Programs from UMN Morris Theatre Discipline and Meiningens productions.
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The Wind in the Willows, April 19-20 & 23-25, 2007
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Grahame adapted by moses Goldberg and directed by Amanda J. Holter.
Synopsis: In this animal fantasy, Toad is the rich playboy of the animal kingdom. His current enthusiasm is motor cars, which he embraces passionately without the formality of learning to drive. After several narrow shaves, his friends, Rat, Mole and Badger, ground him for his own safety at his home, Toad Hall. He manages to elude them and appropriates a police car, which lands him in jail. In his absence, the weasels take over Toad Hall, and Toad returns to find his elegant mansion in shambles. Toad's friends to drive the weasels out and restore Toad to his senses, but by that time he has acquired a new passion—airplanes!
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Greater Tuna, April 27-29, 2006
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Greater Tunal by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard and directed by Todd Janssen.
Synopsis: Greater Tuna is a comedy about a small town in Texas named Tuna, Texas' third smallest town. The wacky inhabitants of this town -- men, women, children and animals -- are all played by two skillful, transformative actors who must change parts at a rather breakneck speed and use inventive voicework.
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The Dark Castle, April 1, 2006
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Dark Castle by Sally Netzel and directed by Siobhan Bremer.
Synopsis: The Dark Castle highlights the journey of a handsome, but not-so-bright, young man, named Dimwit, on his way to save the downtrodden duchess Lumina, who is caught in the clutches of her evil uncle, the Baron. Lumina refuses to give up hope that one day a suitor may overcome the impossible tasks her uncle has set forth and rescue her. Even as Lumina's light begins to fade, her ladies-in-waiting--Lady Nozzle, Lady Ogle, and Lady Murmer--stay faithfully by her side. Inspired by the goodness that Lumina still radiates, Dimwit is helped along his way by a hermit named Hiccup and three formers suitors--Sir Grope, Sir Clamor, and Sir Snort--who all offer their own bit of advice to Dimwit. With the help of so many friends who believe in goodness and kindness, how can Dimwit lose?
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Stop Kiss, December 8-10, 2005
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Stop Kiss by Diana Son and directed by Megan Losure.
Synopsis: "A poignant and funny play about the ways, both sudden and slow, that lives can change irrevocably," says Variety. After Callie meets Sara, the two unexpectedly fall in love. Their first kiss provokes a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never anticipate.
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The Merchant of Venice, November 2-5, 2005
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare and directed by Ray Schultz.
Synopsis: In the melting pot of Venice, currency opens many doors. A multicultural metropolis, Venice welcomes its arms to all – so long as they come prepared for the brutality of the business of trade. Young Bassanio wants to take a gamble for brilliant Portia, the wealthy heiress of Belmont. He is willing to risk all he has to win her hand, but all he has is not enough. In need of extra money to make a proper suit, Bassanio enlists the help of his merchant friend, Antonio, who takes out a loan from Jewish money lender, Shylock, on his behalf. Shylock is an outsider who has suffered persecution for many years, but when he loses his most prized possession – his daughter Jessica – Shylock feels a hurt greater than all that has come before. When Christian merchant Antonio cannot repay his debt, Shylock gets his chance at revenge. Demanding his due, Shylock insists that he be repaid in accordance with his contract: with a pound of flesh. Resourceful Portia takes justice into her own hands, devising a scheme to triumph in the courtroom and save Antonio – but at what cost? With humor and pathos, Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice tells a complex story of mercy and justice, tolerance and intolerance, generosity and greed.
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Blithe Spirit, October 28-30, 2004
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward and directed by Siobhan Bremer.
Synopsis: Cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting “happy medium,” one Madame Arcati. As the (worldly and un-) personalities clash, Charles’ current wife, Ruth, is accidentally killed, “passes over,” joins Elvira, and the two “blithe spirits” haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.
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Proof, December 9-11, 2004
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Proof by David Auburn and directed by Tiffany Roufs.
Synopsis Catherine has inherited her late father’s mathematical brilliance, but she is haunted by the fear that she might also share his debilitating mental illness. She has spent years caring for her now-deceased father, and upon his death, she feels left alone to pick up the pieces of her life without him. Caught between a new-found connection with Hal, one of her father’s former students, and the reappearance of her sister, Claire, Catherine finds both her world and her mind growing increasingly unstable. Then Hal discovers a groundbreaking proof among the 103 notebooks Catherine’s father left behind, and Catherine is forced to further question how much of her father’s genius or madness will she inherit. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, David Auburn’s Proof is a passionate, intelligent story about fathers and daughters, the nature of genius, and the power of love.
