The University of Houston’s School of Theatre & Dance continues to explore bold new territories of theater while revisiting popular stage classics. For its 2012-13 season, the school spotlights timeless works from master playwrights and performances from emerging stage talents.
Season highlights include Caryl Churchill’s “Serious Money,” Tony Kushner’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children,” Georges Feydeau’s “Paradise Hotel” and Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
Season subscriptions are on sale now for $60. Tickets for individual plays will be available in September. Performances are in UH’s Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre and the Jose Quintero Theatre. For additional details, call 713-743-2929 or visit the box office website.
The following plays are included in the school’s subscription series.
- Sept. 28 – Oct. 7: “Serious Money” by Caryl Churchill – directed by Christopher Owens
Revisit Thatcher-era England, a country on the verge of financial chaos. Still, money lust and materialism rules the day. Stock traders and brokers make daily decisions that impact lives across the nation. When a trader turns up dead, the authorities suspect insider dealings, but the hunt for cash continues. This play will be performed in UH’s Quintero Theatre.
- Oct. 26 – Nov. 4: “Mother Courage and Her Children” by Bertolt Brecht, adapted by Tony Kushner – directed by Keith Byron Kirk
In the 1930s, Anna “Mother Courage” Fierling traverses a war-torn wilderness with her children and a wagon filled with wares. Profiting from this mobile commissary, Mother Courage struggles to keep her family and business in tact. Pulitzer Prize winner Kushner updates Brecht’s classic for 21st-century audiences. This play will be performed in UH’s Wortham Theatre.
- Feb. 22 – March 3: “Paradise Hotel” by Georges Feydeau – directed by Gus Kaikkonen
Feydeau’s farce focuses on unhappily married Benoit Pinglet, who arranges a rendezvous with his business partner’s wife, Marcelle. Their tryst at a notorious love hotel is interrupted by its staff, guests and unexpected visitors (including Pinglet’s maid and Marcelle’s husband). This play will be performed in UH’s Wortham Theatre.
- April 19 – 28: “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare – directed by Sara Becker
The Bard’s masterpiece has all of the ingredients of a classic comedy: mistaken identity, cross-dressing, wrestling, fools, snakes, lions and more. The story follows Rosalind and Celia’s flight from a corrupt kingdom. Donning disguises, they venture into the Forest of Arden with court jester Touchstone. There, they find romantic misadventure as only the Bard can deliver. This play will be performed in UH’s Quintero Theatre.
- April 26 – 28: Ensemble Annual Dance Concert
Dance fans look forward to this annual event that showcases the talents of faculty and guest artists, as well as pre-professional dance company, the UH Dance Ensemble. The concert will be performed in UH’s Wortham Theatre.
Additional productions include:
- Dec. 6
– 8: Emerging Choreographers Showcase
The creative energies of up-and-coming choreographers are showcased in this annual concert that has become a favorite among dance enthusiasts. This dance concert will be performed in UH’s Quintero Theatre. - Nov. 30
– Dec. 8: “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Anderson – directed by Jon L.
Egging
Anderson’s classic tale comes to life at UH. The sinister Snow Queen wants to reign over a frozen world with the assistance of her bewitched slave Cei. Young Gerda rushes to rescue Cei and defeat the Snow Queen. This play will be performed in UH’s Wortham Theatre.
###
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 39,500 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country. For more information about UH, visit http://www.uh.edu/news-events/.