2006-2007 Season

Mainstage Productions  —  Workshop/Lab Productions

2005-2006 Season

Mainstage Productions  —  Workshop/Lab Productions

2004-2005 Season

Mainstage Productions  —  Workshop/Lab Productions

2003-2004 Season

Mainstage Productions  —  Workshop/Lab Productions

Most Mainstage shows have a link to production photos at the end of the description.

 

2006-2007 Mainstage Season

In keeping with the department's commitment to new works, this year's season includes four plays written in recent decades. These scripts by three award-winning American playwrights and a Chinese Nobel Prize winner offer a range of styles from sophisticated comedy to musical horror show to poetic movement to intense drama. Yet, each depicts the complex human search for an individual's place in society and the culture in which one lives.

BOSTON MARRIAGE
by David Mamet
September 21-24 and 26-29, 2006, Squires Studio Theatre
One of America’s most provocative dramatists, David Mamet (Glengarry, Glen Ross) conquers new territory with this droll comedy of errors set in a Victorian drawing room. Anna and Claire are two bantering, scheming “women of fashion” who have long lived together on the fringes of upper-class society. As the two women exchange barbs, Claire’s young inamorata suddenly appears and sets off a crisis that puts the women’s fortunes at risk. A hilarious, sophisticated comedy with some adult language and mature themes. View production photos.

BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe
November 2-5, 7-12 and 14-16, 2006, Squires Studio Theatre
Ripped from the headlines of Weekly World News, Bat Boy: The Musical tells the remarkable story of a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia. This quirky musical-horror-comedy follows Bat Boy’s struggle to act like a "normal" boy and fit in with small town society until the shocking story of Bat Boy's unholy origin is revealed. Mature audiences suggested due to violence, sexual situations, and some naughty language.

THE OTHER SHORE
by Gao Xingjian
February 22-25 and February 27-March 1, 2007, Squires Studio Theatre
Author Gao Xingjian, the first Chinese Nobel Prize winner, tells the story of a metaphoric Man who makes a spiritual journey through a tangled web of light and shadow, restraint and freedom, in his search through his past for future with meaning. Banned in its native China, The Other Shore explores the theme of individuality and conformity through the synthesis of poetic language and movement.

JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE
by August Wilson
April 11-15, 2007, Haymarket Theatre
It's 1911 in Pittsburgh and, after several years of unjust imprisonment, a man breaks free and begins searching for the wife he left behind. His journey brings him to a boarding house where two generations of African Americans - only fifty years after the abolition of slavery - are attempting to construct both free lives and a sense of identity. Winner of the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play and one of Wilson’s ten “decade plays.

GRACELAND & ASLEEP ON THE WIND
by Ellen Byron
June 13-16 and June 20-23 at 7:30 pm, Squires Studio Theatre
Two short sentimental comedies, directed by Greg Justice, as part of the Summer Arts Festival

ARIA DA CAPO
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
July 6-7 & 13-14 at 7:30 pm; July 7-8 & 14-15 at 2:00 pm, Squires Studio Theatre
A child-like pastoral fable, directed by David Johnson; part of the Summer Arts Festival

2006-2007 Workshop Productions
Student and faculty directed lab productions. Unless otherwise noted, performances are in the black box theatre (Room 204) in the Performing Arts Building.

Ice Cream
by Caryl Churchill
October 18-20 at 8:00pm, PAB 204
Directed by Megan Carney
Ice Cream is the story of Lance and Vera, a stagnant American couple, who travel to England in search of Lance's long lost family. In Britain, they find Lance's corrupt, punk cousins Phil and Jaq who take them on a rollercoaster of unethical episodes, including multiple murders, in and out of the states. Throughout a series of peculiar events, the four try to acquire meaning from each other and the many vivid characters they stumble across. The play uses a collection of snapshot vignettes and quick dialogue to create another intellectually commendable work by Churchill.

Horse Country
by C.J. Hopkins
November 6-8 at 8:00pm, PAB 204
Directed by Andy Dolan
Two men trapped in an empty bar put the world to rights over a bottle of Jack Daniel's and a game of poker. While looking for the lost nine of diamonds from their deck of cards, they take us on a tour of the human condition as filtered through the values of post-everything America.

