In this edition of our e-newsletter, we want to draw special attention to the Alumni News section. We love hearing about the work our alums are doing, and this month we've got two football related items to share with you: an MFA designer working on the Superbowl half-time show and the world premiere of the play X's and O's (A Football Love Story).
If you're an alum, tell us what you're up to! Fill in the Alumni Update form on our website or reply to this email. We look forward to sharing your news in an upcoming e-newsletter!
Cabaret
by Joe Masteroff
music/lyrics by Kander & Ebb
directed by Elizabeth Schiffler
Febr 26–Mar 8 at 7:30pm
Cabaret Theatre
Based on John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, which was adapted from the short novel Goodbye to Berlin (1939) by Christopher Isherwood, this adapted version of Cabaret is set in 2079 Berlintown as a neo-Nazi party rises out of World War III. The story takes place at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, a final stop for entertainment, sin, and pleasure after the apocalypse. Revolving around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw, the story speculates how history could repeat itself if we aren't careful enough to pay attention.
The Hostage
by Brendan Behan
directed by Tina Polzin
Mar 4–15 at 7:30pm
Jones Playhouse
Directed by third-year MFA directing candidate Tina Polzin, Brendan Behan’s The Hostage masks topical politics and serious discourse with slapstick, satire, and musical numbers. It’s 1959 and Leslie Williams, a British soldier, is being held as a hostage in a Dublin whorehouse in exchange for an IRA man who is to be hanged in Belfast. This delightful, joyous, heart-wrenching play reminds us to look at the people before us—and to choose humanity over religion and politics.
A post-show talk will be held on Thursday, March 12. Ewa Trębacz, PhD and research scientist at the Center for Digital and Experimental Media, has been commissioned to create a composition in response to The Hostage. Join us for this special talk-back, which will include a presentation of Ewa's composition and a discussion with Ewa and director Tina Polzin...
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Elizabeth Wu, a senior double majoring in drama and English, has written about her experience directing David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face for the Undergraduate Theater Society. In her second post on the UW Drama blog, she reflects on why she chose Yellow Face and why it is important to perform now.
"I never chose this story for its political statement. When I first read David Henry Hwang’s play, what truly caught my attention was the close bond between the story’s central protagonist and his father. Even more so, I was drawn in by their hopes for themselves and hopes for each other; it was their personalities, their jokes, their idiosyncrasies, and their belief in America that resonated with me.
"This production, as well as recent events, has taught me that the American Dream is not bias-free, or static. Rather, it is a political statement, one that history has subjected to every sort of racial profiling, bi-partisan hatred, terrorism, and ignorance. It was produced in the ever-adapting (and often unfair) political environment that the characters of Yellow Face navigate."
Read the full post on our blog.
Evan Alexander (MFA Scenic Design '96) worked on the design elements in Katy Perry's halftime show during the Super Bowl. See more pics on his blog.
Jenny Mercein (PATP 2003) and former faculty member KJ Sanchez co-wrote X's and O's (A Football Love Story), currently having its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theater. The play is based on the more than 50 interviews with former football players, their families, and their fans conducted by Jenny and KJ. Jenny is also in the six-member cast. Read the NYT article here.
Carl Kennedy (PATP '10) stars in The Whipping Man at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, BC. The Whipping Man opens February 27 and runs through March 21.
At Book-It, Dog of the South runs through March 8, with scenic design by Christopher Mumaw (MFA '12) and lighting design by Marnie Cumings (MFA '12), and featuring Jim Gall...
Read moreUpcoming Performances and Events
UTS Presents: Cabaret
February 26–March 8
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The Hostage
March 4–March 15
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The Hostage Post-Show Discussion
Thursday, March 12
Presentation of composition by Ewa Trębacz and discussion between Ewa and director Tina Polzin
Soyini Madison: Beauty, Praxis, and Performance Ethnography
Lecture presented by the Performance Studies Research Group
Friday, March 6 at 4:00pm
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Theatre Dangerously
Presented by the Undergraduate Theater Society
Saturday, March 7 at 11:30pm
Cabaret Theatre, Hutchinson Hall
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Bus Stop
April 22–May 3
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Dr. Rebecca Schneider, lecture
Lectured presented by the Performance Studies Research Group
Friday, April 24 at 4:00pm
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UTS Presents: On the Verge
May 28–June 7
Banner Photo Credit: Rebekah Patti and Rudy Roushdi in The Hostage. Photo by Mike Hipple.