KU News Release

University Theatre announces 2007-08 season lineup

LAWRENCE — The University Theatre at the University of Kansas has announced its 2007-08 season lineup.

The upcoming season is University Theatre’s 84th and marks the 50th anniversary of Murphy Hall, home of the Department of Theatre and Film, University Theatre, School of Fine Arts and Department of Music and Dance. The “music and dramatic arts building” was dedicated in November 1957 and named for former KU Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy.

To celebrate the anniversary, a number of special theater events are planned, including a rededication ceremony Saturday, Nov. 10, and a gala production of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” in mid-November. In the spring, theatre and film alumni from around the world will return to KU for the fifth version of “Alums Come Home.” Workshops, play readings, panel discussions, performances and parties will allow current students to network with alumni for three days. As part of the reunion, Friends of the Theatre is planning a gala fundraiser featuring blues artist Kelley Hunt.

“We have a very exciting season planned to pay tribute to the students who have graced our stages during the first 50 years in Murphy Hall,” said Mark Reaney, professor of theatre and film and artistic director of University Theatre. “As we look forward to another 50 years, we wanted to present a season with a wide variety of classic and contemporary plays — the proverbial ‘something for everyone.’ ”

The 2007-08 University Theatre season:

— “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll opens Sept. 22. This Theatre for Young People production keeps the Victorian charm and merriment of Carroll’s original tale, “Alice in Wonderland.”

— “Translations” by Brian Friel opens Oct. 5. This play about language will be directed by KU alumnus Doug Weaver and will star alumnus Kip Niven.

— The Mangiare Theatre Company will bring “A Play on Two Chairs” to KU on Oct. 26. The company was founded in Ireland in 2005 by Lawrence native and KU alumnus Jaimie Carswell. Mangiare’s three-day visit to KU, co-sponsored by Student Union Activities, includes master classes and workshops.

—Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” opens Nov. 9. Set in River City, Iowa, the story focuses on a wily con man whose scam is to convince parents he can teach their musically disinclined children to play instruments.

— Susanne Kepley, a KU graduate student from Elgin, Ill., will direct “The Death of Romance,” written by Adam R. Burnett, a senior from Topeka. The play explores the life of a flamboyant romance novelist and opens Nov. 29. This production is a participating entry in the 2008 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

— “Fool For Love” by Sam Shepard, directed by Bill Harper, Baxter Springs graduate student, will premiere at KU on Dec. 4. Primarily a struggle between two on-again/off-again lovers, the drama is part of Shepard’s exploration of the mythic American West.

— “Rumpelstiltskin,” a play created and directed by guest artist Moses Goldberg, opens Feb. 9. Goldberg will visit KU for six weeks to restage an inspired and wonderfully entertaining adaptation of the beloved fairy tale.

— “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare, directed by Jocelyn L. Buckner, Sumter, S.C., doctoral student, opens Feb. 29. Printed in the “First Folio” in 1623, the play is considered to be the last of Shakespeare’s festive comedies.

— The annual Undergraduate One-Act Projects include a twin bill of “The Bald Soprano” by Eugene Ionesco and “Linguish” by Edward Einhorn. Shows start April 3. “The Bald Soprano,” directed by Dale Buchheister, a senior from Manhattan, is an example of absurdist theatre. “Linguish,” directed by Kate Giessel, a senior from Larned, explores aphasia, the neurological disorder that takes away a person’s ability to use language.

— “Alums Come Home 5” will be held April 24-27. Planned around the theme “Honoring Our Past, Embracing Our Future,” the fifth edition of this popular alumni reunion includes academic workshops and mentoring for current students, script-in-hand readings of new works, professional networking and roundtable discussions regarding the future of the theatre and film industries.

— “The Shape of Things” by Neil LaBute, a 1989 KU theatre alumnus, will open April 25. LaBute’s drama questions what art is, psychopathy and intimacy, explorations of love and people’s willingness to do things for love.

— A Friends of the Theatre fundraiser featuring blues singer Kelley Hunt will be held April 26. The event, which includes auctions of memorabilia from KU alumni and celebrity friends, will benefit the FROTH Student Ticket Endowment Fund. The fund will support operations of the University Theatre and be used to provide free tickets to University Theatre productions for students at KU and Haskell Indian Nations University.

Tickets for all productions are available through the University Theatre ticket office in Murphy Hall, by calling (785) 864-3982 or online. The ticket office is open from noon to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before curtain time for all performances. All major credit cards are accepted for phone orders.

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