[classified]
untold stories of Virginia Tech
Preview Performances:
February 28 and March 1 in PAB 204 at 8:00pm
Performances:
March 19, 21, and 29, Torgerson Museum, 7:30pm
March 30, Torgersen Museum, 4:00pm (Women's Studies Day)
April 5, Glade Church, 7:00pm
Conceived and Directed by Megan Carney
This theatre project is an artistic and activist response to true stories from students about issues of safety and harassment. It is designed to engage members of our community in storytelling, public dialogue, and a series of performance events in order to raise awareness, build relationships, and generate movement toward a community in which all people feel safe and respected. For more information, please contact sotanews@vt.edu.

Spoke
by Rob Laudenslager
March 22-24, PAB 204, 8:00pm
March 24, PAB 204, 2:00pm
Directed by Joe Schumacher
Spoke is a new play by Theatre Arts major Rob Laudenslager, and will be his second premiere at Virginia Tech. The show is a dark comedy that explores the intricacies of family relationships in their most shining and darkest moments. The play is a contemporary piece featuring a seven person ensemble.

365 Days/365 Plays
by Suzan-Lori Parks
April 19, noon, Squires Student Center
On November 13, 2002 Suzan-Lori Parks got an idea to write a play a day for a year.   She began that very day, finishing one year later.   The resulting play cycle, called 365 Days/365Plays, is a daily meditation on an artistic life.   Some plays are very short, less than a page.   Others last forever. The 365 National Festival launched this play cycle in November 2006 as a year-long grassroots world premiere in communities around the US and beyond. The department's advanced directing students present one week of these plays as part of the national University network hub. Be a part of history. Join us for this special event. [rehearsed, but not performed, due to campus tragedy on 4/16]

MACHINAL
by Sophie Treadwell
April 19-21, 8:00pm, PAB 204
Directed by Andy Dolan
Sophie Treadwell was a campaigning journalist in America between the wars. Among her assignments was the sensational murder involving Ruth Snyder, who with her lover, Judd Gray, had murdered her husband and gone to the electric chair. Out of this came MACHINAL, a powerful expressionist drama. [rehearsed, but not performed, due to campus tragedy on 4/16]

2005-2006 Mainstage Productions

Classics from Shakespeare to Beckett, plus contemporary works and a full festival of new plays—there's much to challenge and enrich both audiences and participants. We invite you to join us in experiencing the art of theatre. Plan ahead to enjoy all the shows in this rich and engaging theatre season!

WAITING FOR GODOT
by Samuel Beckett
Sept. 29-Oct. 8
Squires Studio Theatre
Two destitutes from the fringes of vaudeville wait patiently, and not so patiently, in a world seemingly without rational order--a state not unlike that for us today. Beckett's most famous work changed the conventions of theatre forever and has given rise to as many interpretations as there are viewers. Directed by Gregory Justice.
View production photos.

REFERENCES TO SALVADOR DALI MAKE ME HOT
by José Rivera
Nov. 9-12
Squires Haymarket Theatre
In a surrealistic Mojave desert, a young woman struggles against her loneliness, her newfound consciousness, and the relationship with her soldier husband recently returned from war duty. A contemporary drama for modern times directed by Melody Zobel. View production photos.

A NEW PLAY FESTIVAL
Feb. 22--Mar. 3
Squires Studio Theatre and Performing Arts Building Black Box Theatre
Six new plays, 20 performances, on two stages, over two weeks adds up to an exciting opportunity to discover new scripts. Produced by Theatre Arts professor David Johnson, the Festival includes our main stage subscription production of Tallgrass Gothic by Melanie Marnich and two guest productions - The Gospel According to Matthew, a one-man show from New York, and Callie's Tally by New Orleans-based Southern Rep theatre company - in Squires Studio Theatre. Staged Readings and a Workshop Production in the Black Box Theatre round out the Festival and include The Pact and Eurydice by VT English professors Ed Falco and Tom Gardner plus War of Doves by local young playwright Seneca Haynes. View production photos.