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The Hobbit, April 16-17, 2004
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, adapted by Markland Taylor and directed by Siobhan Bremer.
Synopsis: The classic fantasy about Bilbo, a young and extremely reluctant Hobbit, who leaves home and sets off with a band of adventurers to slay Smaug the dragon and recover an enormous treasure, discovering the ring in the process. Told with wit and humor, this entirely new play based on the Tolkien classic is especially designed for a small cast and suitable for touring.
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The Shadow Box, February 5-7, 2004
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer and directed by Christopher Anderson.
Synopsis: n this compelling dramatic triptych, three terminal cancer patients dwell in separate cottages on a hospital's grounds. The three are attended and visited by family and close friends: Agnes and her mother Felicity, estranged further by the latter's dementia; Brian and Beverly, whose marital complications are exacerbated by Brian's new lover, Mark; and Joe and Maggie, unready for the strain of Joe's impending death and its effect on their teenage son.
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Hyronomous A. Frog: The Frog Prince, April 11-12, 2003
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Hyronomous A. Frog: The Frog Prince by Edith Weiss directed by Kimberly Gamradt.
Synopsis: Hyronomous, an inept and lonely frog prince, lives in a bog in the kingdom of Spamelot. Hyronomous is bored and unhappy as a frog. He’s larger than the other frogs and hates the taste of flies. One day, the good witch Gloria appears to tell him he was once a human prince and it was a spell that turned him into an amphibian. To break this croak-filled wizardry, Hyronomous must be kissed by a maiden. In a hysterical scene, he learns how to walk like a human and sets off for the castle of Spamelot. He sets his sights on the spoiled and petulant Princess Gladiola. Gladiola is engaged to the painfully pompous Sir Lancelot Pancelot and he, of course, despises the frog at first sight. As Gladiola and Lancelot plot ways to get rid of Hyronomous, our green hero tries desperately to act like a human being. His attempt to act like a person at the dinner table turns into a hilarious scene... infuriating the princess. Luckily, he finds a friend in Delphinium, the handmaiden, and Aunt Queen Bea, who try to save him from the slings and arrows of the outrageous Gladiola. Our beloved frog finally gets his kiss from the handmaiden Delphinium, bringing about an ending full of wit and charm.
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood, November 5-8, 2003
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens directed by Ray Schultz.
Synopsis: The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a hilarious, interactive whodunit mystery musical that allows the audience to enter the action and become the ultimate detectives. The show is based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel of the same name. In small town of Chesterham, England, the young and charming Edwin Drood has been mysteriously murdered. But by whom? His leering romantic rival, John Jasper? The infamous purveyor of opium and vice, Princess Puffer? The mysterious Landless twins, newly arrived from Ceylon? Or someone else even more dastardly and villainous? Dickens passed away before he was able to reveal the culprit. Rupert Holmes’ award-winning musical solves this predicament by asking the audience to choose which character is the killer by putting it to a vote. Staged in metatheatrical manner by the Music Hall Royale, a traveling Victorian theatre troupe full of just as many colorful characters as the roles they play, this charming and inventive musical is sure to intrigue and entertain any musical or mystery lover.
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Dancing at Lughnasa, Oct. 31- Nov. 2, 2002
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel and directed by Ray Schultz.
Synopsis: Set in the fictional Irish village of Ballybeg, Ireland, Dancing at Lughnasa is a memory play, told from the perspective of an adult Michael. He recalls one summer he spent at his aunts' home when he was seven years old. The five Mundy sisters, all unmarried, live in a big cottage just outside of the small village. Kate, the eldest, is a schoolteacher; Agnes and Rose knit gloves and help keep house with Maggie and Christine (Michael's mother), who have no income at all. Their older brother, Jack, has also recently returned home. Jack is a Catholic priest, who has lived in a Ugandan leper colony for the last 25 years, working as a missionary. He is suffering from malaria and has trouble remembering many things, including the sisters' names and his English vocabulary. He has also clearly lost his faith and has a deep respect for pagan traditions and beliefs, much to Kate’s distaste. Meanwhile Michael's father, Gerry, pops in and out of his son’ life, keeping Michael and Christina on tenterhooks as to whether he will ever settle down with them. Gerry is charming and completely unreliable.
