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!

The Blank Slate:

Picasso... has come and gone.

We played to a fine set of audiences (Sold out Friday night!)

Not bad for 4 weeks work, eh?

What are your thoughts?

Picasso at the Lapin Agile!!!!

Picasso... Opens Tonight!!!!

Come see!

8:00 pm tonight and Thursday

7:30 pm Friday (Parents Weekend Show)

5:00 Saturday

Tech Week Push!!!

Stop in and help!!!!

Scene Shop

Costume Shop

Lighting Grid

Come on, folks. Let's get this thing done!

Today!

Centre Players Clean-up day: 10 - 2

Tomorrow!

Pic-i-nic: 12 - 4 (Meet behind the Norton Center at 11:45 for the caravan to the lake)

Work Calls for Picasso:

(These times are also on the DramaCentre Calendar - Link on the right)

Today (Wednesday)

12:30 - 4:30 pm

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Tomorrow (Thursday)

10:00 - 11:30 am

12:30 - 4:00 pm

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Friday

12:30 - 4:00 pm

See you there! (In the shop, that is.)

Experience helpful but not necessary.

-M

1st Day of School!!!!

Everybody have their lunchboxes? New school shoes? Shelves for your lockers?

Reminder:

Expo - Thursday

CentrePlayers - Friday @ 4:15

Clean-up / Work day - Saturday 10 - 2

Pic-i-nic - Sunday @ 12:00

Auditions for Earnest - Monday and Tuesday

Then breathe.......

Welcome back!

-M

Okay - So here we go with Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

The cast returns this weekend and we hit the ground running on Sunday with a pretty full day of rehearsals with a nice dinner at the "Dew-Lock's" at the break.

If you're coming back for work on the play, remember to stop by the house: 134 St. Mildred's (across from Rhodes House) after 12:00 noon on Sunday to get your key.

You will also need to go to the housing office to fill out paperwork on monday morning, but we've put that in your schedule so no worries.

If you are not involved, and wish to be, just let me know when you get back or shoot me an email.

See you all soon.

-MRH

Oh - the website has been updated as well. Enjoy!

Beginning of the year update:

Well, perhaps the most significant thing is that the entire Drama faculty is back on-campus, off sabbaticals and ready to get to work (sort of).
Tony returns to us after a year of professional acting and directing and some glorious travel. Ask him.

Additionally, we have a new member of the Drama Family, J. Theresa Bush (She just goes by Theresa) our new Graduate Assistant in the Costume Shop. She will be starting right away with pretty much gutting the shop and starting over, with a serious cleaning out of stock not far behind. She will be in the Shop most days, so stop in and introduce yourselves and lend a hand.

Other news: There is a new Calendar for the season. the link is to the right hand side of this page. It will automatically update as things get added to it. Please email me if you have something to be posted (black box readings, auditions, etc.)

I have heard about one student production in the Black Box (Cameron? You out there?) but "more is more". Surely we can do better than that.

We have made a change in the administration of the program that you should be aware of: Patrick will now serve as Academic Chair and I will serve as Production Manager. So if you have questions about departmental stuff (classes, etc.) see PKM, I you have production issues (crew assignments, budgets, etc.) see me. We'll be learning as we go where the real divisions are, but this should make things run a little more efficiently.

So - welcome back (or almost-back as the case may be).

Reply with what you've done over the summer, theatrical or otherwise and stop in and see us when you get back to campus.
-MRH

New DramaCentre online calendar:

See the link to your right.

It's been a little while so how about a pointless poll?

Why do you deserve Fall Break more than the average overworked, overcommitted, stressed out, can't-because-I-have-rehearsal Centre student?

Carpentry call schedule!
All calls are 6:30 - 9:00 pm unless otherwise noted.
Today! - Wednesday, Sept. 19th
Sept. 20th
Sept. 21st

Sept. 24th
Sept. 26th
Sept. 27th

Oct. 1st
Oct. 4th
Oct. 5th Saturday, Oct. 6th from 12:00 - 4:00

Oct. 8th

Oct. 15th
Oct. 17th
Oct. 18th

Oct. 24th
Oct. 25th
Saturday, Oct. 27th from 1:00 - 5:00

Oct. 29th

Beyond that we'll have to wait and see where we are.

If you wish to work on the set at other times, see Will in the shop for details.

Thanks again to all those that said they were interested in helping out.
Remember, no experience necessary!

-MRH

Open thread.....

So, the fine folk from Cambridge have come and gone.

What are your impressions of the experience?