Past Seasons

2008-2009 University Theatre Season

Fall 2008

Thoroughly Modern Millie
Book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan
New music by Jeanine Tesori
New lyrics by Dick Scanlan
Directed by Teresa Thuman (guest director)
Vocal direction by Maggie Daane
Richard Elliot, conductor
Nov. 6-8 & 12-15 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Auditorium
Description: This high-spirited musical comedy has it all. When small-town girl Millie Dillmount moves to New York City in 1922, she discovers a world filled with intrigue, jazz and danger. In her quest to move up in the world of glitz and glamour, Millie discovers there is more to being a modern girl than she imagined. Danger is around every corner, and it’s up to Millie to save the day, expose her sinister landlady, and finally marry her boss – whoever he may be. Adapted from the beloved 1967 Oscar-winning film starring Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore, this recent 2002 Broadway hit was a winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Spring 2009

The Triumph of Love
By Pierre Carlet de Marivaux
March 5-7 & 12-14 at 7:30 p.m.
March 15 at 2 p.m.
Mar Wood-Mar Auditorium
Description: This delightful 18th-century romantic comedy is filled with all the confusions and complexities of love. Princess Leonide's world turns upside down when she falls in love with a young man who can rightfully usurp her kingdom. Unfortunately, her love interest is being tutored by an over-rational philosopher who hates love and has taught the young man to hate women. So Leonide and her maid, Corine, dress up as men, invade the phiolosopher's estate and try to prove to the men that love conquers all.

2007-2008 University Theatre Season

Fall 2007

Whatever Kindles
Written by Tricia Gates Brown
October 25-27 & November 1-3 at 7:30 p.m.
November 4 at 2 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Description: A "world premiere" event for the George Fox campus. Alumna Tricia Gates Brown's Whatever Kindles is about the lives of individuals who volunteer for the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) that work to prevent violence and promote alternatives to war in Iraq, the West Bank, Columbia, and other regions in the world devastated by violence. Whatever Kindles is an artistically challenging and intellectually stimulating fictional play based on the stories of actual events in the lives of CPT members who are following Jesus' example of bringing peace to the world.

Winter 2007

One-Act Festival
January 31 - February 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: This winter, our best student directors and designers will take over Wood-Mar Auditorium and call it their own! Come and celebrate our students' work as they embrace their storytelling instincts and work to bless our community with disciplined and often challenging stories.

Black Boy
Adapted by Wynn Handman from the Richard Wright novel
A joint presentation by the university's Multicultural Services and Theatre departments
February 8-9 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: Broadway actor Charles Holt plays Richard Wright and a host of additional characters in Wynn Handman's adaptation of Wright's influential 1945 autobiography Black Boy. This taut, one-hour show about Wright's dawning awareness of racism and the power of the written word is aimed squarely at family audiences. Join us for a talkback with Mr. Holt after the show.

Spring 2008

As it is in Heaven
Written by Arlene Hutton
April 10-12 & 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.
April 13 at 2 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre

2006-2007 University Theatre Season

Fall 2006

The Secret Garden
Written by Marsha Norman & Lucy Simon
based on the children's novel by Francis Hodgson Burnett
October 26-28 & November 2-4 at 7:30 p.m.
November 5 at 2 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: Howling winds, a drafty mansion, a hunchback uncle, and a forlorn garden greet Mary Lennox when she arrives at Misselthwaite Manor. The mysterious and cold mansion threatens to engulf Mary as she mourns her parents' death while she tries to adjust to her new life in England. But then Mary finds the key to a secret garden and what she discovers there changes her broken world and the people around her forever. Join us for an evening of family entertainment as we celebrate the journey from mourning to dancing.

Winter 2007

Damien
A one-man play written by Aldyth Morris
Based on the life and death of Father Damien DeVouster, priest to the exiles of Hawai'i.
February 16-17 at 7:30 p.m. & Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: Some said he was a hero and a martyr. Others said he was coarse, hot-tempered, and drunk with pride. Who was this fiery and passionate man? And why did he fight his family, government, and church to serve a group of dying outcasts? Featuring theatre professor Bryan Boyd, Father Damien's story is told in a compelling and intimate form of theatre - the one-man play.

Spring 2007

Pride and Prejudice
Written by Jon Jory
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
April 12-14 and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. & April 15 at 2 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: Jon Jory's 2004 adaptation of Jane Austen's masterpiece is a breath of fresh air in a world of adaptations gone awry. Jory captures the heart of this masterpiece with all its biting wit, idiosyncratic personalities and problematic courtships. Join us as for a delightful evening of romantic comedy as we witness the young and head strong Elizabeth Bennet battle it out with the high and mighty Mr. Darcy only to discover that Mr. Darcy may be her perfect match.

