5X’s School of Theatre and Dance opens its 2013-2014 season with Irish author Oliver Goldsmith’s comedy of manners She Stoops to Conquer running Oct. 4–13 in Wright-Curtis Theatre, 1325 Theatre Drive in the Center for Performing Arts (formerly Music and Speech Building). For tickets, call 330-672-ARTS (2787), purchase online at or in person at the Performing Arts Box Office located in the Roe Green Center lobby at 1325 Theatre Drive, Monday - Friday, noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $16 for adults; $14 for Kent State alumni, faculty and staff; $12 for seniors (60+); and $8 for college students outside of Kent State or 18 years and under. All full-time, Kent Campus undergraduate students are free of charge. Groups of 10 or more are $10 per person. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash. Opening night is Friday, Oct. 4, and features a free reception following the production.
The play, which was first performed in London in 1773, is a great, generous-hearted and ingenious comedy of the English language, which offers a celebration of chaos, courtship and the dysfunctional family.
The production is directed by professor and equity actor Eric van Baars, who comes off his recent Porthouse Theatre directorial debut of Fiddler on the Roof, which played to record numbers and glowing reviews this summer. Graduate student and equity actress Tracee Patterson assists van Baars in directing the performance. The production features the talents of costume design graduate student Susan Williams, scenic design by Ben Williams, lighting design by Dave Ruggles, technical direction by Ryan T. Patterson and production stage management by Cullen Motak.
“This play is mischievous and silly,” says van Baars. “It’s been so much fun to direct the students and watch them discover their comedic timing in this timeless farce. Audiences are in for a real treat. Not to mention that the costumes are astonishingly lavish and authentic.”
The School of Theatre and Dance celebrates its 100th anniversary on Oct. 25 with the opening of Plain and Fancy directed by Terri Kent, professor and director of the musical theatre program and artistic director of Porthouse Theatre. A special dinner to raise scholarship funds will take place in the EZ Theatre on Oct. 25. For more information, contact the School of Theatre and Dance at 330-672-2082.