ROMEO AND JULIET
by William Shakespeare
Apr. 19-30
Squires Studio Theatre
Love. Sex. Murder. Revenge. Suicide. A new production of young lovers trapped in the turmoil of generational and family discord closes the season. Discover anew how Shakespeare speaks to all of us--the young, the parents, the friends and family members--in a world often fraught with conflict. Bob Leonard directs. View production photos.

2005-2006 Workshop/Lab Productions

Student and faculty directed lab productions. Unless otherwise noted, performances are in the black box theatre (Room 204) in the Performing Arts Building.

October 17-18-19
Soh-cah-toa by Rob Laudenslager
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 p.m.

November 2-3-4
Sleepwalkers by Jorge Ignacio Cortinas
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 p.m.
A young man struggles between his father’s Communist revolutionary values and the promise of a better life to the north in this contemporary play set in Havana, Cuba. Directed by Megan Carney, M.F.A. candidate in Directing & Public Dialogue. Read more...

Nov. 9-10-11
Life on the Pharm developed by Ann Killkelly and Brandiff Caron
Pamplin 30 - 8 p.m.
As part of this year's VT Choices and Challenges Project, professor Ann Killkelly and Brandiff Caron have written and conceptualized a performance piece featuring a unique blend of interactive theatre and story-telling to explore the complexity of issues surrounding antidepressants. The main characters of Life on the Pharm include Kierkegaard, psychiatrist Dr. Smith, and - most importantly - everyone present in the room. This is the second year Theatre Arts has been involved in productions for the annual forum. For more information, see the Choices and Challenges web site.

November 15-16-17
28: A Traveling Menstrual Show conceived and written by Ashley Sparks & Ensemble
Multiple performance sites, beginning at 8 p.m.
A new play by Ashley Sparks, MFA Candidate in Directing & Public Dialogue.  The script was developed in partnership with the cast and many members of this community through story circles, book clubs, physical acting workshops, and individual interviews.  Examining the process of women’s menstruation and their relationship to that process across the course of a lifetime, this is a powerful, new, avant garde piece of theatre.  Performances begin in the Performing Arts Building on Tech campus, but the audience will be asked to walk to other locations as the show progresses.  While admission is free, donations to benefit the Womanspace Clothesline Project and Planned Parenthood will be accepted. (Suggested donation amount of $5.) There will be post-show discussion opportunities on each of the performance nights. Read the Roanoke Times feature story.

November 30 - December 1-2-3-4
Wit by Margaret Edson
Squires Studio Theatre - 8 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 3; 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Dec. 4

March 16-17-18
Prozac Blues by Ann Kilkelly and Brandiff Caron
Torgersen Museum - 8 p.m.
Ann Kilkelly and the ensemble reprise "Life on the Pharm" in a new version with a new title as part of Women's Month activities.

March 23-24-25
Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man's Blues
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 p.m.
Directed by Ashley Sparks, M.F.A. candidate in Directing & Public Dialogue

2004-2005 Mainstage Productions

Irreverent Comedy - Provocative New Works - Classic American Theatre. The Department of Theatre Arts' 2004-05 season includes all this and more. We hope you will plan ahead to enjoy all the shows in this rich and engaging theatre season!

Anton in Show Business

by Jane Martin
October 6-9 at 8 PM; October 9-10 at 2 PM; October 12-16, 8 PM; October 17, 2 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
A savvy, savage backstage comedy played out through the adventures of a Hollywood soap star, a jaded New Yorker, and an enthusiastic ingénue who come together in Texas to star in a production of Chekhov's Three Sisters. A hilarious skewering of American theatre! Directed by Susanna Rinehart. View production photos.

God Favors the Predator

an original new work created by Ping Chong, Michael Rohd and the ensemble
December 2-4 & 6 at 8 PM; December 5 at 2 PM
Squires Haymarket Theatre
World renowned theatre artist Ping Chong again visits Blacksburg to create an original work, collaborating with Theatre Arts faculty and students. Co-written and co-directed by Chong and VT alumnus Michael Rohd, God Favors The Predator is a meditation on power—its manifestations, its implications, and its currency in today's world. Simple, elegant, and at times quietly brutal, the piece uses storytelling and a sparse physical stage set to examine the distance between us—as individuals, as communities, as nations. View production photos.

