Arts and Humanities Commons^™

My Fair Lady, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1969-1970 Season

My Fair Lady is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a lady. The original Broadway, London and film versions all starred Rex Harrison.

My Fair Lady. (2017, July 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:22, September 1, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=My_Fair_Lady&oldid=789985734

The Prince And The Pauper, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1969-1970 Season

The Prince and the Pauper tells the tale of two boys who trade clothing one afternoon and, as a result, they trade lives as well. After many adventures, matters are set right again, with one of the boys resuming his rightful, royal position and the other boy accepting a position that recognizes his innate intelligence and good heartedness.

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-prince-and-the-pauper/book-summary

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1969-1970 Season

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. Set in the "plantation home in the Mississippi Delta" of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon, the play examines the relationships among members of Big Daddy's family, primarily between his son Brick and Maggie the "Cat", Brick's wife.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features motifs such as social mores, greed, superficiality, mendacity, decay, sexual desire, repression and death. Dialogue throughout is often rendered phonetically to represent accents …

Thurber Carnival, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1969 Summer Theatre

A Thurber Carnival is a revue by James Thurber, adapted by the author from his stories, cartoons and casuals (humorous short pieces), nearly all of which originally appeared in The New Yorker. It was directed by Burgess Meredith. Following a six city tryout, during which Thurber continued to rewrite the show, it premiered on Broadway on February 26, 1960, and ran for 223 performances, with a break from June 25 to September 5. It closed on November 26, 1960. The title is similar to that of The Thurber Carnival (1945), Thurber's most successful collection of stories and drawings.

A Thurber …

Bus Stop, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1969 Summer Theatre

Bus Stop takes place inside "a street-corner restaurant in a small Kansas town about thirty miles west of Kansas City." Due to icy conditions, an inter-state bus is forced to stop for the night. One by one, the bus passengers are introduced, each with their own quirks and conflicts.

https://www.thoughtco.com/bus-stop-a-comedy-william-inge-2713669

The Music Man, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1968-1969 Season

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to the naïve Iowa townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. Harold is no musician, however, and plans to skip town without giving any music lessons. Prim librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him, but when Harold helps her younger brother overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, Marian begins to fall …

A Man For All Seasons, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1968-1969 Season

A Man For All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt based on the life of Sir Thomas More. An early form of the play had been written for BBC Radio in 1954, and a one-hour live television version starring Bernard Hepton was produced in 1957 by the BBC, but after Bolt's success with The Flowering Cherry, he reworked it for the stage.

The plot is based on the true story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Chancellor of England, who refused to endorse King Henry VIII's wish to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, who did not bear him …

The Subject Was Roses, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1968-1969 Season

Timmy Cleary returns home from his service during World War II. While he seems to vindicate himself in his father's eyes for surviving the war, his drinking and cursing disturb his mother. Though his parents, John and Nettie, seem to be happy, the peace proves to be a facade. Soon old emotional wounds and unresolved marital problems resurface. Caught in the middle, Timmy feels responsible for their squabbling, but can see no way to resolve their problems.

The Subject Was Roses. (2016, October 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:46, September 1, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Subject_Was_Roses&oldid=747012293

Peter Pan, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1968-1969 Season

Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys, interacting with fairies, pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside Neverland.

Peter Pan. (2017, August 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:33, September 1, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Pan&oldid=798044874

The Glass Menagerie, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1960-1961 Season

The Glass Menagerie opened in New York City at the Playhouse Theatre on March 31, 1945, and closed after 563 performances.

Thomas Lanier (Tennessee) Williams was born in 1914 in Columbus, Mississippi, the son of a traveling shoe salesman and an Episcopal clergyman's daughter. At the age of 13 his family moved to St. Louis and it was here that his sister Rose began a collection of glass animals. After failing out of the University of Missouri, he attended the State University of Iowa, studying play writing under E.C.Mabie. During the early 1940's he wrote many one act plays. The …

Squaring The Circle, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1958-1959 Season

A hilarious Comedy from Soviet Russia about two mismated couples who are obliged to live in a single room because of the acute housing shortage. Each of the girls turns her half of the room into a symbol of her own mind. On one side is the Spartan bareness of an earnest Communist; on the other, the comforts of the bourgeois. But the husbands do not feel at ease in their halves, each hankering for the woman and atmosphere on the other side. This basic story, with incidents that make it one continuous laugh, is not without its serious implications. …

Oklahoma!, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1958-1959 Season

Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The musical is set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. A secondary romance concerns cowboy Will Parker and his flirtatious fiancée, Ado Annie.

