School of Theatre and Film unveils 2011-12 MainStage Arizona Centennial Season

Who
The ASU School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

What
The ASU School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute unveils the 2011-12 MainStage Arizona Centennial Season, celebrating the richness of Arizona cultures through music, song and dramatic explorations of social issues.

The 2011-12 MainStage Centennial Season includes three plays along with the 7th Annual Student Film Festival and a continuation of the popular New Works Series, titled The Arizona Centennial Project, with works illuminating Arizona stories from the past and present. The season is designed to inspire, intrigue and entertain diverse audiences of varied ages, cultures and backgrounds, reaching out into communities, schools, clubs and civic organizations to create an environment of inclusion and reflection for all.

“We have a great deal to celebrate and to praise about our history,” says Guillermo Reyes, interim director of the School of Theatre and Film. “But we want more than a commemoration. We also want to challenge and to look critically at where we have come from and where we are going… and we want to have fun while we are doing it!

“As part of the New Work Series we are developing plays that address Arizona’s Centennial,” Reyes says. “Here we celebrate, commemorate and confront, as the three plays range from the historical to the contemporary.” The 2011-12 MainStage Arizona Centennial Season runs from October 2011 through April 2012.

2011-12 MainStage Season:
Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez
Directed by Andres Alcala 
Oct. 7-23, 2011 
Lyceum Theatre, ASU Tempe campus
Valdez’s riveting play with music and dance portrays the life of a young man who is falsely accused of murder after the infamous 1943 Los Angeles Zoot Suit riots. As the play unfolds, the spirit of the indigenous Pachuco guides him towards self-understanding. 

The AZ Centennial Plays
Directed by Dan Schay 
Oct. 21-30, 2011 
Nelson Fine Arts Center Room 133, ASU Tempe campus
We asked playwrights across the country to reflect on their views of Arizona in its 100th year of statehood — and to write their impressions down in short plays. The results will surprise you, offend you, and/or delight you. This collection of one-act plays features something for everyone. Part of the Arizona Centennial Project New Works Series. This show contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

The Misanthrope, adapted from Moliere’s classic comedy, by Lauren Marshall 
Directed by William Partlan 
Nov. 12 - Dec. 4, 2011
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse, ASU Tempe campus
Moliere meets Metallica in this delightful heavy-metal adaptation of the classic comedy, in which a young rocker becomes a misanthrope when he can’t withstand the hypocritical rules and games of the music scene. It’s Moliere, it’s rock ‘n roll and we like it. This show contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Untold Stories / Unsung Heroes by Jeremiah Neal
Directed by Pam Sterling 
Feb. 10-19, 2012
Lyceum Theatre, ASU Tempe campus
The untold history and imagined future of Arizona as a state — and a state of mind — is featured in this dramatic exploration that uses old-fashioned storytelling and music combined with cutting-edge digital images and spoken-word performances. Part of the Arizona Centennial Project New Works Series.

American Victory by Jose Zarate, adapted from the book American Victory by Henry Cejudo with Bill Plaschke 
Directed by Guillermo Reyes 
March 2-11, 2012
Nelson Fine Arts Center Room 133, ASU Tempe campus
Raised in a family of immigrants in Phoenix, Henry Cejudo wrestles his way to local and national championships, and goes all the way to the Beijing Olympics in 2008. A true story about a local young man’s struggle for American identity and the quest for Olympic gold. Part of the Arizona Centennial Project New Works Series.

The House of the Spirits by Caridad Svich, based on the international best-selling novel by Isabel Allende
Directed by Rachel Bowditch 
April 5-15, 2012
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse, ASU Tempe campus
The haunting novel by Isabel Allende comes to the stage in this fascinating adaptation, showing the struggles of a landed, privileged family in a South American nation, as three generations of women face up to a powerful patriarch and dictatorship in the 20th Century.

The 7th Annual Student Film Festival
Directed by F. Miguel Valenti
April, 23-24, 2012 
Valley Art® Theatre, 509 S. Mill Ave., Tempe, Ariz. 
This traditionally sold-out event showcases the work of dozens of filmmakers eager to see their work on the big screen. The festival highlights the best emerging talent in Film & Media Production in the ASU School of Theatre and Film, the first in the nation to offer an ethical approach to filmmaking. Audience members can pick their favorite in the 10-minute film competition. This event is co-sponsored by the ASU Student Film Association.

Where
Lyceum Theatre, 901. S. Forest Mall, ASU Tempe campus
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse, 51 E. 10th St., ASU Tempe campus
Prism Theatre, 970 E. University Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281
Valley Art® Theatre, 509 S. Mill Ave., Tempe AZ 85281

When
The 2011–12 MainStage Season opens Oct. 7, 2011, and continues through the end of the spring 2012 semester. Sign language interpretation is available. Please contact the Herberger Institute box office at 480.965.6447 at least four weeks prior to performance date for requests.

Cost
$8–$16; Seniors, ASU faculty, staff and students receive special rates. Editor’s note: rates are subject to change.

Public Contact
Herberger Institute box office, 480.965.6447
School of Theatre and Film. 480.965.5337 
http://mainstage.asu.edu

The School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University provides a comprehensive range of courses in performance and directing; design and production; new work development; theatre and performance studies; film; and theatre for youth. Its Theatre for Youth program is nationally ranked in the top three and the dramatic writing/playwriting program is ranked 15th among public institutions by U.S.News & World Report. To learn more about the School of Theatre and Film, visit theatrefilm.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Laurie Trotta Valenti
ASU School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute
480.965.3381
laurie.trotta@asu.edu