Student Production looks at theatre from “Way Down South”
WHAT: Student Production in the Herberger College of Fine Arts at ASU presents “Way Down South,” an evening of two hilarious one-act plays that look from a comic perspective at dramatic theatre pieces. Student Production is a student driven organization within the Department of Theatre that is committed to providing opportunity, resources and support to ASU students who are ready for the challenge of bringing their artistic vision to life.
WHEN: October 6-8 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Student Laboratory Theatre at the Prism, 851 E. Tyler Street in the Ritter Building on the ASU cam pus (northwest corner of Terrace and Rural, just south of University Drive).
TICKETS: $3 available at the door only.
INFORMATION, TICKETS: Call 480-727-7877 or e-mail: student_production@hotmail.com
Laughter ensues as writers David Mamet and Christopher Durang take famous theatrical pieces and look at them in a completely new way. Each poses the question, “What if?”
What if in “The Glass Menagerie,” Laura loved cocktail stirrers instead of glass figurines? What if the character of Bobby Gould in “Speed the Plow” died and was considered so “cruel without being interesting” that he was banished to hell for eternity? The result is a feel-good night that will make audiences laugh out loud.
The first one-act of the evening is the play “For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls,” written by Christopher Durang and directed by ASU student Jon Odom. Durang examines the play “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams in a completely different light and finds an abundance of comedy amidst a dark and serious play.
Durang grew up liking the play as a child but as an adult found “Laura’s sensitivity frustrating. I mean how hard is typing class, really?”
The second one-act is “Bobby Gould in Hell,” written by David Mamet and directed by ASU student Meghan Melcher. Audiences first met Bobby Gould, a ruthless movie executive who did anything to get to the top, in Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.” Now audiences get a second chance to meet him…in Hell. As a person “cruel without being interesting,” he is condemned to eternity with the interrogator’s assistant who will stop at nothing to make sure that Bobby knows exactly what kind of man he was when he spent his days on earth.
Directors Melcher and Odom are so passionate about theatre that they involve themselves in all facets of the art form. Both are involved in constructing sets, designing lights, acting and now directing. “I have been, as of late, placing the majority of my time and thought into the design aspects of theatre and have been craving to direct again,” says Odom.
“Way Down South” is the second show in the Student Production Season. It will be followed by Jean Paul Sarte’s existential piece “No Exit,” running November 3–5.
Media Contact:
Megan Krause
480-965-8795
megan.krause@asu.edu