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Department of Theatre and Dance

UW Theatre to Present Award-winning Comedy

Feb. 1, 2010 -- The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance will present Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy "Crimes of the Heart"  Feb. 8-12 at 7:30 p.m. on the Fine Arts Center Main Stage.

Tickets cost $14 general admission, $11 for seniors (60 and older) and $7 for students. For tickets and information call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

Directed by Professor Lee Hodgson, "Crimes of the Heart" is the story of three sisters who struggle to cope with life's absurdities and one another.

"This sharply funny if bittersweet Southern comedy follows the quirky Magrath sisters as they reunite for a family crisis at Old Granddaddy's home in Hazelhurst, Miss. When Old Granddaddy takes ill, the sisters must take stock," says Kathy Kirkaldie, Department of Theatre and Dance publicist. "Moving from laughter to tears and back again, ‘Crimes of the Heart' tells how together the sisters find the strength to escape the past and seize the future with great humor and heart."

Director Hodgson says Henley's warm-hearted show has resonated with audiences for more than 30 years because of its universal appeal.

"It's about love and forgiveness and that you're not alone in the world," he says. "The family crises are the catalysts that set the story off, and they help the sisters come to terms with the fact that you need family. Each of the sisters discovers that alone they are vulnerable, but together they are much stronger -- they need that love and unconditional support to function."

"Crimes of the Heart," the first play to receive the Pulitzer Prize before heading to Broadway, established playwright Beth Henley as a major voice in American theater. The play also won the 1981 New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the 1982 Tony Award for Best Play. In 1986 it was adapted into an award-winning motion picture starring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek.

Posted on Tuesday, February 09, 2010

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