2006-07 Special Events

Ten! Ten! Ten!
Directing Showcase
December 6-9 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre

Players Presents
Drama Ministry Team
Feb. 8-10 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre

Theatre Games
A Comedy Sports Extravaganza
March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre

2005-2006 University Theatre Season

Fall 2005

Machinal (1928)
Written by Sophie Treadwell
October 20-22 & 27-29 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: A 1928 Broadway hit, Machinal is a modern parable that depicts one woman's tragic journey from isolation to murder. In Treadwell's words the play is about "a young woman, ready, eager for life, for love...but deadened, squeezed, crushed by the machine like quality of the life surrounding." This highly charged and moving play asks us to re-examine how our own lives are part of various societal "machines" that can crush our spiritual hunger for God. Join us for a thought provoking evening of 1920s Expressionism as we explore the spiritual consequences of obedience to the machines of life.

Winter 2006

The Last Night of Ballyhoo (1997)
Written by Alfred Uhry
Jan. 26-28 & Feb. 2-4 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Synopsis: It's December 1939. Love is in the air, Christmas is around the corner, Gone with the Wind is taking the world by storm and World War II is under way. Meanwhile the Freitag family scrambles to get ready for Ballyhoo, an extravagant ball for Atlanta's Jewish elites. This 1997 Tony Award winning play by the author of Driving Miss Daisy is a fun-filled, family-centered, living room comedy. However, the depth of this often hilarious romantic comedy is revealed as the characters face unexpected obstacles and learn to hold close to their family values, traditions and faith. Join us for an evening of heartfelt family entertainment.

Spring 2006

Macbeth (1605-06)
Written by William Shakespeare
April 4-8 at 7:30 p.m. & April 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre

School Matinee: Thursday April 6, at 10:00 a.m. Call 503-554-2639 for information and reservations.

Synopsis: Written in 1605-06 at the height of his dramatic powers, Shakespeare's Macbeth is the story of a war hero and his wife who struggle with fate and their own ambitions. Urged on by his wife, Macbeth betrays and murders his king in an attempt to gain the power and prestige of the crown. The cycle of violence, betrayal and murder that follows the couples' ascent to the throne is both as ancient and as fresh as today's news. Despite the grisly themes, some of Shakespeare's most beautiful verse and profound wisdom come to life in this wonderfully supernatural play. "Something wicked this way comes."

2005-06 Special Productions

Players Presents
The University Players Showcase
Theatre Ministry in Action
Feb. 9, 10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Fee: Pay what you can

Theatre Games
Comedy Improv Showcase
March 2nd & 3rd at 7:30 p.m.
Wood-Mar Theatre
Fee: Pay what you can

Shakespeare Under the Stars
A student showcase of scenes and monologues in celebration of Shakespeare's birthday
Student-Actors Showcase
April 21st at 10:00 p.m.
Location: On the Quad Fee: Pay what you can


2004-2005 University Theatre Season

Fall 2004

Trojan Women (415 B.C.E.)
Written by Euripides and Translated by Paul D. Streufert
Oct. 27-30 & Nov. 3-6 at 7:30 p.m.
Synopsis: After 10 years of war, the women of Troy are left standing in the ruins of their country, enslaved by the conquering Greeks and awaiting an uncertain fate. While their men and children are slaughtered, their city destroyed, the women survive the extreme desolation of war with determined nobility. Euripides' plea for peace has spoken to war-torn cultures for 2,400 years and still packs a punch.

Winter 2005 Musical

Smoke on the Mountain (1991)
Written by Connie Ray, Conceived by Alan Bailey
Musical Arrangement by Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick
Feb. 2-5 & 9-12 at 7:30 p.m.
Synopsis: It's 1938 and the Sanders family is back on the North Carolina Gospel Circuit for their first Saturday Night Gospel Sing in five years. While the Sanders' first-performance jitters cause them to make a few mistakes, testify a little too much, laugh a little too loud, and dance too much, their country-gospel songs are both inspiring and uplifting. Join us for an evening of gospel songs from the good old days.

Spring 2005

Dancing at Lughnasa (1991)
Written by Brian Friel
April 14-16 & 21-23 at 7:30 p.m.
Synopsis: Friel's heartwarming story about five Irish sisters won three Tony Awards in 1992, including Best Play. The texture of the Mundy sisters' 1936 pastoral life starts out simply and elegantly as each sister attempts to deal with the tides of change - the old world versus the new, the old versus the young and the familiar versus the different.

2004-05 Special Productions

Ten! Ten! Ten!
Student-Directing Showcase
Ten-minute plays at 10:10 p.m.
Dec. 10 & 11 at 10:10 p.m.
FREE

Players Presents
The University Players Showcase
Theatre Ministry in Action
Directed by Michael McConaughey
Feb. 25 & 26 at 7:30 p.m.
FREE

Theatre Games
Comedy Improv Showcase
March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
FREE

Shakespeare In the Quad
Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration!
Student-Actors Showcase
April 23 at 2 p.m.
FREE