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Date 6-7-06
Contact Angela Kilcrease 601.266.4988
WITH PHOTOS
HATTIESBURG—Southern
Arena Theatre (SAT) at the University of Southern Mississippi celebrates
its 30th anniversary season June 29-Aug. 3, bringing another year
of surprising and upbeat summer entertainment to the Hattiesburg
area.
The season is made up of three plays running in repertory, meaning
all three productions run throughout the season in rotation. For
the anniversary year, however, SAT will offer more performances
and venues by including extra matinees and a show in the Martha
R. Tatum Theatre.
“Our audiences enjoy seeing a company of actors work in two or
three different roles over consecutive evenings,” said Lou Rackoff,
chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at Southern Miss. “SAT
has become a community tradition, and this year we have pulled out
all the stops to offer a light, fun summer fare of entertainment.”
Fun is the operative word. The Game of Love and Chance
by Marivaux is a fast and foolish comedy about an arranged marriage,
two sets of lovers, two sets of disguises, and a mischievous Harlequin
figure--set in a contemporary translation by Stephen Wadsworth.
The show opens June 29 in the Gilbert F. Hartwig Theatre under the
direction of theater professor and SAT veteran Larry Mullican.
Opening July 6 at the Martha R. Tatum Theatre, Around the World
in Eighty Days, a play by Mark Brown, is an exciting and incredibly
theatrical version of the Jules Verne adventure story. Directed
by Scot Mann, it features a race against time, unexpected drama,
intrigue and heroism, with an acting company of six that must play
more than 30 roles.
Brad Oxnam, a third-year graduate student at Southern Miss and
a cast member in two of the productions, finds rehearsing for separate
shows hard work. “It really reminds one that we do this because
we love it,” he said. “The most exciting thing I love about Around
the World in Eighty Days is that I play somewhere around 13
characters. That’s a first for me, and it’s an interesting challenge
to keep them all straight.”
The Good Doctor is Neil Simon’s hilarious version of stories
by Anton Chekhov, told in the unique style of one of America’s most
popular playwrights. Presented to critical acclaim on Broadway and
across the United States, it gives audiences one scene after another
of delightful characters in sometimes near impossible circumstances.
Monica Hayes, professor of theater, will direct the Simon play,
opening July 13 at the Gilbert F. Hartwig Theatre.
The Game of Love and Chance runs June 29-July 1, 8, 20, 25, and
28, with matinees on July 16 and 23. Around the World in Eighty
Days runs July 6-7, 15, 19, 22, 27, Aug. 1 and 3, with matinees
on July 9 and 29. The Good Doctor runs July 13-14, 18, 21, 26, 29,
and Aug. 2, with matinees on July 22 and 30.
Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., while matinees begin at
2 p.m. Individual show tickets are $12 for adults; $10 for senior
citizens, Southern Miss faculty and staff, and military; and $6
for students
Tickets go on sale June 19. For tickets, call the Southern Miss
Ticket Office at 601.266.5418 or 800.844.8425. Order online at www.southernmisstickets.com.
Tickets also may be purchased at the theater box office one hour
prior to curtain time for each performance on a space available
basis.
For more information, visit the Web at www.usm.edu/arts
or contact Angela Kilcrease at 601.266.4988.
Click to enlarge
Rehearsals are
underway for the Southern Arena Theatre production of The Good
Doctor.
Click to enlarge
Rehearsals are
underway for the Southern Arena Theatre production of The Game
of Love and Chance.
Click to enlarge
Rehearsals are
underway for the Southern Arena Theatre production of Around
the World in Eighty Days.
Click to enlarge
Rehearsals are underway for the Southern Arena Theatre production of Around the World in Eighty Days.
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