During the summer of 1936, Michael watches on as his aunts' search for and find the potential for love--only to lose it as the hardships of life begin to cripple them. As the summer ends and Kate loses her job (and subsequently the family’s financial security), the sisters face the breakup of their family unit and a future filled with heartache and tragedy. Brian Friel's multi award-winning play is a masterpiece, portraying the strength and bravery of five sisters who dance wildly in a final celebration of their lives, before they change forever
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The Laramie Project, February 14-16, 2002
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and directed by Ray Schultz.
Synopsis: In October 1998 in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming, was tied to a fence post, severely beaten, robbed, , tortured and left, alone, to die. His body -- battered, bloody, barely clinging to life -- was discovered eighteen hours later. He was rushed to the hospital and put on life support. He died five days later. The reason for this brutal crime? Matthew Shepard was gay.
The hate crime attracted vast attention worldwide, bringing sexual discrimination and violence to the forefront of public discourse. The Tectonic Theater Project, led by their founder Moisés Kaufman, traveled to Laramie in the aftermath of the murder with the intent of creating a theatrical portrait of a town coming to grips with horrible, hate-fueled violence. Over the course of a year and a half, the group interviewed over 200 subjects, some directly related to the case and some regular citizens of Laramie. Out of these interviews, journal entries, and found texts, The Laramie Project was born. Hailed as one of the most captivating and encompassing pieces of contemporary theatre, the play shocks, challenges, and moves all who watch it as it reveals the lowest depths of hatred and greatest heights of compassion that lies within all human beings in any seemingly average community.
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The Little Prince, April 19-20, 2002
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry adapted by Rick Cummings, John Scoullar and directed by Kimberly Gamradt.
Synopsis: The Little Prince may have returned to his own tiny planet to tend his Rose and look after his Sheep, but for a short enchanted time he returns to us and comes alive on stage. This play/musical tells the story of a world-weary and disenchanted Aviator whose sputtering plane strands him in the Sahara Desert and a mysterious, regal "little man" who appears and asks him to "Please, sir, draw me a sheep." During their two weeks together in the desert, the Little Prince tells the Aviator about his adventures through the galaxy, how he met the Lamplighter and the Businessman and the Geographer, and about his strained relationship with a very special flower on his own tiny planet. The Little Prince talks to everyone he meets: a garden of roses, the Snake and a Fox who wishes to be tamed. From each he gains a unique insight which he shares with the Aviator: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly." "What is essential is invisible to the eye." At length, both the "little man" and the Aviator must go home—each with a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again.
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Medea, October 25-27, 2001
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Medea by Euripides, adapted by Robinson Jeffers and directed by Siobhan Bremer.
Synopsis: In a continuation of the stories of Jason and the Argonauts, foreign princess and sorceress Medea has murdered her own father to help Jason win the Golden Fleece and the kingdom of Thessaly. They have married and have two sons. Now in ancient Corinth, Medea is told that Jason will be marrying the Corinthian princess. The King of Corinth, anticipating her wrath, sends her into exile. She plans revenge against Jason and negotiates safe haven with the naïve King of Athens. Through her magic, she kills the Corinthian king and princess, Jason’s intended, and, in a final act of vengeance, kills her two sons by Jason. She escapes justice, taken to the sky on the back of a chariot, with the bodies of her children. One of ancient Greek drama’s most famous plays, The Medea resonates with audiences through emotionally charged characters placed in impossible circumstances, constrained by their social, political, gender, and familial roles.
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Prelude to a Kiss, February 15-17, 2001
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas and directed by Gretchen Weinrich.
Synopsis: Peter and Rita are two young, happy lovers who are getting married. On their wedding day, after their nuptial kiss, an old man comes up to kiss the bride. During this kiss, their souls exchange, and the young, beautiful woman Peter just married now houses the soul of a dying, old man. On their honeymoon, Peter starts to notice that something's not quite right. When he discovers the truth, he confronts the old man, who now holds Rita's soul. Peter struggles with the notion that this is his young bride, and he works feverishly to put the souls back in their original bodies. At the same time, he realizes that he loves who Rita is, no matter how she is packaged. Craig Lucas' play, first performed in 1990, was considered a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic, in which a man could find himself in a relationship with someone who was suddenly old and sick before his time.
