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Our Season

FALL 2023 SEASON  

Anatomy of a Suicide

by Alice Birch

Gladys G. Davis Theatre 

September 21 – 24 & September 27 – October 1, 2023

Directed by  Radhica Ganapathy

 

The play explores stories of three generations of women. Their lives play out simultaneously – staging periods from the 1970s, 2000s, and 2030s. It explores their complex inner states via their emotional, intellectual, and physical devastation.

 

Inclusivity Statement:  Anatomy of a Suicide  by Alice Birch depicts three generations of women in a family, staging periods from the 1970s, 1990s, and 2030s. As their lives play out simultaneously onstage, the play looks closely at generational trauma and suicide. This storytelling is an exploration of their complex emotional, intellectual, and physical devastation.  Anatomy of a Suicide  allows diverse and inclusive casting.

 



Ride the Cyclone

music, lyrics, and book by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell 

Metropolitan Theatre

October 19 – 22, 2023

Directed by Ryan Scoble


It tells the story of the members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir of Uranium City, Saskatchewan, who perish on a faulty roller coaster called "The Cyclone". Each tells a story to win the reward of a mechanical fortune teller — the chance to return to life.


Inclusivity Statement:  The hilarious and twisted  Ride The Cyclone  has quickly become a cult favorite amongst musical theatre aficionados, because it so beautifully focuses on the philosophical questions surrounding the human condition and the human experience – What brings us together? What do we crave the most? What are our hopes/dreams? What makes a life well-lived? This piece focuses on six multifaceted human beings who are each grappling with their diverse identities and the legacies they leave behind. Because the writers of this piece prioritized the characters’ journeys of self-discovery over determining their physical characteristics, this show allows for diverse and inclusive casting. 


Buy tickets to Ride the Cyclone



Celebration of Dance

Antoinette Falbo Theatre

November 2 – 4, 2023


Buy tickets to the Celebration of Dance



The Misanthrope

by Moliére

Directed by Joe Olivieri 

Gladys G. Davis Theatre

November 16, 17, & 29 – December 3, 2023


The play spotlights the absurdities of social and literary pretension, focusing on a man who is quick to criticize the faults of others, yet remains blind to his own. This play satirizes the hypocrisies of French aristocratic society, but it also engages a more serious tone when pointing out the flaws, which all humans possess.   


Inclusivity Statement:  The Misanthrope  by Molière is a play about dishonesty, decadence, vanity, intolerance and intransigence.  As such, in the words of Richard Wilbur (whose translation of this French neoclassical play we are using):  "In this play, society itself is indicted.  It is true that falseness and intrigue are everywhere on view; the conventions enforce a routine dishonesty, justice is subverted by influence, love is overwhelmed by calculation, and these things are accepted, even by the best, as 'natural'."   These issues are also a reflection of our current American society.  We just need to turn on the news to see a perfect mirroring of the play.  With the goal of showing this parallel to contemporary society, this production lends itself to diverse and inclusive casting.


Buy tickets to The Misanthrope



SPRING 2024 SEASON  


Dance Now!

Lyell B. Clay Theatre

February 1 – 3, 2024

Artistic Director: Yoav Kaddar


Dance Now! is the annual concert presented by the Dance Program in the School of Theatre & Dance here at West Virginia University. 


Buy tickets for Dance Now!


 

The Book of Will

by Lauren Gunderson

Gladys G. Davis Theatre

February 29 – March 3 & March 5 – 8, 2024

Directed by Brianne Taylor


William Shakespeare wrote his plays in pieces, never putting all the parts together until the actors were on stage, for fear of someone stealing his work. But who’s to stop people stealing it after he dies? This is the conundrum faced by his friends. When a sub-par Hamlet rip-off hits a stage near the Globe Theatre, members of the King’s Men, are incensed. To try to put an end to the plagiarism and Will’s work for the ages, they hatch a plan to put it all down on pager, setting them off on a mad chase to find all the bits and pieces to create the First Folio. A funny, charming play about the battle to save a legacy, offering up excerpts of some of the Bard’s most beloved writing.


Buy tickets for The Book of Will



Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Broadway Version)

by Douglas Carter Beane, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, and Lewis Flinn 

Lyell B. Clay Theatre

April 18 – 21, 2024

Directed by Lee Blair


Since her father’s death, Ella lives a life of servitude to her stepmother and stepsisters as they call her “Cinder-Ella” when she cleans ashes from the fireplace. From her own little corner of the world, she dreams beyond with hope for her, her village and its people. As if manifesting from her own thoughts, a journey of transformation ensues with a doubtful prince soon to be king, her rebellious friend, and the village’s crazy vagrant lady with a magical touch all showing Ella that happiness isn’t impossible to find.


A centuries-old folk tale told the world over, this classic musical take by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II steps into our modern world with a new book from playwright Douglas Carter Beane.


Buy tickets to Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella



Spring Showcase of Dance

Antoinette Falbo Theatre

April 25 – 27, 2024

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