WSU THEATRE NEWS RELEASE
Revised June 25, 1998
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kristin Kopp, Promotions Manager, (937) 775-2562
Wright State Theatre Announces1998-99 Season
Wright State University Theatre's 1998-99 line-up is a 21-gun salute to its Star Spangled Season -- with a heart! From the season opener, A Piece of My Heart, to its magical musical closer, Brigadoon, which will be choreographed by guest artist Gemze de Lappe, Wright State promises to send audiences home with "a song in their hearts."
1998-99 Season Directors
Left to right: Mary Donahue, Joseph Bates,
Joe Deer, W. Stuart McDowell (chair),
Suzanne Walker and Sandra Crews
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"After record-breaking attendance at our sold-out performances of The Heiress and Chicago, we decided to announce our 1998-99 line-up earlier than we have ever done before," said W. Stuart McDowell, chair and artistic director of WSU Theatre Arts. "Our entire run of Chicago was sold out before we opened. With the area premieres of A Few Good Men and A Piece of My Heart, we anticipate similar turnouts next year."
According to McDowell, 1997 was a banner year. With the success of 1913: The Great Dayton Flood, which played to 4,000 people at the Victoria Theatre as well as sold-out performances in Columbus and at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., WSU Theatre has experienced one of its most successful seasons with an overall box office increase of over
25 percent.
The season opens Oct.15-25, 1998, with A Piece of My Heart. This drama, based upon letters written by women who served in the Vietnam War, follows six young women before, during and after their tours in the war-torn jungles of the conflict that wrenched the hearts of all Americans. Written by Shirley Lauro, A Piece of My Heart is being produced on WSU's mainstage after its sell-out studio production directed by Mary Donahoe last year in the Herbst Theatre. Donahoe will
again direct this poignant salute to America's women heroes.
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Next is the razzle dazzle Gershwin musical extravaganza Crazy For You from Nov. 12-29, 1998. Directed by Joseph Bates and choreographed by Suzanne Walker who gave us the raw glitz of last year's sell-out
Chicago, this toe-tapping comedy features musical classics like "I Got
Rhythm," "Someone To Watch Over Me," and "Embraceable You." Winner of the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical, this heartwarming hit is a tribute
to the movie musicals of the 1930's, full of twists, turns, mistaken
identities and just plain fun!
At the center of the season is the heart-stopping courtroom drama A Few Good Men, from Jan. 21-31, 1999. The Broadway hit, that was turned into an Academy Award-nominated movie starring Demi Moore and Tom Cruise,
centers around the trial of two Marines charged with murdering a member of their platoon during an unsanctioned disciplinary action. This sizzler, written by Aaron Sorkin, will be directed by WSU faculty member Sandra Crews who staged WSU's hit production, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for best play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller portrays the hysteria surrounding the Puritan purge of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Focusing upon a farmer, his wife, and
a young servant girl who accuses the wife of witchcraft, this play, which runs Feb. 18-28, 1999, is a thrilling depiction of the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit. With overtones of the McCarthy Communist "witch hunts in the 1950's," The Crucible is a timely parable of contemporary society. Made into a hit movie last year starring Daniel
Day Lewis and Winona Ryder, the play will be directed by W. Stuart McDowell, co-author and director of the American College Theatre Festival award-winning 1913: The Great Dayton Flood.
Winner of nine Tony Awards, Wright State's final production of
Brigadoon from May 13-30, 1999, features the original choreography of Agnes De Mille, considered one of the greatest American musical theatre choreographers. Recreated by guest choreographer, Gemze de Lappe, a
protege of De Mille's, Brigadoon follows two New Yorkers who lose their
way in the foggy Scottish Highlands. Featuring songs from the heart
like "Almost Like Being in Love," "Come to Me, Bend to Me," and "The
Heather On the Hill," this promises to be a production as enchanting as
its mythical setting. This classic will be directed by Joe Deer who
launched WSU's Musical Theatre program last year with another hit,
Chicago.
"This season represents the width and breadth of the human
experience," said McDowell. "From the lovely lyrics of Gershwin to the
melodic masterpiece by Lerner and Loewe, and from the passionate tales
of servicemen in peacetime, women in wartime, and the Puritan witch
trials, next year's season promises to be the heart of great
entertainment."
The Theatre Box Office is closed for the summer, but season tickets may be purchased through the office of the Department of Theatre Arts. Call 775-3072.
Wright State University
Department of Theatre Arts
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton, OH 45435-0001
(937) 775-3072
FAX (937) 775-3787
