Delightful ‘Matilda’ concludes family arts series

9:21 a.m., April 1, 2004--“Matilda,” a creatively naughty little girl, comes to UD in April to share her adventures in a production by the Cleveland Signstage Theatre, using American Sign Language and spoken English simultaneously in a performance by actors with and without hearing.

Based on a book by Roald Dahl, “Matilda” will be performed at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 25, in Mitchell Hall, as part of UD’s Family Performing Arts Series, and is especially recommended for children ages 8 to 10.

In the play, Matilda takes on not only her parents but the headmistress at her school, the fiendish Miss Trunchbull, and helps her victimized teacher, the enchanting Miss Honey, to regain her rightful place.

By combining American Sign Language, mime and spoken text, Signstage has developed a new art form, which has won it kudos from reviewers. Visually, the stage is filled with the movement of hands and bodies, yet every word is conveyed to both deaf and hearing audience members.

Tickets are $12 for the public, $10 for UD faculty, staff, alumni and senior citizens and $5 for children and may be purchased from the Hartshorn box office, open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, or by calling 831-2204.

In conjunction with the performance, a buffet luncheon at noon at the Blue & Gold Club is available, featuring Miss Honey’s favorite baked ziti with meat sauce and Matilda’s supernatural chocolate cake. The cost is $12.95 for adults and $6.75 for children, ages 5-11, which includes the gratuity. For reservations and information, call the club at 831-2582.

For more information, visit [www.udel.edu/performingarts], send e-mail to [performingarts@udel.edu] or call 831-8741.

The Family Performing Arts Series is made possible, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to promoting and supporting the arts in Delaware, with support from Barba & Reynolds Insurance Agency, Embassy Suites-Newark/Wilmington South and Arby’s.

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