Greetings from DramaCentre.

We are very excited to have everyone heading back into our midst in the coming days and I thought I'd take an opportunity to bring you up to date on some happenings and other information you might find helpful as you start the school year.

1. Productions: We have three mainstage productions this year.
The Ugly One, by Marius Meyerhoff for Family Weekend.
This has been cast and goes into rehearsal on Sunday, but there are still some opportunities to get involved on running crews, constructions crews, publicity, etc. If you're interested, please let me know.

Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard Directed by Tony Haigh Goes up the first weekend in November. Auditions are at the beginning of the 2nd week of classes. Look for more information forthcoming.

The spring play is an adaptation of the children's book The Giver Directed by Patrick Kagan-Moore. This show goes up in April. More details to follow on that as well.

2. Dates, Meetings, etc.

CentrePlayers mtg. Friday, Sept. 3rd at 4:20 in Grant 502 THE pace to be to meet the drama folk. (students, faculty, staff, friends, families, dogs, etc) and learn about what's coming in the year.

CentrePlayers work day Saturday, Sept. 4th Generally cleaning up our spaces (prop storage, costume storage, shops, etc.) for the year to come.

CentrePlayers Pic-i-nic Sunday, Sept 5th We go to a lake nearby and swim, boat, eat, hang out, have fun. NOT to be missed.

3. KTA (THE KENTUCKY THEATRE ASSOCIATION) Festival will be held at Centre this year during the week of our fall production of Arcadia. We are serving as hosts so this will be a BIG deal in our world that week. We'll be looking for an all-hands-on-deck effort from everyone to really put our best foot forward for our guests. Again, more details to come.

We are really looking forward to the year and getting down to work. See you soon!

-Matthew

Brazilian theater director Augusto Boal dies

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Sat May 2, 7:51 pm ET

RIO DE JANEIRO – Augusto Boal, the Brazilian theater director and playwright known for the interactive genre called the "Theater of the Oppressed," died Saturday. He was 78.

Boal died of respiratory failure following a long battle with leukemia, according to Elisa Nunes, a spokeswoman for Rio's Hospital Samaritano.

Boal, who studied theater arts at New York City's Columbia University, created Theater of the Oppressed in the early 1960s as a way to establish a dialogue between audience, playwright, director and actors that encouraged political activism.

Seen as a threat to the dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985, Boal was arrested, jailed and tortured before being exiled to Argentina.

He returned to Brazil after the fall of the military regime.

2009- 2010 Season:

Family Weekend (Sept. 30th - Oct. 3rd)

Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard

Cast: 3 men (2 African American, 1 Caucasian)

Directed by Jane Dewey

Auditions: 4:15, Friday, May 9th and 12:00 noon Saturday, May 10th (or by appointment with the director.)

Fall Show (Nov 18th - 21st)

Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin

Cast: 7 women

Directed by Tony Haigh

Auditions TBA

Spring (April 14th - 17th)

A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare

Cast: LOTS

Directed by Patrick Kagan-Moore

Auditions TBA

Holiday Poll.

Favorite Holiday TV special and why.

Have a merry!

                                              

 (I said Whoa!)

End of the term, as we know it!

Everyone on Tony's English Regional Theatre trip - Have a great time! 

Don't be afraid of Hull. 

Enjoy Stratford, it really is one of those places that is connected to all of us. 

See shows - see shows - see shows. As many as you can.

Give in to the Panto. You are powerless to stop it.

Look out for wayward sheep.

Enjoy your rooms in Manchester - the family that runs the B&B is lovely.

Also - more information soon on the NYC trip. I can tell you as of now we're looking at about $2k per person.

This was a very fine Fall Term. Picasso..., ...Earnest, Directing scenes galore. Seriously - nice work, everyone.

So - we'll see you after the holidays, or if you are abroad in the Spring - we'll see you next fall.

Happiest of holidays to you and yours.

-Matthew

Thanksgiving. A time to reflect on those things that you value. A time to contemplate the gifts presented to you by others, by your own efforts, by whatever creator you honor. And as important - a time to give voice to that gratitude. We make a public declaration: "I am thankful for__________". I think I find this to be the most powerful part of the "ceremony" of Thanksgiving. 

So this year: I am thankful for friends, family, and the blessedly blurred line between the two. I am thankful for our country. For new beginnings. For a sense of hope. (and not just the Obama-kind).

I am thankful for the people I make theatre with. I am truly blessed to have such generous and dedicated partners in the cause.

What about you? Care to share YOUR Thanksgivings with us?

Summer!!! (Remember summer?)

Please respond / post with what (theatrical or related) you did last summer. We're collecting this information for a departmental report, but it would be fun to lay it out for all to see as well.

So - I'll start:

I designed the scenery for The Merry Wives of Windsor at Equus Run's Shakespeare Festival in Midway, KY., directed by and featuring our very own Tony Haigh. Mary Whitehurst ('10) was my design assistant.

You next!