KU News Release

KU theatre alumni back on campus for four-day reunion

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Department of Theatre and Film and University Theatre expect more than 100 alumni to return to campus April 24-27 for the fifth edition of “Alums Come Home.”

“Honoring Our Past, Embracing Our Future” is the theme for the four-day reunion, which includes the production of “The Shape of Things” by KU theatre alumnus Neil LaBute, a recital by theatre/voice alumna Joyce Malicky Castle and a gala benefit auction and concert featuring singer and songwriter Kelley Hunt.

Also on the schedule are script-in-hand readings of plays and screenplays by current KU students, presentation of papers by theatre and film graduate students, workshops, panel discussions, demonstrations of theatrical crafts and social and networking opportunities for students and alumni.

Some of the highlights of the weekend are:

— Faculty recital by mezzo-soprano Castle and pianist Mark Ferrell, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, Crafton-Preyer Theatre; tickets on sale in the University Theatre ticket office, 864-3982.

— Presentation on “The Making of ‘No Country for Old Men’ ” by theatre design alumnus Gregory Hill, 1 p.m. Friday, April 25, Crafton-Preyer Theatre; free and open to the public.

— University Theatre production of LaBute’s “The Shape of Things,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27, Crafton-Preyer Theatre; tickets on sale in the University Theatre ticket office, 864-3982.

— Friends of the Theatre auction and benefit concert. Silent and live auctions begin at 6 p.m. (auction preview opens at 5:30 p.m.) in the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. Some of the

items for sale are a model TransWorld Airlines airplane signed by John Travolta, basketballs signed by Coach Bill Self and members of the 2008 National Championship basketball team, a football signed by Coach Mark Mangino and a Cartier pendant originally given to the cast and crew of the film “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The concert with Hunt and her band is at 8 p.m. in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Tickets for the auction and concert are available through the University Theatre ticket office, 864-3982.

— A memorial service for Robert Findlay, professor emeritus of theatre and film, who died Feb. 8. Four of Findlay’s former students will speak about the longtime professor.

— Script-in-hand readings of KU students’ work will be staged Thursday-Saturday with responses provided by playwrights and screenwriters Ric Averill, E. Arthur Kean, Laura Kirk and Ron Willis. Student works being presented as script-in-hand readings include:

“The Once and Future Faraday” by Benjamin Smith, Rose Hill graduate student, directed by Boone Hopkins, Gainesville, Ga., doctoral student. A comedic love story, the one-act play is about finding hope, family and heroes in the oddest places.

“My Brother's Keeper” by John Volk, Frisco, Texas, senior, directed by Brian Ervin, Overland Park senior. A mysteriously dramatic one act play, the story explores what happens when the past and dire present collide with startling consequences.

“Vacation Palace” by Thomas Middleton, Lawrence senior, directed by Jeff List, Caro, Mich., graduate student. A full-length an action/adventure screenplay, the story deals with two cousins who foil a bank robbery in a small Texas town only to discover they have exposed a money-laundering operation between the bank president and an organized crime lord. The cousins find themselves having to survive a web of spies, secret agents, corrupt government officials and military strongmen.

“Depends on the Weather” by Tess Banion, Lawrence graduate student, directed by Henry Bial, assistant professor of theatre and film. This full-length screenplay is a sparkling and humorous drama of lifelong friendships and love in the South during the ’50s and ’60s.

“Words” by Aron Gerson, Overland Park senior, directed by Joe Carey, Lenexa senior. A one-act play, “Words” is about a couple affected by the meanings of simple words and how it pushes their relationship to the limits.

A complete schedule for “Alums Come Home 5” as well as a list of returning alumni is available at the Department of Theatre and Film Web site.

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