The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances. Oklahoma!. (2017, April 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:06, May 23, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oklahoma!&oldid=776919771

The Rainmaker, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

At the time of a paralyzing drought in the West we discover a girl whose father and two brothers are worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about their dying cattle. For the truth is, she is indeed a plain girl. The brothers try every possible scheme to marry her off, without success. Nor is there any sign of relief from the dry heat, when suddenly, from out of nowhere, appears a picaresque, sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch. Claiming to be a “rainmaker,” the man promises to bring rain, for $100. …

Barretts Of Wimpole Street, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The scene is Elizabeth Barrett's room. Here she lives with her father, sisters and brothers. Never too healthy, she has been kept prisoner by her domineering father, who rules his family with unbelievable severity. Her brothers and sisters are reconciled to their father's tyranny, but Elizabeth has in her a spark of rebellion. This is set off by the romantic young Robert Browning, who has known her through her poetry. He bursts upon the Barrett household and in the first scene with Elizabeth proclaims his deep love for her. When Elizabeth realizes that she is attracted to the young poet, …

Angel Street, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

A Broadway hit first produced on the West End under the title Gaslight and filmed twice,Angel Streettells the story of the Manninghams, who live on Angel Street in 19th century London. As the curtain rises, all appears to be the essence of Victorian tranquility. It is soon apparent, however, that Mr. Manningham, a suavely handsome man, is slowly driving his gentle, devoted wife, Bella, to the brink of insanity with an insinuating kindness that masks more sinister motives. While he is out, Mrs. Manningham has an unexpected caller: amiable, paternal Inspector Rough from Scotland Yard. Rough is convinced …

Born Yesterday, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The vulgar, egotistic junkman Harry Brock has come to a swanky hotel in Washington to make crooked deals with government big-wigs. He has brought with him the charming but dumb ex-chorus girl Billie, whose lack of social graces embarrasses even Harry. Billie must be taught some of the amenities, and a few basic bits of information. The young, idealistic magazine reporter Paul Verrall, who has been investigating political skullduggery and is interested in Brock's activities, agrees for a salary, to educate Billie. He finds Billie has a natural honesty and a frank streak in her, and she begins to learn …

Brigadoon, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

When New Yorkers Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas get lost on a vacation in the Scottish Highlands, they stumble into Brigadoon. Brigadoon is a mythical village that, they learn, appears for a single day once every hundred years. At first, Tommy and Jeff are mystified by the villagers’ 18th century garb as they go to market, but they are soon charmed by romantic liaisons: Tommy, who is engaged back in New York, falls terribly in love with headstrong Fiona, while Jeff enjoys a harmless flirtation with Meg Brockie. It is only when Harry Beaton, the rejected suitor of Fiona’s sister, …

As You Like It, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

We celebrate the best of Shakespeare with laughter...music...dances...romance...comedy at all levels. The story of how the banished Duke, Rosalind, Orlando and others find happiness through love is one of the most delightful of all Shakespearean tales. The wit of the clown, Touchstone, the philosophy of "All the world's a stage...", the music of "It was a lover and his lass...", the earthy needs of the country people, the romantic honesty of young lovers in tune with nature...all can be found in As You Like It.

The Importance Of Being Earnest, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The Importance of Being Earnest, written in 1895, was originally a three-act drama. It has recently been condensed into the one-act version. Mr. Wilde, using subtle humor to near perfection, wrote the play as a satire on the English aristocracy. Today it is recognized as an outstanding melodrama of the modern theatre.

