Spring 2008 Theatre Productions

During the spring of 2008, University Theatre scheduled two major productions.

Hedda Gabler (view the photo album)

Hedda Gabler, a play by Henrik Ibsen, opened on February 20 for a three-day run. When asked why he selected Hedda for University Theatre, Dr. Pat Farmer, Walton Professor of Theatre, commented, “I view University Theatre as a living library of dramatic works.  Educational theatres have a responsibility to present plays from all periods of dramatic literature, so that new generations may discover the vibrancy and immediacy of great theatrical literature from the past.  The characters in Hedda Gabler are not so different from modern individuals.  We all have desires, strive for our success, and are  frustrated by the limitations society places on us.  Hedda Gabler helps us put our lives and our world into perspective.”

Hedda Gabler is the psychological study of a woman born before her time.  Mrs. Hedda Gabler Tesman is the most intelligent citizen of her provincial Norwegian town.  Beautiful, and blessed with a quick and incisive mind, she is limited in her life choices by her sex.  With marriage and motherhood the only opportunities available to her, Hedda chafes under the strictures and limitations of her Victorian world.  Her marriage to a promising university professor offers her only boredom and stupor.  Her struggle to assert herself, to find her place in the world, and to make a significant contribution to society results in an ending that shocked and scandalized audiences for many years.

Students Lacey Kennedy (costume designer and wardrobe crew supervisor), Leah Short ( makeup designer and dresser), Erin Fuller ( sound designer and light board operator) and Jena Moreau ( stage manager) worked with Professor Bruce Brown (lighting and graphic designer and technical director) to create an atmosphere that captured the real essence of the Victorian era -- with results that were described by some in the audience as "spectacular!"

The cast featured:

• Annie Mitchell as Hedda Gabler
• Kristina Davenport as Thea Elvested
• Phillip Perez as George Tesman
• Danielle Stover as Aunt Julia Tesman
• Andrew Charles Heim as Judge Brack
• Josh Tarvin as Eilert Lovborg
• Grace Harnish as Berthe

The Mousetrap (view the photo album)

In 1952 Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap opened in London. A classic English whodunit, The Mousetrap features all the conventions of the genre: archetypal characters, an isolated manor house, an incisive detective, clues galore, red herrings, and a surprise ending.

The Mousetrap is set at Monkswell Manor, which was recently converted into a hotel by a young couple, Giles and Mollie Ralston. When a snowstorm confines the couple and their guests in the hotel, they are frightened when Sergeant Trotter arrives on skis with the news that a murderer could be on his way to the hotel. But when one of the guests -- Mrs. Boyle -- is killed, they realize the murderer is already there. Although the group first suspects Christopher Wren, it soon becomes apparant that the killer could be any one of the guests -- or even the hosts themselves.

The April 2008 University theatre production of The Mousetrap was directed by Dr. Pat Farmer. The cast was:

• Rebecca Arnold as Mollie Ralston
• Josh Tarvin as Giles Ralston
• Phillip Perez as Christopher Wren
• Jenava Moreau as Mrs. Boyle
• Martin Morales as Major Metcalf
• Erin Fuller as Miss Casewell
• Jeff Haynes II as Mr. Paravicini
• Andrew Charles Heim as Detective Sergeant Trotter

Crew

Houston Hall – Curtain Operator
Brigitte Bridoux – Sound Board Operator
Lacey Kennedy – Light Board Operator
Grace Harnish – Wardrobe Crew Chief
Kristina Davenport – Wardrobe Crew
Richard Chen – Wardrobe Crew
Annie Mitchell – Stage Crew Chief
Lissa Malcom – Stage Crew
Colin Johnson – Stage Crew – Electrics
Catalina Ruiz – Props Run Crew
Danielle Stover – Box Office Manager

Set Designer and Technical Director - Bruce B. Brown
Lighting Designer - Lacey Kennedy
Costume Designer - Erin Fuller
Graphic Designer - Annie Mitchell
Sound Designer - Jenava Moreau
Stage Manager - Leah Short

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