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‘Heartbreak House’ opens PTTP season Nov. 2
The second part of the season opens on Friday, March 24, with Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and The Man premieres April 7 and performances of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals begin April 19. The plays will mark the second year of performances by the 24 actors, 10 technical directors and six stage managers who are enrolled at PTTP for three years of concentrated training. Heartbreak House is a moving and comic masterpiece about a ship-shaped country manor that houses a collection of bohemian eccentrics led by the ancient Captain Shotover on the eve of WWI. Shotover’s optimistically romantic daughter, Hesione, hosts a weekend gathering of invited guest and interlopers. Ellie, a young woman planning a marriage to Hector, a much older man, for his money, Hesione’s flirtatious husband and Lady Utterword, the absent-for-23-years sister, are only a few of the assembly who proceed to seduce, agitate and captivate as bombs rain down upon the garden and verbal sparks begin to fly. The Play’s The Thing is about a gorgeous castle overlooking the Italian Riviera with paper-thin walls that allow a passionate conversation to be overheard from a neighboring bedroom. The classic comedy covers an unfortunate indiscretion and creates a gleeful, fantastical farce. Major Barabara, an idealistic major in the Salvation Army, invites her capitalist father, a man who has made a fortune manufacturing and selling weapons to anyone who will buy them, to visit her mission, thus beginning a rousing debate around the issues of poverty and redemption. The delightfully witty comedy of ideas is a timely social satire on the hypocrisies of war, business and religion. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an ingenious parallel universe of captivating wit and existential sensibilities as Stoppard creates the back story for Hamlet’s two childhood friends. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are summoned to Elsinore castle by the king and queen in the hope that they can determine the cause of Hamlet’s “transformation.” The friends get more than they bargained for in this dazzling and hilarious display of linguistic gymnastics.
In The Rivals, Mrs. Malaprop, a creature of marvelous verbal blunders, attempts to thwart her niece Lydia’s romantic plan to forsake her wealth and status and marry a poor man. Lords and ladies, country bumpkins, duels, lovers’ quarrels, mismatched love and mistaken identities abound in this captivating comedy of manners. A boisterous blend of high comedy and farce, The Rivals delightfully lampoons sentimentality and pretentiousness. Ten performances of Heartbreak House are slated:
Ten shows of The Play’s The Thing are scheduled: Major Barbara will be shown 10 times:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead will be performed eight times:
Eight shows of The Rivals are slated:
PTTP students are selected once every four years to pursue master’s degrees in fine arts. The group is chosen through an extensive search throughout the United States in the year between the graduation of one class and the beginning of the next class. Training is focused on plays from the classic repertoire and the program seeks students who are particularly interested in the classics. UD’s Department of Theatre offers a bachelor’s degree in theatre production for students interested in learning about costume production, stage management and technical production. The students' practical experiences include participating in the production of PTTP plays. The department also offers a theatre minor, designed to give students a foundation in the viewing of theatre, as well as the art and craft of the theatre. All performances take place in the Hartshorn Theatre on the corner of Academy Street and East Park Place. Season subscriptions are now available. Single tickets range from $8 to $18. For more information and to order tickets, visit [www.udel.edu/theatre], call (302) 831-2204, e-mail [pttp-boxoffice@udel.edu] or stop by the Hartshorn Hall box office. Article by Martin Mbugua To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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