Purdue News

September 3, 1999 Theatre announces inaugural Studio Theatre season WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The 1999-2000 theater season at Purdue University marks the advent of Studio Theatre, which replaces the former Second Season and offers two productions with full design support in the Black Box Theatre, Creative Arts Building 3. "Baby With the Bathwater," a satiric black comedy by Christopher Durang, opens the Purdue Studio Theatre season. Called "a typical example of [Durang's] dangerous wit and anarchic sense of humor" by the New York Post, "Baby With the Bathwater" provides an outrageous look at the revered institution of parenthood. Larry Sommers, assistant director in the Division of Recreational Sports at Purdue, directs the production, which will play Oct. 21-24. Studio Theatre's second-semester production will be "The Dining Room" by A.R. Gurney. This comedy of manners takes audiences on a trip through time, examining the changing customs of American society through the events that take place in a single dining room. Richard Stockton Rand, associate professor of theater, directs "The Dining Room," which will play March 30-April 2. Studio Theatre production tickets are $5 and are on sale now at the Loeb Box Office, Stewart Center, or by calling (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Again this season, The Experimental Theatre in Stewart Center provides the setting for the student-produced Purdue Theatre Festival. Last season, the two-day Avant Garde Theatre Festival was performed for two standing-room-only audiences. This year, the festival will be presented over three nights, Feb. 3-5. Admission is free. The previously announced Mainstage season fills out Purdue Theatre's schedule for the coming year. Mainstage season subscriptions are $34 for adults and $22 for students and senior citizens at the Loeb Box Office, Stewart Center, or by calling (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. The Mainstage season opens with William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winner "The Time of Your Life" (1939). Important in the history of American theater, this series of vignettes illuminates the destiny we carry as we affect people we meet and see throughout our lives. "The Time of Your Life" is a compelling snapshot of American history in 1939 that is, in many ways, prophetic. Directed Dale Miller, professor of visual and performing arts, it will play Sept. 23-Oct. 3. Next up is Sarah Daniel's "The Gut Girls," which examines Victorian notions of femininity, the cost and subsequent value of self-worth, and self-determination as upper and lower class English women struggle to define their roles in society. This 1989 play, directed by Kristine Holtvedt, associate professor of visual and performing arts, will play Nov. 11-21. The Bard returns to the Loeb Playhouse as Purdue Theatre stages "The Comedy of Errors" in February. This early work by Shakespeare revolves around the notion of mistaken identity. A guest director has yet to be announced. Performances will be in the Loeb Playhouse Feb. 18-20 and 24-26. The Mainstage season concludes with Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia" (1993). This award-winning, intricate play on gothic themes investigates the nature of truth and time, and the difference between the Classical and Romantic temperament. An intriguing work that melds topics ranging from quantum physics to gardening, "Arcadia" is certain to appeal to diverse audiences. Directed by Kristine Holtvedt, it will play April 13-22. CONTACT:  Lori Sparger, Purdue Theatre publicist, (765) 494-3084, theatre@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page