Department of Drama | 2012-2013 Season

Rhinoceros
By Eugene Ionesco
Translated by Derek Prouse
Directed by Marianne Kubik
Helms Theatre
October 4-6 and 10-13, 2012 at 8pm

One of the most iconic works in the absurdist theater movement, Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros puts mindless conformity firmly in its crosshairs in response to seemingly unchecked rise of Nazism and Fascism. When residents of a small village begin transforming into rhinoceroses, only one man is able to resist the urge and retain his own individuality and integrity against the pull of mass culture. This funny, bizarre, and biting satire is a cautionary tale for all eras.

Fall Dance Concert
Helms Theatre
November 15-17, 2012 at 8pm

Spring Awakening
Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Directed by Bob Chapel
Culbreth Theatre
November 29-30, December 1, 5-8, 2012 at 8pm

Taking Broadway by storm in 2007, this pop/rock/folk adaptation of this 1892 play by Frank Wedekind follows the lives, loves and longings of a group of German teens exploring and embracing their emerging sexuality under the disapproving eyes of their repressive parents and society at large. Capturing eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, the show features an infectious score by Grammy-winning artist and composer Duncan Sheik.

God's Ear
By Jenny Schwartz
Directed by Sandy Shinner
Helms Theatre
February 21-23, 26-28 and March 1-2, 2012 at 8pm

Playwright Jenny Schwartz launches buckshot barrages of lyrical wordplay in this touching look at life, love and loss. When a tragedy leaves a couple unable to escape their grief, the power of language to enlighten and obscure takes center stage. Stuck in a world where real has lost all meaning, the characters create new ones where the Tooth Fairy is real, GI Joe is a family therapist and love is more a question than an answer.

Spring Dance Concert
Helms Theatre
April 11-13, 2012 at 8pm and April 13 at 2pm

Guest choreographer: Christopher K. Morgan

You Can't Take it With You
By George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by J.P. Schiedler
The Ruth Caplin Theatre
April 18-20, 24-27 at 8pm

Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s classic 1936 screwball comedy proves that when it comes to crazy families, everything is relative! When the time comes for a young woman to introduce her exceedingly eccentric brood to her buttoned-up future in-laws, the resulting catastrophe brings cascades of laughter along with important questions about individualism, conformity and the real meaning of “normal.”