The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance will present five diverse performances during the fourth annual Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival.
The festival opens in June with three comedies and concludes in July with a pair of dance concerts. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Plays will be at the Fine Arts Center studio theatre and dances will be at the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
Theatre tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Dance tickets cost $12 at the door or $10 in advance. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or go to www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
"Over the past few years, the summer festival format has allowed us to provide a full season of cultural offerings to the community," says Leigh Selting, head of the UW Department of Theatre and Dance and summer theatre artistic director. "Our students have gained great experience working with industry professionals each summer and many are now accomplished theatre professionals in their own right."
Playwright-in-residence William Missouri Downs' newest comedy, "Cockeyed," kicks off the festival June 10-14. The play follows the life of an average accountant named Phil who falls in love with his boss' beautiful secretary and mistress, Sophia. "Cockeyed" is directed by Anne Brownsted, a 2008 UW graduate who will begin graduate studies at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London this winter.
Brandon Taylor, an Equity actor and UW graduate, stars in the show.
The festival continues June 24-28 with "Last Train to Nibroc,"an old-fashioned romance directed by Downs. The play tells the poignant and unexpected love story of May, a feisty young woman, and Raleigh, a charming young flyer.
The final comedy, "Rounding Third," runs July 8-12 and features Taylor and another Equity actor, Michael Cameron, whose credits include TV's "Law and Order: SVU." The play follows two mismatched fathers as they coach Little League teams. "Rounding Third" is written by Richard Dresser and directed by Selting.
The festival closes with the free Student Showcase Concert July 23 and the Dance Festival Gala Concert July 26. The gala will festival participants performing repertory works by festival faculty Vincent Brosseau, Lawrence Jackson, Susan Israel Massey, Jacob Mora, Kaye Richards, Keith Saunders and Ellie Sciarra.
"The festival has grown into a healthy mix of student and professional work and continues to expand," Selting says. "We're excited to continue to offer professional-quality summer theatre to our audiences and we hope that everyone enjoys the season!"
The festival, established in 2005, is an outgrowth of UW's longstanding summer theatre program and dance festival.
For more information, call Kathy Kirkaldie, coordinator of the UW Fine Arts Program, at (307) 766-2160.
