September 09, 2009
Theater department announces 2009-2010 lineup
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Department of Theater at Southern Illinois University Carbondale announces the lineup for the 2009-2010 season, including new plays, modern classics and musical theater.
Four plays make up the season subscription package, with two special productions rounding out the season.
The regular season begins with “Company,” a Stephen Sondheim musical. The play runs during SIUC Homecoming weekend, Oct. 8-11. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday, when the performance is a 2 p.m. matinee. Playgoers will meet Robert, a bachelor who re-examines his own lifestyle by comparing it to those of some of his married friends’ lives. The play won six Tony Awards in 1971, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award named it the Best Musical. A 1996 revival garnered two more Tony Award nominations. Jennifer Holcombe and Timothy Fink direct this joint production of the Department of Theater and the School of Music.
Next up is “Lysistrata: A Woman’s Translation,” playwright Drue Robinson’s take on the Aristophanes classic. Lysistrata leads a campaign of Greek women seeking to put an end to the Peloponnesian War. Their strategy is to deny marriage bed privileges to their husbands. Playgoers are advised that this production deals with adult and bawdy humor. The play runs Dec. 3-6, with performances at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday, when the performance is a 2 p.m. matinee.
Opera comes to the McLeod with “The Marriage of Figaro,” music by Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. This famous comic opera follows the adventures of Figaro, valet to the Count Almaviva, and his planned marriage to the maid Susanna. “The Marriage of Figaro” is standard opera fare, and not without reason. Many playgoers will find that they recognize segments of the music, as parts of it have made their way into popular culture. This production features the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. It runs Feb. 11-14, with performances at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday, when the performance is a 2 p.m. matinee.
The regular season concludes with “Intimate Apparel,” a play by Lynn Nottage. This award-winning play debuted in 2003, with an off-Broadway debut in 2004. In 2005, the play ran at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. The setting is New York City in 1905 and features a black American seamstress whose work brings her in contact with “high society” and with prostitutes, and her own life becomes intertwined with both. The play runs April 29-May 1, with performances at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday, when the performance is a 2 p.m. matinee.
In addition to the regular season, the theater department presents two special productions of brand new plays. “Working Week,” by graduate student Steve Ackerman, follows an ordinary person’s superhero-aided fight against an ordinary life. The play runs Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the Christian H. Moe Theater in the Communications Building on campus. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $6 for students and children.
Journey 2010, held at the Christian H. Moe Theater, features a series of new plays, which will be announced closer to the performance dates of March 25-28. As with other productions, performances are at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday, when the performance is a 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets are $6 a seat per playbill.
Tickets for the regular season plays are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $6 for children and students. Tickets are available at the McLeod Theater Box Office. Call 618/453-3001 to order in advance or purchase tickets at the door before the performance. The office is open weekdays from noon to 5:30 p.m. Season tickets include “Company,” “Lysistrata: A Woman’s Translation,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” and “Intimate Apparel”. Season tickets are $48 for adults, $24 for children and students.