2008/2009 Theatre Events
Execution of Justice
By Emily Mann
Directed by Barbara M. Fraser
Louis B. Mayer Theatre
Nov. 7-9 and 12-15, 2008; 8pm (Sun 2pm)
Tickets: $5-$16
Drawn from trial transcripts and documentary evidence, Execution of Justice deftly recounts the 1978 assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, America's first openly gay elected official. This compelling “theater of testimony” examines the motives of Dan White, the conflicting social and political ideals of the era, and the controversial courtroom ethics (such as the infamous “Twinkie defense”) that lead to one of history’s most shocking verdicts.
Winter One-Act Festival
Feb. 14-15, 2009
Fess Parker Studio Theatre, 2pm
Tickets: $5
Senior theatre majors Matt Johns, Thomas Johnson, and Francesca McKenzie direct a series of provocative one-act plays.
Over the Mountain –Workshop Production
A shared production with Brava! for Women in the Arts
By Brian Thorstenson
Directed by Raelle Myrick Hodges
Music Composed by Meklit Hadero
Louis B. Mayer Theatre
Feb. 27-Mar. 1 and Mar. 4-7, 2009; 8pm (Sun 2pm)
Tickets: $5-$16
A battle rages. Neighbors disappear. Nothing is sacred…. Set in an oddly familiar totalitarian state, this lyrical play explores a world where two sisters, faced with the severities of war, must make choices that threaten to sever them forever. In the midst of banned books, catalogued prisoners, and women acting as human shield, the two pass words of poetry through strangers, desperately hoping to preserve their rapidly fading past. This fully staged, workshop production will have its World Premiere at Brava! for Women in the Arts in San Francisco, opening April 16, 2009.
Don’t Count Your Chickens Until They Cry Wolf – Children’s Theatre
By Carol Lynn Wright Pearson
Directed by Barbara Murray
Music by JAC Redford
April 4, 2009
Fess Parker Studio Theatre, 2pm & 4pm
Tickets: $3
Based on the beloved Aesop’s fables, this modern musical combines clever lyrics with the finest tales for an interactive play the whole family will enjoy! Weaving the ancient wisdom of favorites like The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and The Ant and the Grasshopper with today’s wit, Pearson and Redford bring to life these memorable characters in one joyous production.
Songs for a New World
By Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Kimberly Mohne Hill
Fess Parker Studio Theatre
May 8-10 and 13-16, 2009; 8pm (Sun 2pm)
Tickets: $5-$16
It’s about one moment—the moment you get what you want, the moment you realize you’ll never be the same again, the moments we remember the most. This enchanting musical review captures characters on the cusp of that “one moment,” masterfully transporting audiences and enveloping raw emotion in soulful, effervescent songs that will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced that incredible moment when suddenly everything changed.
Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Fred Tollini, SJ
Louis B. Mayer Theatre
May 29-31 and Jun. 3-6, 2009; 8pm (Sun 2pm)
Tickets: $5-$16
Full of mistaken identity, sexual ambiguity, and unrequited of love, Twelfth Night hails as the most musical of Shakespeare’s joyous comedies! Shipwrecked on the shore of Illyria, Viola believes she has lost her twin brother and must disguise herself as the male Cesario in order to find employment with Duke Orsino. But when Olivia, whom Orsino tries to woo, instead falls for Cesario—and Viola for the duke—a mad love triangle ensues! Still, Viola hopes all will be well for, “Tempests are kind and salt waves fresh in love.”
New Playwrights’ Festival
June 1-2, 2009
Fess Parker Studio Theatre, 7pm
$5 per segment, $8 festival pass
Plays vary per evening. Festival pass good for one day.
Advanced Playwriting students showcase their work through student-directed, staged readings of recently constructed one-act plays. Interlacing formal playwriting training with unique artistic creativity, these new playwrights explore the complexity of the most fundamental themes of human life.
