World Premiere for GLORIA DEI Gardner-Webb University Theater presents the World Premiere of GLORIA DEI, a new drama by North Carolina playwright and GWU professor Scot Lahaie. The play runs 20-27 February with performances at 7:30 pm, except for the Sunday performance on the 24th, which will be presented as a matinee. The play is a courtroom drama and takes its inspiration from the atrocities surrounding the Terri Schiavo court case in Florida, which allowed a disabled woman to starve to death with the blessing of the courts in 2005. The play stars Brian McGill, junior theater major at GWU, as Father William Seamus and Caleb Houston Moore, senior theater major, as Jim Taylor, defense attorney. Ticket reservations are available at 704-406-4372.
Gardner-Webb University Theater is no longer sponsoring a New Plays Festival. We have not been able to keep up with the growth and expense of the program and feel it is best to let it go. We are considering a Festival of New Work utilizing the short plays of our own students and alum, but that decision has not yet been made. LEAR ReLoaded on stage! High praise for GWU Theater's production of Lear ReLoaded, a deconstruction of Shakepeare's King Lear, which was authored by Scot Lahaie, Director of Theater at GWU. "It was an exciting event for us," comments Lahaie, "since this is the first time that we have ventured so fully into the Postmodern production mode." Jacob Jackson, a junior theater major at GWU, played the role of Lear, while Matthew B. Fraiser and Caleb Moore, also junior theater majors, supported in the roles of the Fool and Edgar, son of Gloucester. 24 HOURS a Smashing Success! On 20 January, GWU Theater presented the winter installment of 24 HOURS on the stage of the Millennium Playhouse. The house was packed to capacity and everyone agrees that this was the best event ever! Seven exciting shows were presented with a total ensemble of more than 55 people. "We are always amazed at the quality of work this kind of an event can produce," comments Scot Lahaie, Director of Theater. GWU Theater Produced Beckett's Waiting for Godot It means what it says,” Samuel Beckett said of his absurdist play, “Waiting for Godot,” which was written in the early 1940s and published in 1952. Born 100 years ago in Ireland, Beckett’s works have lived on as inspiration for other absurdist playwrights such as Tom Stoppard and Edward Albee and for acting and directing troupes across the world. The Gardner-Webb University Theater program is proud to participate in the Beckett Centennial as they pay tribute to Beckett in their own October production of Waiting for Godot. The play is divided into two acts. During the entirety of the show, the lead characters, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting, at roadside, for the arrival of Godot. Although other travelers come and go, Godot never comes. At the end of the play, Vladimir asks Estragon, “Well, shall we go?” “Yes, let’s go,” Estragon replies. The two agree to leave, but stay just as they are. In keeping with the rest of the play, the ending is truly absurd and thought provoking, just the way that Beckett intended it to be. Scot Lahaie, director of Gardner-Webb’s Theatre program and director of “Waiting for Godot,” claims that this play is, most arguably, the most famous play of the twentieth century. “We have a great cast put together for this production.” An all-male cast, Lahaie and his troupe have rehearsed tirelessly since the casting of the show early in the semester. Along with the cast, the technical crew has worked equally as hard to prepare for the production. “The scenic element (designed by Christopher Keene) is inspired and contributes significantly to the development of the play’s theme,” Lahaie said. The themes Lahaie refers to are ones typical of a tragic-comedy. While “Waiting for Godot” is a more serious, theological play, it is meant, at times, to be funny. “We are striving to highlight the humor in this very metaphysical play, knowing that the philosophical qualities of the play will take care of themselves,” Lahaie commented on their task at hand. “Our job is to engage and entertain through dramatic action, not to philosophize,” he added. “That comes after the fact.”
The Cattleman's Suite: A Comedy in Two Acts Giving to Gardner-Webb Theater Would you consider becoming a financial supporter of Gardner-Webb University Theater? If so, we would be most grateful for any level of support you would be willing to provide. Giving is easy! Just fill out this form and mail it in! We will list your name on our website as one of our faithful patrons and supporters. Thank you for considering a financial gift to Gardner-Webb University Theater! Click here to view a list of our faithful patrons. Access past reviews from this website Interested in seeing what we've done last year? Click here for a list of archived articles and reviews. SEE MORE Copyright© 2004 Gardner-Webb University. Counter provided by udub. |
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