The Illinois State University College of Fine Arts and the School of Theatre and Dance present the 2016–2017 season.
2016-2017 School of Theatre and Dance Season
“We are excited to present to the campus and community a diverse offering of plays and dance concerts,” School of Theatre and Dance Director Janet Wilson said. “In addition to some beloved favorites, this season we are producing plays by four international playwrights. We invite everyone to join us for this journey close to home and around the globe.”
Waiora
By Hone Kouka
Directed by Kim Pereira
September 30 at 7:30 p.m.
October 1 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
October 5–8 at 7:30 p.m.
Special performance on Sunday, October 9, at 3 p.m. for International Education Week
Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts
Waiora is a captivating play surrounding a Maori family who migrated from the North Island’s east cape to the South Island. The family forges new identities as they strive for success in their new home, but their origins and cultural background cannot be easily forgotten. This critically acclaimed play explores what it means to be home and to belong. Waiora was originally commissioned by the 1996 Wellington International Festival of the Arts and was performed to sold-out audiences.
Two Short Plays: The Coffee Bar and The Walls
By Ali Salem and Griselda Gambaro
Directed by Janet Wilson and Bruce Burningham
FREE special sneak preview on Wednesday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m. for International Education Week
October 21–22 and 25–29 at 7:30 p.m.
October 23 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Westhoff Theatre
These two one-act plays examine the eerily similar power dynamics between characters who are playing their prescribed roles within “the system.” The Coffee Bar is set in Cairo, Egypt, where an Author and a Producer meet to discuss a potential production of the Author’s play. The third character in this absurdist comedy is the Coffee Bar Attendant who menacingly serves more than just coffee. The Walls is set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where a Young Man is “invited” by a government Functionary to remain a guest in a well-appointed room whose walls mysteriously move ever closer. The third character in this darkly surreal play is the Usher who alternates between obsequiousness and hostility.
“In addition to some beloved favorites, this season we are producing plays by four international playwrights. We invite everyone to join us for this journey close to home and around the globe.”—Janet Wilson
Fall Dance Theatre
Artistic Director Sara Semonis
November 3–5 at 7:30 p.m.
November 5 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts
It’s A Wonderful Life, A Live Radio Play
Adapted by Joe Landry
Directed by Connie de Veer
December 2–3 and 6–9 at 7:30 p.m.
December 3–4 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts
This beloved American holiday classic comes to the stage as a captivating 1940s radio broadcast. The radio play, like the classic film, follows George Bailey as he realizes that life is not always ideal. As he considers ending his life on Christmas Eve, an angel appears and shows him how terrible his loved ones’ lives would be without him.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Paul Dennhardt
February 17 at 7:30 p.m.
February 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
February 19 at 2:00 p.m.
February 21–25 at 7:30 p.m.
Illinois State University Westhoff Theatre
Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead tells the classic Shakespearean tale of Hamlet from the viewpoint of his dim-witted friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, these two minor Shakespearean characters finally get a chance to take the lead role in a brave attempt to understand their world of reality and illusion, which eventually leads them to an inevitable fate.
1776
By Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards
Directed By Lori Adams
March 3-4 and 7–10 at 7:30 p.m.
March 5 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts
1776, a musical which won the 1969 Tony Award for Best Musical, follows John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Henry Lee, and Thomas Jefferson as they fight those who oppose independence from England. The musical will follow these men as they draft and sign the Declaration of Independence and free America from the tyranny of England.
The Heresy of Love
By Helen Edmundson
Directed By Robert Quinlan
March 31, April 1, and April 4–8 at 7:30 p.m.
April 2 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Westhoff Theatre
Inspired by the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Helen Edmundson creates a depiction of the church and state in turmoil while also focusing on women’s right in a censored society. Sister Juana, the main character, finds her freedom of expression threatened when her life is disrupted by the arrival of a new archbishop at her convent. Though this play takes place in 17th-century Mexico, the themes and topics are relevant to contemporary discussions.
Harvest
By Manjula Padmanabhan
April 14 at 7:30 p.m.
April 15 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
April 18–22 at 7:30 p.m.
Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts
This futuristic script won the 1997 Onassis Prize for the best new international play. The story focuses on organ-selling and critiques the exploitation of the Third World. Harvest introduces us to Om Prakash, a poor man who agrees to sell his organs through a harvesting company to someone in the first-world for a small fortune. The company and the organ recipient invade Om’s life, controlling him and his family because of their obsessive need to maintain his health. Through technology, the recipient is able to look in on Om and his family, making sure they are following orders.
2016 Spring Dance Theatre
Photo credit: Pete Guither
Spring Dance Theatre
Artistic Director Darby Wilde
April 27–28 at 7:30 p.m.
April 29 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
April 30 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University Westhoff Theatre
For tickets or additional information, contact the College of Fine Arts Box Office, located in the Center for the Performing Arts, open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (309) 438-2535, or purchase tickets online by visiting ticketmaster.com. Tickets for productions in the Center for the Performing Arts are $17 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Westhoff Theatre tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Performance parking is available for free in the School Street Parking Deck located at 400 West Beaufort Street in Normal.
