NEWS: SUU’S 2011-2012 THEATRE ARTS, DANCE, AND THE MUSIC MASTERWORKS SEASONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/15/11
Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Office: 435-865-8667
michaelfrench@suu.edu

SUU’S 2011-2012 THEATRE ARTS AND DANCE

AND THE MUSIC MASTERWORKS SEASONS

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: There is an enormous wealth of music, theatre and dance happening at Southern Utah University’s College of Performing and Visual Arts during the 2011-2012 school year. From a classic Shakespearean tragedy to a tuneful adaptation of a beloved family novel to spectacular and dynamic choreography, SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance presents a season that is both entertaining and enlightening. Two one-act chamber operas are among the highlights of SUU’s Department of Music’s Masterworks series.

The Theatre Arts season commences with a vibrant staging of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. The startling tale of family loyalty and betrayal among nobility will be directed by Peter Sham, SUU director of theatre, fresh from his triumph on London’s West End and the opening of his hit Lend Me a Tenor the Musical. The production will play the Adams Shakespearean Theatre and will be performed September 29-30, October 1, 7 and 8 at 7:30pm. Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro (book and lyrics) and composer Jimmy Roberts’ witty musical revue, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, examines contemporary dating – the do’s and a lot of the don’ts. Director T. Anthony Marotta, who recently staged Godspell for the SUU stage, guides the fun. The show runs October 27-29 and November 3-5, 2011 at SUU’s Auditorium Theatre. Performances begin at 7:30pm. Hailed as one of the most produced new plays in recent years by The New York Times, Almost, Maine by Tony Award nominee John Cariani centers on the romantic happenings on a cold Friday night in a small New England town – situations which prove to be universal in theme and appeal. Performed in the Randall L. Jones Theatre, the show runs March 1-3 and 8-10 at 7:30pm. The joys and woes of the March sisters come to life in this song-filled adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved American novel, Little Women the Musical. Featuring a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music Jason Howland, this delightful musical will be directed by SUU’s Professor Richard Bugg, founder and artistic director of the Neil Simon Festival. The musical will be performed at the Auditorium Theatre, April 12-14, 16 and 19-21, 2012, at 7:30pm.

SUU’s dance season begins on November 30 with Breaking Bounds, Student Dance Concert. This dynamic evening showcases the choreography of talented students in a vibrant fusion of movement and music. The concert will be held at the Auditorium Theatre November 30 through December 3, 2011. All performances begin at 7:30pm. The SUU dance faculty takes center stage as choreographers in Journeys, Faculty Dance Concert. Featuring works by Kay Andersen, Paul C. Ocampo and Chien-Ying Wang among others, this concert includes a variety of new works by the dance faculty performed by the students. A recreation of one of Burch Mann’s signature works for American Folk Ballet is a highlight of the program. The concert will be performed at the Auditorium Theatre February 2-4 and 9-11, 2012. All performances will begin at 7:30pm.   

The Music Masterworks Series starts on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 with the SUU Wind Symphony in concert at the Heritage Theater in Cedar City beginning at 7:30pm. This rapturous evening features contemporary and traditional works showcasing the wind band repertoire including Aaron Copeland’s “Down a Country Lane,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Fantasia in G Major,” and Joan de Meij’s Symphony No. I “The Lord of the Rings, Movement I, Gandalf.” Opera Scenes features classic scenes from the opera and musical theatre stages based on the theme “Bickerings, Battles and Brawls.” The performance will include moments from The Merry Widow, Don Giovanni, Carmen and even Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun. Performed in the intimate Thorley Recital Hall, the program runs Wednesday through Saturday, November 9 through 12, 2011 and begins at 7:30pm. SUU gets into the seasonal spirit with a Holiday Choral Concert at the Heritage Theater in Cedar City on Monday, December 5, 2011. The evening features SUU’s three choral ensembles in a lively program celebrating the holidays with a concert of traditional favorites. The concert begins at 7:30pm. In the New Year, the SUU Symphony Orchestra performs a diverse array of classic musical selections on Monday, February 27, 2012 at Cedar City’s Heritage Theater at 7:30pm. Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Milton Granger’s The Proposal are paired together by SUU Opera. The two chamber pieces will be performed in the intimate Thorley Recital Hall, Wednesday through Saturday, March 7-10, 2012 at 7:30pm. The joint is jumping when SUU’s Jazz Band takes Cedar City’s Heritage Theater stage on Saturday, March 24, 2012. The concert begins at 7:30pm and features a variety of works from the jazz catalogue. SUU’s Orchestra and Choirs join forces for an Easter Concert on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at the Heritage Theater in Cedar City. The performance begins at 7:30pm. The final Music Masterworks concert features SUU’s Wind Symphony on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. The performance will be in the Heritage Theater and will start at 7:30pm.

Ticket prices for the Theatre Arts and Dances series are: $10 General Admission; $8 SUU Faculty and Staff, $5 Student/Youth. Pricing for the Music Masterworks concerts is: General Adult Admission: $8, SUU Faculty & Staff: $6 and Student/Child: $4. SUU students are admitted free to both Theatre Arts and Music Masterworks performances by presenting a valid ID at the door. Money-saving subscriptions for Theatre Arts and Dance (includes four stage productions and two dance concerts) are now available at $48 for adults and $24.00 for students and youth. Subscriptions to the Music Masterworks series (features all eight concerts/performances) are available now at adult: $52 and Student/Child: $26. Contact the ticket office for subscriptions. For tickets, call the ticket office at (435) 586-7872, Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm, or order online at www.suu.edu/arts.

 ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, the performance group Acclamation, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean at (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.