Theatre VCU announces 2000-01 season

By Lissette Linares and Ann Ford

RICHMOND, Va. – Five plays never before seen in Richmond will claim center stage in Virginia Commonwealth University’s 60th theatre season. Through a mix of comedy, tragedy, drama and allegory, the 2000-01 season will take theatergoers on a journey from 18th century Spain to the contemporary streets of New York City.

For the third year, the season will offer four mainstage productions at the Raymond Hodges Theatre in the VCU Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Ave. The remaining play will be shown in Off-Broadway fashion at VCU’s Shafer Street Playhouse, Shafer Court. The season will feature:

• "Night Sky."
  Through both drama and humor, playwright Susan Yankowitz tells the story of Anna, played by Janet Rodgers, VCU theater professor. After a traumatic brain injury, this gifted astronomer is unable to communicate with the world around her. The play explores her recovery and the effects of her impairment on relationships with her teen-age daughter and her partner and on her career. Noreen Barnes-McLain, Ph.D., director of graduate studies at Theatre VCU, is director for the show; Tony Award nominee Scott Bradley is the set designer. "Night Sky" will be produced at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5-8 and 11-14 and at 2:30 Oct. 8 in Hodges Theatre.

• "Madness of George III." Written by Alan Bennett, this play takes place in Britain during the reign of George III. The king is struck by an illness that is makes him mad. The play details the devious plotting of both members of the court and the king’s son, the Prince of Wales, and explores the vulnerability of man regardless of status. Third-year graduate student Christopher Shorr will direct. The show will be produced at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19-22 at Shafer Street Playhouse.

• "Umbilical Discord."
  Topping off the fall portion is the world premiere of "Umbilical Discord," written by Lora Lee Cliff and VCU’s Janet Wilson, a third-year graduate student. The play tells of three sisters who attempt to stop their mother from marrying a younger man, sure that he is after her money. This farce of family life offers a number of surprising twists. Third-year graduate student Robin Armstrong will direct. The show will run at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9-11 and 15-18 and at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in Hodges Theatre.

• "The Day the Bronx Died."
  Opening the spring shows is Michael Henry Brown’s "The Day the Bronx Died," offered in coordination with Black History Month. The play explores parents’ struggle to protect their families from violence in an urban New York neighborhood. Directed by Gary C. Hopper, assistant chairman of Theatre VCU, the show will be produced at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-17 and 21-24 and at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in Hodges Theatre.

• "Sueno."
  Loyalty and family honor battle illusion with shimmering swords and shattered hearts in Jose Rivera’s adaptation of Calderon’s "Life is a Dream." William Roudebush, guest director in residence for spring 2001, will direct the show, set in the Spanish Golden Age. Roudebush will come to VCU from the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. "Sueno" will be produced at Hodges Theater at 7:30 p.m. March 29-30 and April 4-7, and at 2:30 p.m. April 1.

For tickets, call the Theatre VCU Box Office at (804) 828-6026. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for VCU faculty and staff and non-VCU students; and free for VCU students.