2011-2012 The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare October 20-22 at 8 pm and October 23 at 2 pm   Wealthy Baptista Minola refuses to allow his younger daughter, Bianca, to marry until his elder daughter, Katerina, has found a husband of her own.  The trouble, of course, is that Katerina is a reputed shrew and no one in Padua is willing to marry her.  Newly arrived from Verona, young gentleman Petruchio is intrigued by rumors of Katerina’s beauty, wealth---and also by the challenge of taming her.  But will he succeed?  Shakespeare’s popular, yet controversial farce pokes fun at society’s assumptions about gender and marriage, whether Elizabethan or contemporary.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn February 23-25 at 8 pm and February 26 at 2 pm   Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser.  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show's Tony Award winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. "Parental Advisory: This production contains adult language"

Endgame, by Samuel Beckett April 26-28 at 8 pm and April 29 at 2 pm   Hamm, who is blind and unable to stand, sits in a wheelchair in a sparse room that is partially below ground. His parents, legless and deposited in ashcans, have been situated in a corner.  All are attended to by Hamm’s servant, Clov, who is unable to sit down and repeatedly threatens to leave.  But the outside world, seen by Clov through two small windows, seems dark, cold and uninhabited.  Or is it?  Beckett’s Endgame (1957), identified by Martin Esslin as one of the seminal plays of The Theatre of the Absurd, is at once disturbing and deeply humorous.  The meaning of the play is open to the interpretation of the audience; has the world experienced some sort of catastrophe, or is it all in the minds of the characters?

2010-2011 season The Shape of Things, by Neil LaBute “Everybody has the ability to be manipulative, to be hateful and deceitful,” says playwright Neil LaBute.  In The Shape of Things, LaBute proves just this when Adam, an awkward security guard at an art museum, and Evelyn, an art student with a hidden agenda, serendipitously meet, leading to a relationship that transforms Adam’s entire person: his look, attitude, and life choices. But are these changes inspired by the benevolent and caring suggestions of a lover, or do they have a different motivator? This comedic and ultimately harsh look at the lengths at which love, human cruelty, the drive to succeed, and friendship can intertwine will shock and intrigue the audience. The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams Written in 1944, William’s award-winning, semi-autographical play focuses on a young man’s heart-wrenching choice between his love for his family and his need to pursue his dreams, amid the turmoil of the Great Depression. Lysistrata, or the Sex Strike, by Aristophanes adapted by Germaine Greer In the face of the Peloponnesian War, one high society woman devises a plan to achieve peace by declaring a treaty among women. Her plan: no peace, no sex! This farcical laugh riot will have you squirming in your seat and begging for more as the women hilariously tantalize their men into giving up their warlike ways.   This adaptation by Germaine Greer takes what Aristophanes considered a ridiculous idea--that of women in power--and transforms it into a show that is as liberating as it is side-splitting. Greer manages to explore themes of sex relations, class discrepancies, and the ludicrous nature of war that can easily be placed in a contemporary context. An Evening of Student-Directed Ten-Minute Plays From one woman’s obsession with chocolate, to an unusual, Welsh ritual surrounding death, there is great variety in subject among these highly entertaining plays, which include The Stronger, by August Strindberg, The Divine Fallacy, by Tina Howe, Hippie Van Gumdrop, by Dan LeFranc, The Sin-eater, by Don Nigro, Swan Song, by Anton Chekhov, Ohio Impromptu, by Samuel Beckett, The Chocolate Affair, by Stephanie Allison Walker, Seeing the Light, by Robert McKay, After, by Carol K. Mack, The First Fireworks, by Alex Broun, and Body Talk, by Tanya Palmer.   2009-2010 season Little Shop of Horrors composed by Alan Menken and written by Howard Ashman A collaboration between the Department of Theatre Studies and the Department of Music, this rock musical spoof on 1950’s sci-fi films, tells the story of a florist’s assistant whose brilliant discovery of a strange, new (and, unfortunately, people-eating) plant, brings notoriety to the Skid Row flower shop in which he works. Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl A re-imagining of the Orpheus myth, told from Eurydice’s point of view. The play follows Eurydice as she rides a raining elevator down to the underworld, where she meets her father. In the underworld, Eurydice re-learns language and memory until she has to make her ultimate decision—whether to follow Orpheus back to the land of the living. Tartuffe by Moliere adapted by Ranjit Bolt Originally banned in France and, later, in Canada, Moliere’s hilarious verse play introduces seemingly devoted man of God, Tartuffe, and his plot to take over the household of his dear friend, Orgon. Featuring a cast of wonderful, commedia-influenced characters, the play satirizes religious hypocrisy and blind devotion.

For more information, contact Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon at 828-966-5500 or gordonkc@brevard.edu.

2008-2009 season

Two Rooms, by Lee Blessing
Two Rooms is American playwright Lee Blessing’s deeply moving work about an American professor held captive in Beirut, and his wife’s desperate struggle to bring him home. As the play begins, Lainie is faced with the most difficult decision of her life; whether to risk speaking to a reporter, or to remain quiet, as advised by her State Department liaison.  The consequences of Lainie’s decision play out in the course of the play, raising difficult questions for all concerned.
 
Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy weaves the tale of two young, star-crossed lovers who are forced to their untimely ends due to a long-standing feud between their families.  Lust, violence, vengeance, retribution, love, sacrifice and forgiveness collide in a whirlwind of passion that will leave you breathless.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin
 
Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin
Clever and funny play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, is set in a real-life Parisian bar, Le Lapin Agile, a popular gathering place for artists, musicians, and writers. On the night when the action takes place, in October 1904, a group of unforgettable characters, including Picasso, Einstein, and a Visitor from the future, gather to drink and discuss the 20thcentury. 
 
Forget-Me-Not, by IWIL
A one-act play based on oral interviews conducted by students in the Institute for Women in Leadership program (IWIL),Forget Me Not is the story of five women who have survived domestic abuse.