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, April 20-21, 2001
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis adapted by Joseph Robinette and directed by Julie Rae Patterson-Pratt.
Synopsis: This new dramatization of C.S. Lewis' classic, set in the land of Narnia, faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten Narnia. The intense action features chases, duels and escapes as the witch is determined to keep Narnia in her possession and to end the reign of Aslan. All the memorable episodes from the story are represented in this exciting dramatization: the temptation of Edmund by the witch, the slaying of the evil wolf by Peter, the witnessing of Aslan's resurrection by Susan and Lucy, the crowing of the four new rulers of Narnia, and more. The supporting characters are also here: the unicorn, the centaur and other forest animals, along with Father Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Tumnus the Faun. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a true celebration of life. Easily staged, the play may be presented without intermission or in two short acts if desired..
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And Baby Makes Seven, April 13-15, 2000
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of And Baby Makes Seven by Paula Vogel and directed by Janelle Alvstad.
Synopsis: Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children.
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Twelfth Night, November 2-4, 2000
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and directed by Ray Schultz.
Synopsis: Twelfth Night—an allusion to the night of festivity preceding the Christian celebration of the Epiphany—combines love, confusion, mistaken identities, and joyful discovery.After the twins Sebastian and Viola survive a shipwreck, neither knows that the other is alive. Viola goes into service with Count Orsino of Illyria, disguised as a young man, "Cesario." Orsino sends Cesario to woo the Lady Olivia on his behalf, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario. Viola, in the meantime, has fallen in love with Orsino.At the estate of Lady Olivia, Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s kinsman, has brought in Sir Andrew Aguecheek to be her suitor. A confrontation between Olivia's steward, Malvolio, and the partying Toby and his cohort leads to a revenge plot against Malvolio. Malvolio is tricked into making a fool of himself, and he is locked in a dungeon as a lunatic. In the meantime, Sebastian has been rescued by a sea captain, Antonio. When Viola, as Cesario, is challenged to a duel, Antonio mistakes her for Sebastian, comes to her aid, and is arrested. Olivia, meanwhile, mistakes Sebastian for Cesario and declares her love. When, finally, Sebastian and Viola appear together, the puzzles around the mistaken identities are solved: Cesario is revealed as Viola, Orsino asks for Viola’s hand, Sebastian will wed Olivia, and Viola will marry Count Orsino. Malvolio, blaming Olivia and others for his humiliation, vows revenge.
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Viva La Revolucion, November 12-14, 2000
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Viva La Revolucion—three one acts directed by Chris Batteen, Alan Pagel and Jon Dent.
Synopsis: The Root of Chaos by Douglas Soderberg - he place is the home of the Cernikowski family in Centralia, Pennsylvania, where a subterranean fire in the abandoned coal mines has been burning out of control for years and moving steadily closer to the houses of the few remaining residents. The Cernikowskis, father Joe, mother Wilma, teenage daughter Doublemint (named after her grandmother) and nine-year-old son, Skeeter, seem to be oddly unconcerned about their own peril, although Wilma does make daily measurements of the ever-widening crack in their cellar wall. But the grotesque unreality of their threatened existence is reflected in the matter-of-fact way in which they discuss events which, to "normal" people would seem something more than casual—such as Doublemint's off-hand announcement that she decided to take off her clothes in the school principal's office; or Skeeter's deadpan mention of having been sexually molested by a group of neighborhood bullies; or, worst of all, their ho-hum reaction when Wilma is incinerated in the cellar by escaping coal gas, ignited when Joe strikes a match to light Doublemint's cigarette. Eventually, after Doublemint is killed by lightening, Skeeter begins to show the first hints of honest fear and concern. But this is short-lived when he is felled by a fatal stroke, leaving Joe gamely trying to convince himself that he is not afraid, despite the collapse and destruction all around him, and notwithstanding the arrival of a foul-mouthed Officer of Surface Mining, who helps himself to the Cernikowskis' leftover casserole before sending Joe off to join the others by means of a well-placed bullet.
The Man Who Turned Into a Stick by Kobo Abe - This play opens with a stick, played by a man, hurtling down from the sky and landing next to Hippie Boy and Hippie Girl. As Hippie Boy and Girl look casually for the stick's point of origin, they spot a young boy on the roof of a building, and suspect that the boy must have thrown the stick. In the meantime, a Woman and Man from Hell enter the scene and, in an aside, they remark mysteriously "once again, a man turned into a stick and vanished".
