Aug. 26, 2010 -- A beloved family ballet, an original comedy, a vertical dance concert and a Broadway musical smash are on tap for the University of Wyoming Theatre and Dance 2010-2011 production season.
Season tickets cost $81 or $62 for senior citizens (60 and over). Individual tickets for regular performances are $7 for students, $11 for seniors, and $14 for others. Individual tickets for "The Nutcracker" and "Chicago" are $8 for students, $13 for seniors, and $16 for others. To purchase tickets, visit the Fine Arts Center box office or the Wyoming Union information desk, or call (307) 766-6666 or visit www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
Most performances are at 7:30 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays.
The season opens Sept. 28 - Oct. 3 with David Lindsay-Abaire's wacky and poignant comedy, "Fuddy Meers." Directed by John O'Hagan, "Fuddy Meers" follows Claire, and amnesiac who wakes up to a blank slate every morning, and her attempts to regain her memory while surrounded by troupe of alarmingly bizarre characters.
Oct. 26-31, "Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout," a sly and comic depiction of four First Nations women as they prepare for the 1910 visit of the Canadian prime minister to their traditional lands, runs in the Fine Arts Center Studio Theatre. Directed by Rebecca Hilliker, this ritualized retelling of how the Shuswap Nation of British Columbia lost its rights, lands, and, finally, language, draws directly from a 1910 deposition signed by 14 chiefs of the Thompson River Valley.
A beloved family holiday tradition, "The Nutcracker," runs December 2-5 in the UW Arts & Sciences auditorium, with an invited performance for area schools on Dec. 3. This classic ballet is about a young girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas that spurs her fantastical dream. It is based on E.T.A. Hoffman's book and features Tchaikovsky's dazzling score. This year's production features more costumes and sets inspired by frontier Laramie and the Ivinson Mansion.
The spring season kicks off Feb. 5-8 with "Books on Tape," a new comedy written and directed by UW Professor William Missouri Downs. A chance encounter in the local book store between an actor who records audio books and a makeup artist who loves to listen leads them to investigate the big mysteries in life - Mother Teresa, professional rodeo announcers, near-death experiences, pigeons and their effect on jet engines, and how books on tape can fix our lives in 12 easy steps.
March 1-6, "Boxed Set," an original vertical and contemporary dance concert, can be seen in the Fine Arts Studio Theatre. This full-length piece presents dance works in different "frames and perspectives" and explores how our perceptions of dance are altered by the spaces in which it takes place.
The 2010-2011 production season closes April 12-17 on the Fine Arts Main Stage with Broadway's smash musical hit, "Chicago." Directed by Leigh Selting, this Tony Award winner features knockout dancing, an edge-of-your-seat story of murder, corruption, and all that jazz, and one showstopper after another.
Other performances during the academic year will include the musical theatre workshop production of "Songs for a New World," Nov. 5-6, Student-Written One Acts, Feb. 10, and Dance Compositions, May 1. Visit www.uwyo.edu/thd for more information and to keep up-to-date with emerging events.
Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2010