Department of Drama | 2011-2012 Season

Parade
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Robert Chapel
Culbreth Theatre
October 6-8, 12-15, 2011 at 8pm

This Tony Award-winning musical is based on the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man convicted of murdering young factory worker Mary Phagan in 1913 Atlanta, Georgia. From Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and Jason Robert Brown, one of the today’s leading musical theatre composers, this is a gripping drama of the mob mentality that demands someone to blame in the name of justice, contrasting the deadly power of prejudice with a love story packed with lessons that transcend eras.

Troy is Burning
By Matthew Minnicino
Directed by Richard Warner
Helms Theatre
November 30-December 3, 2011 at 8pm
December 3-4, 2011 at 2pm

U.Va. fourth-year playwright Matthew Minnicino transforms ancient Troy into the place that launched a thousand quips in this sharply satiric and thoroughly entertaining retelling of one of mythology’s longest and bloodiest conflicts. From the deadliest damsel of them all, Helen of Troy, to the hapless heroes who battle endlessly in her name, Minnicino creates a world where gods and generals collude and collide along a journey that challenges us to see love and war in brand new ways.

Vinegar Tom
By Caryl Churchill
Directed by John Vreeke
Helms Theatre
February 16-18, 21-25, 2012 at 8pm

Celebrated British playwright Caryl Churchill uses the backdrop of the 17th Century witch trials to highlight the ongoing struggles for acceptance and equality faced by women, even in our world today.  Originally penned amid the women’s rights movement of the 1970’s Churchill’s story and themes force all of us to ask tough questions about our own roles in the discrimination we encounter all around us or even participate in. 

Elephant’s Graveyard
By George Brant
Directed by Richard Warner
Culbreth Theatre
March 21-24, 2012 at 8pm

 Elephant’s Graveyard is a compelling tale of what happens when cultures collide around a tragedy that becomes truly larger than life. Based on a the only real-life lynching of an elephant in all of history, the play provides a 360-degree look at what happened when a Tennessee town took justice into its own impulsive hands after a circus elephant killed one of its handlers. Told through the words and memories of exotic circus folk and everyday townspeople alike, the play is an eye-opening look at our cultural thirst for spectacle.  Part of the RecentWorks Series.  Partially funded by the Provost’s Arts Enrichment Program and the Clay Foundation.

Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Brantley M. Dunaway
Culbreth Theatre
April 19-21, 25-28, 2012 at 8pm
April 29, 2012 at 2pm

It’s still the greatest love story ever told, four hundred years later.  This tale of the forever first couple of stage, page and screen has as much to teach today as it did when it first flowed from the Bard’s pen. From the bold power of love to the terrible spoils of war, this ultimate tale of star-crossed romance continues to capture hearts and tug at their strings with a power only gets stronger through the generations.

Fall Dance Concert
Culbreth Theatre
October 27-29, 2011 at 8pm

Spring Dance Concert
Helms Theatre
March 29-31, 2012 at 8pm
Featuring faculty, student, and guest artist choreographers and dancers.