Woman and Man from Hell appear to realize that they are searching for this particular stick, and so they approach the two youth. Vaguely introducing themselves but not revealing their identities, they request that Hippie Boy hand them the stick...
Life Under Water by Richard Greenberg - The setting is the present-day Hamptons, that sun drenched stretch of expensive ocean frontage where the rich and privileged while away their summers. Two attractive college girls, Amy-Joy and Amy-Beth, are looking for a good time, and think they have found it in the person of Kip, a handsome preppie who is in flight from the lavish home he shares with his divorced, domineering and bitingly sophisticated mother and her narcissistic married lover. And romance does develop, if not quite in the manner anticipated, as the triangular affair of the young people is deftly counterpointed against the vapid relationship of the older couple. But while high comedy and sharp observation prevail, the play yields a lacerating portrait of a contemporary upper-middle-class that is, sadly and humorously, bored, self-indulgent and emotionally reckless.
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Wiley and the Hairy Man, Spring 2000
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Wiley and the Hairy Moon by Suzan Zeder and directed by Oscar Prill.
Synopsis: This drama is a spine-tingling tale of a boy and his worst fears in the swamp—eventually overcome by Wiley himself. Set deep within the mysterious Tombigbee Swamp, Wiley and the Hairy Man centers around a young fatherless boy, his conjure-woman mother, his faithful dog, and the Hairy Man who haunts Wiley's days and dreams. Through rhythm and rhyme, a chorus creates the mystery of the swamp. The magic of this play is not fairy dust, it is soil—the magic of survival, the magic of the earth and the mud of the swamp. In an exciting duel of wits, Wiley learns to rely upon his own resources and conquers two villains: the Hairy Man and his own fear.
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Cabaret, November 3-6, 1999
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Cabaret by Joe Masteroff and directed by Julie Rae Patterson-Pratt.
Synopsis: Cabaret takes place from 1929-1930, a time when Berlin, in the midst of a post-World War I economic depression, is transitioning from a center of underground, avant-garde cultural epicenter to the beginnings of Hitler’s totalitarian regime and the rise of the Nazi Party. Into this world enters Clifford Bradshaw, a struggling American writer looking for inspiration for his next novel. On his first night in Berlin, Cliff wanders into the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub overseen by the strange, omniscient and gender-bending Master of Ceremonies, “the Emcee.” Here, Cliff meets Sally Bowles, a vivacious, talented cabaret performer, and an utterly lost soul. Sally and Cliff begin a relationship, which blossoms unexpectedly into a dream-like romance. As time passes, however, the situation in Berlin changes from exciting and vital to ominous and violent; Ernst, Cliff’s first German friend, turns out to be an up-and-coming member of the Nazi Party, and Herr Schultz, a fellow boarder at Fraulein Schneider’s guest house (and Schneider’s fiancee), is the victim of an Anti-Semitic hate crime. When he finds out that Sally is pregnant, Cliff decides that they must leave for America at once, before things get any worse. Sally, afraid, confused, and unsure that she’ll ever really be able to trade the sexy, illicit cabaret lifestyle for motherhood, gets an abortion, and tells Cliff that he must leave without her. With a distinctly Brechtian dose of provocation and a score featuring songs that have become classics of the American Musical Theater, Cabaret is a fierce, meaty musical that pushes the boundaries of the form and literally holds “the mirror up to nature.”
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Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place, May 27-29, 1999
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place by Megan Terry directed by James Allen Gappa.
Synopsis: Three men share a cell-- for life. They play games and fantasize about the event that brought them together: the hired murder of one prisoner's wife that was botched. This event is recreated with Sir Walter Raleigh and red men and Custer, and in recollections of rapes previously achieved.
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No Exit, February 11-13, 1999
Theatre Arts Discipline
University of Minnesota, Morris production of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre and directed by Kelly L. Classen.
Synopsis: Sarte’s famous existentialist play follows three people to a room in hell, where their torture is revealed to be each other’s company. Three damned souls, Garcin, Inez, and Estelle, are brought to a lavish room to await their punishment. While they expected some sort of torture chamber to punish them in the afterlife, they instead begin to realize where the true torment really lies. Their constant arguing finally has Garcin state the famous line: “Hell is other people”. An exploration of human nature and relationships, No Exit is a play brimming with sardonic wit. You’ll laugh. You’ll ponder life’s meaning. You’ll have a devilishly good time.
