May 23, 2007 -- The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance will present
a collection of diverse performances throughout June and July during the 2007 Snowy
Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival.
The festival, established in 2005, is an outgrowth of UW's longstanding summer theatre
program and annual dance festival.
Performances include three full-length comedies: "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers"
(June 12-16), "Man in the Flying Lawn Chair" (June 26-30), and "Kosher Lutherans"
(July 10-14). The festival concludes in July with three dance concerts: Student Showcase
Concert (July 25), Alonzo King's LINES Ballet (July 27), and the Dance Festival Gala
Concert (July 28).
All performances are at 7:30 p.m. Plays will be in the Fine Arts Center studio theatre
and dances will be in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
Theatre tickets cost $5 for students, $8 for senior citizens (60 and older) and $10
for others. Dance tickets cost $10 pre-purchased or $12 at the door. For tickets and
information call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
"The summer festival format has enabled us to shore up our summer programs and to
provide a full season of cultural offerings to the community," says Rebecca Hilliker,
head of the UW Department of Theatre and Dance. "Our students continue to benefit
from the expanded program and from interactions with professional performers and designers,
who comprise about half of our company."
Once again, several UW alumni who have transitioned to professional performance careers
are scheduled to return to UW's summer stage, Hilliker notes.
"The Last of the Red Hot Lovers," written by Neil Simon and directed by Jay Edelnant,
features Barney Cashman, a middle-aged restaurateur who yearns to spice up his predictable
life. The comedy features UW alumna Devin Sanchez (Temps, Law and Order: SVU, The
Black Donnelly's, The Enchanted).
"Man in the Flying Lawn Chair," winner of the Edinburgh Festival's Best of the Fringe,
is based on the true story of Larry Walters, who launched himself 16,000 feet into
the air in an aluminum lawn chair and became a cult hero for outcasts. Leigh Selting,
UW professor and summer theatre artistic director, directs this high-altitude comedy-of-errors
featuring UW alumni Kimmy Gamble, Dodie Montgomery, and Brian Slaten (Law and Order:
SVU and CI, The Guiding Light, Adopt a Sailor), and guest Mindi Logan (One Life to
Live, Another World).
"Kosher Lutherans," a new comedy written and directed by UW Theatre Professor William
Missouri Downs, centers on an infertile Jewish couple who pretend to be good Lutherans
in an attempt to adopt a baby from an Iowa farm girl. The premiere production features
Montgomery and film and stage actor Michael James Smith.
Professor Lou Anne Wright and Assistant Professor Wolf J. Sherrill, both in the UW
Department of Theatre and Dance, will make guest appearances.
The 2006 Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival closes with the Dance Concert
Series. The free Student Showcase Concert on July 25 features festival participants,
while festival resident company, Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, is scheduled to perform
a solo concert July 27. The Dance Festival Gala Concert on July 28 features the resident
company along with festival participants performing repertory works by festival faculty
members Peter Pucci, Yoav Kaddar, Gail Benedict, Keith Saunders, Susan Israel Massey,
and Lawrence Jackson.
"Our summer program continues to expand and produce professional-quality work," says
Hilliker. "The last two years have been an exciting time of growth and we are very
pleased with the mix of professional and student performers and designers who will
produce this year's season."
Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2007
