Purdue News

May 22, 1998 Purdue Theatre announces 1998-99 mainstage season WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Tony Award-winning Sondheim musical production and this year's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama highlight the 1998-99 Purdue University Theatre mainstage season. The season opens with Noel Coward's "Private Lives," a witty, madcap comedy about a divorced couple who meet in Deauville while honeymooning with their new spouses. Directed by Dale Miller, "Private Lives" plays on the Experimental Theatre stage Sept. 24 through Oct. 4. Audiences Nov. 12-22 will be among the first to see 1998's Pulitzer Prize winner for drama, "How I Learned to Drive." by Paula Vogel. This heartbreaking tale of damaged lives moves through its jumbled chronology in a manner echoing the chaotic jumble of recovered memory. Master of fine arts degree candidate Eric Sydnor directs the play, which will be performed at the Experimental Theatre. Marking the long-awaited return of musical theater to the Purdue Theatre repertoire, the Theatre Division teams with Purdue Musical Organizations Feb. 19-27 for the Loeb Playhouse production of "Into the Woods." Regarded by many critics as Stephen Sondheim's greatest work, Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning play weaves together fairy tale characters -- Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the beanstalk -- in an examination of what happens after "happily ever after." Suitable for audiences of all ages, this production will be directed by Kristine Holtvedt with musicial direction by PMO's Jonathan Swoboda. The mainstage season concludes April 15-25 with Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House." This 1879 tale of Nora, a woman who leaves her marriage to find herself, marks the beginning of modern drama. It is the first Ibsen play to link his depiction of people to the disarray behind the family veneer. The 1997 Broadway revival of "A Doll's House" won four Tony Awards. Richard Stockton Rand directs the play at the Experimental Theatre. Again this year, patrons can "Buy Three and See One Free" by purchasing season subscription tickets. Season tickets are $34 for adults and $22 for students and senior citizens. To purchase tickets, call the Loeb Box Office at (765) 494-3933. CONTACT: Lori Sparger, Division of Theatre, (765) 494-3084; e-mail: theatre@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page