A Streetcar Named Desire

by Tennessee Williams
February 25-26 at 8 PM; February 27 at 2 PM; February 28-March 1, 8 PM
Squires Haymarket Theatre
A steamy tenement apartment in post WWII New Orleans is the setting for this Pulitzer Prize-winning modern classic about the clash between the present and the past, reality and imagination, and life and death--a brilliant blending of realism with the poetic. Tony Distler, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus, directs this classic.  View production photos.

Far Away

by Caryl Churchill
April 14-16 at 8 PM; April 17 at 2 PM; April 21-23, 8 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
A tale of a time when the whole world is at war--including birds and animals, fish, and men--told through the experience of a young girl who has witnessed disturbing events and her aunt who tries to avoid telling the truth. Churchill's new play will leave you with haunting imagery and a masterfully crafted story that may become a 21st -century myth. Directed by Robert Leonard.   View production photos.

Summer Arts Festival 2005 -
Kimberly Akimbo

by David Lindsey-Abaire
June 16-18 and 23-25
Squires Studio Theatre
A warmhearted comedy, with some adult language.Directed by Susanna Rinehart.

Selkie

by Laurie Brooks-Gollobin
July 7-9 and 14-16
Squires Studio Theatre
A mystical fantasy for the entire family. Directed by Greg Justice.

2004-2005 Workshop/Lab Productions

Student and faculty directed lab productions. Unless otherwise noted, performances are in the black box theatre (Room 204) in the Performing Arts Building.

A Number

by Caryl Churchill
October 27-28-29
Squires Studio Theatre - 5PM and 8PM
A play to inspire conversation on the subject of human cloning, this production is the centerpiece of the fall Choices and Challenges Symposium. Patty Raun directs; David Johnson and Adam Breske perform. View production photos.

Goovolution Project, Phase 2

Vanessa Ragland and Amanda Shumate
November 1 & 3
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 PM

The Antigone Project

November 11-12-13
204 Performing Arts Building - 8PM

The Santaland Diaries

by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello
November 30 amd December 1
Squires Studio Theatre - 8 PM

Shakespeare at the Chateau

Scenes from Shakespeare performed at the Chateau Morisette
March 17-18

The Woolgatherer

by William Mastrosimone
March 30-31, April 1
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 PM

Cowboys #2

by Sam Shepard
April 25-27
204 Performing Arts Building - 8 PM

2003-2004 Mainstage Productions

The beauty and imagery of language play a central role in the Department of Theatre Arts selections for this year's season - from the immortal words of the Bard to more contemporary poetry and word play. We hope you will plan ahead to enjoy all the shows in this rich and engaging theatre season!

The Swan

by Elizabeth Egloff
October 2-4 at 8 PM; October 4-5 at 2 PM; October 7-11, 8 PM; October 12, 2 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
A magical comedy that blends fantasy, realism and poetry in its take on modern love relationships. Be careful what you wish for - it might come crashing into your life and take wing!  View production photos.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

by William Shakespeare
November 13-15 at 8 PM; November 15-16 at 2 PM; November 18-21, 8 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
One of the most compelling characters ever to rise from the pages of English literature comes to our stage in a contemporary rendition of this well-known tale of murder, revenge, and madness.

ear, and I, and silence

created by Patty Raun, Tom Gardner, Ed Falco, and members of the ensemble
February 19-21 at 8 PM; February 22 at 2 PM; February 24-28, 8 PM; February 29, 2 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
Experience a kaleidoscope of visual, aural and physical sensation in this theatrical adventure in poetry that explores the works of five American poets. View production photos.


[sic]

by Melissa James Gibson
April 15-17 at 8 PM; April 17-18 at 2 PM; April 20-24, 8 PM; April 24-25, 2 PM
Squires Studio Theatre
An inventive new play about three thirty-somethings still questing for heaven on earth from their studio apartment purgatory. This smart, bittersweet comedy is filled with mind play, fast-paced word games and many hilarious moments. View production photos.


2003-2004 Workshop/Lab Productions

December 4-6 at 8 PM
Choreographic Convergence - Dance Performance Presentations

February 9-11at 8 PM -
Offending the Audience by Peter Handke