2012-2013 Season

Take a look at information from the 2011-2012 season.

Behold the Coach, in a Blazer, Uninsured (and other good intentions)*

Five short plays written by Will Eno
Directed by Henry MacCarthy
October 25-27, 8:00 p.m.
October 28, 2:00 p.m.

Hailed by the New York Times as “the Samuel Beckett of the Jon Stewart generation. Will Eno’s collection of short plays present his unmistakable voice—aggressively stylized, unendingly compassionate, flecked with weird, bleak humor.” (New York Times) In these five stories Eno explores the grief and wonder behind the public face in times of crisis, exposing “the terrible hope and hilarious uncertainty of being alive.” (The Guardian)

Brutally honest and incredibly funny.

Theatre Gallery (two shows)

(Black Box) November 16 & 17 at 8:00 p.m., November 18 at 2:00 p.m.
(Tickets available through the Department of Theatre/Dance)

The Edge of Our Bodies

Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by Amy Seham
Karla Leitzmann ’13 – one person show

In this new play by Adam Rapp we are forced to examine what it really means to grow up. We meet 16 year old Bernadette as she rides the train to New York to share a secret with her boyfriend. As an audience, we are immediately pulled into her story of fear, passion, and loneliness. As her story enfolds, we watch Bernadette grow up and hopefully, in doing so, remember the times when our own perceptions and feelings suddenly shifted from the realm of child like adolescent to emerging adult.

At Risk

Written by Julia Tindell ‘13
Directed by Kaitlyn McElrath ‘14

All the world’s a stage and Sam’s innermost thoughts and desires are the players. As they prepare for an appointment that could change the course of their life they find that their dreams are getting in the way of evaluating the risks. Featuring Shakespearean cameos, dead baby jokes, and one incredibly active imagination, At Risk is an original one act play that asks the question: is it possible to preserve your “self” when everyone else has decided you’re abnormal?

Shared Space*

(Kresge Dance Studio)
Directed by Hollie Luckow ‘13, Katherine Arndt ‘13, Sophia Ogren-Dehn ‘13, Rachel Johnson ‘13
December 6 & 7 at 8:00 p.m.
December 8 at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

The Government Inspector*

Written by Nikolai Gogol, version by David Harrower
Directed by Henry MacCarthy
February 21 – 23, at 8:00 p.m.
February 24 at 2:00 p.m.

In this fast-paced version of Gogol’s 1836 farce, the inhabitants of a small town mistake a low rank civil servant staying at the local Inn for a Government inspector in disguise. Chaos endures when the town’s officials bend over backwards to try to please the “inspector” and save their jobs.

This comic masterpiece is a hilarious social satire on the corruption of elected officials filled with slapstick comedy and physical humor.

The Gustavus Dance Company's 25th Anniversary Concert*

Directed by Michele Rusinko & Melissa Rolnick, directors
March 22-23 at 8:00 p.m.
March 24 at 2:00 p.m.
Anderson Theatre

Please join us as we celebrate 25 years of creating and presenting dances that challenge, inspire and push us to see the world through different lens'. Dance that questions boundaries, preconceptions and physical limitations- dances that matter.

In addition to new works created by current Gustavus Dance Faculty Jennifer Glaws, Sarah Hauss, Melissa Rolnick and Michele Rusinko, the concert will also include work by returning guest artists Cynthia Gutierrez Garner (Gustavus Dance Faculty 2006-2009), Philip Flickinger ('01, and former performer with Diavolo Dance Theatre) and selected student choreographed work.

Ragamala Dance Company*

1,001 Buddhas: The Bards, the Gods, and the Guardians
March 26 – 28
A Gustavus Artist Series Artists in Residence
March 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Anderson Theatre

Acclaimed as one of the Indian Diaspora’s leading dance ensembles, Ragamala seamlessly carries the South Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam into the 21st century. Inspired by the philosophy, spirituality, mysticism, and myth of their South Indian heritage Artistic Directors Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy see the classical form as a dynamic, living tradition with vast potential to convey timeless themes and contemporary ideas.

1,001 Buddhas celebrates the journey of art, mythology, iconography, and ritual along the Silk Route, from the Hindu temples of India to the Buddhist temples of Japan. The specially commissioned score by Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan (chenda drums), Art Lee of (taikodrums), and Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam, two-headed drum of southeast India) accentuates the power of Ragamala’s dancers. Dance, music, and ceremony converge to embody this epic migration that continues to influence the modern world.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Senior Honors Project in Physical Theatre*

Jane Chung ‘13
April 26, 27 at 8:00 p.m.
April 28 at 2:00 p.m.
(Tickets available through the Department of Theatre/Dance)

Machinal*

Written by Sophie Treadwell
Directed by Amy Seham
May 9 – 11 at 8:00 p.m.
May 12 at 2:00 p.m.

A rare and stunning example of American Expressionist theatre, Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is hailed by critics as a masterpiece of 20th century drama.

As a playwright and intrepid reporter, Treadwell covered the sensational 1927 murder trial of Ruth Snyder, an ordinary woman who was convicted of killing her husband and later sentenced to become the first woman executed in the new electric chair. The trial inspired Treadwell to write this story of an Everywoman as she struggles to find her own voice within the mechanized pressures and entrenched power of society. When Treadwell’s play opened on Broadway in 1928, the New York Times called it, “a triumph of individual distinction, gleaming with intangible beauty.”

Ticket Information

*Tickets are available online three weeks prior to opening at gustavustickets.com or by calling 507-933-7590.

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