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LSU Theatre & Swine Palace Announce
2003-2004 Season
August 26, 2003
LSU Theatre celebrates its diamond anniversary and Swine Palace
Productions' 12th anniversary with a slate of productions ranging
from one of the most famous and most produced plays in the history
of American drama, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winner, "Our
Town" to Moises Kaufman's poignant play, THE LARAMIE PROJECT,
based on the life of Matthew Shepherd.
"This season will feature two of the most powerful plays written
in postwar America. I strongly believe that with August Wilson's
MA RAINEY's BLACK BOTTOM and Moises Kaufman's The LARAMIE PROJECT
our patrons will sustain a visceral theatrical experience like they've
never had in the theatre," said Michael Tick, LSU Theatre Chair
and SPP Executive Producing Director. "By the time we are ready
to present these monumental works to you, they will have undergone
deep exploration by a wonderful group of artists assembled to bring
these plays to life. What could possibly be more exciting?"
The season begins Sept. 24 with August Wilson's "Ma' Rainey's
Black Bottom." Earlier this year, it ran on Broadway with actors
Whoopi Goldberg and Charles S. Dutton. Swine Palace is assembling
a new cast of New York actors to create an original production here
in Baton Rouge.
The play centers around Ma Rainey and her blues band as they struggle
with the price of success in 1927 Chicago. This marks the second
consecutive year that a work by Wilson has opened the Swine Palace
season. Last year began with the highly successful "Fences."
Moliere's comic masterpiece "Tartuffe" takes the LSU
Theatre stage Oct. 22. "Tartuffe" is the story of an attempt
by a sticky-fingered house guest to rob a family of its freedom
and fortune after they take him in, charmed by his seeming piety.
Wilder's "Our Town," is the signature event of LSU Theatre's
75th season and opens Nov. 19. The play takes the audience through
the lives of the people of Grover's Corners over a span of nearly
15 years. In that time, loves are realized, sweethearts are married
and ultimately, the circle of life and death is examined.
From the composer of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" comes
the new musical, "Violet," which opens Feb. 11 at LSU
Theatre. Jeanine Tesori's score of blues, gospel and folk music,
combined with Brian Crawley's book and lyrics, tell the story of
a young woman traveling across America seeking divine intervention
from a TV evangelist.
Direct from its world premiere at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival,
comes Doris Baizley's "Shiloh Rules" opening at Swine
Palace on March 3. Female Civil Ware re-enactors run head-long into
a comic showdown with a U.S. Park Ranger with an attitude. Baizley's
play begs the question, "Will the war ever end?"
April 21, Swine Palace presents Moises Kaufman's "The Laramie
Project," the first production under the guidance of newly
appointed Associate Artistic Director Leon Ingulsrud.
"Leon created our cutting-edge production of 'Death of a Salesman,'"
said Tick. "He's a co-founder of the prestigious SITI Company
of New York and has generated critical attention from the international
media and his peers alike."
Ingulsrud's peers include theatre industry leaders like Ben Cameron,
the executive director of Theatre Communication Group. TCG is the
national association of not-for-profit professional, regional theatre
companies.
"All of us at TCG are delighted to learn of Leon Ingulsrud's
appointment as Associate Artistic Director of Swine Palace/LSU Theatre,"
said Cameron. "Leon is an extraordinary artist, with a wide
artistic vocabulary. As a deeply thoughtful and committed director,
he will undoubtedly lead Swine Palace in exciting new directions."
"The Laramie Project" is based on the life and death
of Wyoming native, Matthew Shepherd, who was murdered in 1998. The
play examines what happens to an American town when something unexpected
and unconscionable rips it apart and thrusts it into the national
media spotlight. Time Magazine calls "The Laramie Project,"
"one of the 10 best plays of the year ... a powerful stage
event."
Closing out the season is the LSU Dance Concert, presented by LSU
Theatre. A high-energy celebration of LSU's dynamic young dancers,
cutting-edge choreographers and surprising guests, the performance
opens April 30 and runs through May 2.
Subscriptions to all seven events are now available. Prices are
$109-116 for adults, $106 for seniors and LSU Faculty and staff,
and $68 for students. The Sneak Preview Thursday subscription is
$68 for all seven shows.
To order a subscription, contact the Reilly Theatre Box Office
at 225-578-3527 or purchase securely online at www.swinepalace.org.
All performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and
Sundays at 2 p.m., except where otherwise noted.
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