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U.Va
Drama Department Playfully Ponders “The Way of the World” November 5, 2003 -- In its second production of the 2003-2004 season, the U.Va Drama Department delights audiences with William Congreve’s Restoration classic The Way of the World. This comedic masterpiece brings back guest director Sabin Epstein, (The Miser), for a hilarious examination of love, marriage, and betrayal. Audiences are invited to enjoy the show’s battling of wits November 13-15 and 19-22 at 8 p.m. in the Culbreth Theatre. Written in 1700, The Way of the World concluded Congreve’s renowned career as a playwright. Although it is remembered as his most intellectually sophisticated comedy, the play originally sparked controversy for violating sexual taboos. The story centers on two lovers—Mirabell (Chris Cannon) and Millamant (Molly Beilhart)—whose attitudes directly counter traditional views of marriage. Although they espouse one another’s equality, the pair must contend with hierarchal social practices. When their romance threatens Millamant’s inheritance rights, the lovers hatch a clever plot to disguise characters’ long-established, public masks… and, consequently, throw their rigid social order into chaos. A talented cast of actors—including Heather Mayes, Ebenezer Quaye, Katie Liddicoat, and Beth Gervain— will portray this comedy of intricate language and social commentary. When The Way of the World first arrived on the London stage, many middle and upper-class patrons scorned its presentation of aristocratic marriage. Although Congreve was only thirty at the time, the response helped dissuade him from composing other theatrical works. Until this experience, Congreve produced a steady succession of plays within a brief time frame. He experienced tremendous success with his popular, first play, The Old Bachelor, (1693), which was followed that same year by The Double-Dealer. Additionally, Congreve wrote Love for Love (1697), and his only tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697). However, it is The Way of the World for which he is most venerated today. Sabin
Epstein, a guest artist currently serving on the acting
faculty for the University of Southern California, directs
this challenging
play. Specializing
in period styles, Epstein’s credits include the U.Va Drama Department’s
2001 production of The Miser, and A Noise Within at California’s Classical
Theatre. He previously headed the conservatory training program at the American
Conservatory Theatre, is an associate artist at the Georgia Shakespeare Festival,
and has served as a guest director for numerous theatre companies, such as
the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare in Santa Fe, the Utah and Oregon
Shakespeare
Festivals, San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, and the National Institute
of Dramatic Art in Syndey, Australia. Tickets for The Way of the World are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for students; full-time U.Va students can use their ART$ Dollars to purchase tickets. Season tickets are also available. For more information, call the Drama Department Box Office at 434-924-3376. The box office is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact:
James Scales, (434) 982-5279 |
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FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact the Office
of University Relations at (434) 924-7116. Television reporters
should contact the TV News Office at (434) 924-7550. 2002
NEWS RELEASES |
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Top News site edited by Dan
Heuchert (dnh6n@virginia.edu); maintained by
Karen Asher
(kac@virginia.edu); releases posted by Sally
Barbour (sab4w@virginia.edu).
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