Time Out For Ginger, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

According to the Herald-Tribune: "[The story] starts us out with a fairly staid banker who needs some sort of creative release and finds it in lecturing to local high-school classes on the need for self-fulfillment…It quickly develops however, that one of [the banker's] daughters—the youngest of three—has been very much impressed by her father's exhortations. She has further decided that her own true fulfillment can best be realized by going out for the football team." Any number of complications result: The father's job is jeopardized because the bank president doesn't approve; the girl's elder sisters insist that their social life …

The Crucible, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife's arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie—and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.

https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/61514/the-crucible-intl

The Lady's Not For Burning, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Thomas Mendip, a discharged soldier, weary of the world and eager to leave it, comes to a small town, announces he has committed murder and demands to be hanged. A philosophical humorist, Thomas is annoyed when the officials oppose his request, even believing he is not guilty of the crime he suggests. Shortly afterward, a young woman, Jennet, is brought before the Mayor for witchcraft, but for some strange reason she has no wish to be put to death! Thomas tries, in his own way, to prove to the official how absurd it would be to refuse to hang a …

The Biggest Thief In Town, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

In a small town, the undertaker and the doctor plan to steal the body of the town's wealthiest citizen. That gentleman, a crook, has just passed out of the picture and the undertaker, who has led a quiet and honest life to date, sees no reason why he should not get a well paying job. So the undertaker and doctor enter the home of the deceased and proceed to take his body back to the shop. The undertaker and his friend picture a rosy future until the corpse comes to life and regains consciousness. The old gentleman is left on …

The Juggler Of Notre Dame, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Barnabe, a traveling circus performer, a juggler, was very happy in his work. However, misfortune befalls him, and he suffers from cold, and lack of food and shelter. A Monk befriends Barnabe, and takes him to the monastery. The climax of Barnabe's story in the monastery occured on a certain Christmas morning.

Knickerbocker Holiday, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

In 1647 New Amsterdam (now known as New York) a rebellious young man, Brom, falls in love with the Town Councillor’s daughter, Tina. The Town Councillor tries to have Brom hanged but Brom is saved by the arrival of Peter Stuyvesant, the new Governor. When Stuyvesant turns into a dictator, Brom protests and is sent back to jail. Stuyvesant then tries to bring the country into a war. However, he abandons his plan when it is pointed out that history looks more kindly upon peace-makers than war-mongers. Meanwhile, Brom escapes from jail and all ends well.

https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/2183/knickerbocker-holiday

The Shrike, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Jim Downs is brought to the psychiatric division of City Hospital after a suicide attempt. With the help of his estranged wife, who is with him night and day, he recovers. But this does not mean he is free to go home. His estranged wife conspires to keep Jim in the hospital until he renounces his girlfriend and agrees to go back with her. In the process, Jim is faced with well-meaning but inept institutional psychiatrists, who themselves have become victims of deadly routine. Through one test after another he is made to prove his sanity, until he almost loses …

The Circle, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Rich in humor, conflict and depth, The Circle follows Lady Kitty, who had given up a stuffy life with her titled husband to run away with a young adventurer, as she watches her niece, Elizabeth about to make the same mistake 20 years later.

https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/4687/the-circle

Mister Angel, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Stacy and Lydia Bolton, a husband-and-wife team of actor-producers, have everything except children. They are always on tour and children have to wait. They have just chosen a new play by their friend Daphne, with a magnificent role for Lydia. But Little Item, a girl angel, has been waiting for ten years to be born to Lydia, and if the Boltons haven't decided to have her yet they never will. So the angel Charles and his assistant, Gloria, are sent to Earth to bring Little Item back. But Item won't go. Charles, disobeying orders, decides to make another effort. Knowing …

Antigone, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

Based on a Greek myth, Sophocles' Antigone embodies a timeless portrayal of the conflict between good and evil. The play portrays this struggle through a single incident but actually it represents all rebellion against oppression. Creon stands for inhuman forces--the reign of terror imposed by an dictatorship. Opposing him is Antigone, who rebels against the blasphemy of the unburied dead. By doing so, she cries out against Godlessness and indecency.

It is interesting to note that Anouihl's adaption of Antigone in 1943 symbolizes the German occupation of France--the new order with its promise of prosperity and happiness in exchange for …

The Heiress, Otterbein University

1907-1958 Productions

The background of the play is New York in the 1850s and the basic story tells of a shy and plain young girl, Catherine Sloper, who falls desperately in love with a delightful young fortune hunter. Catherine's lack of worldliness prevents her from realizing that the young man proposing to her is not entirely drawn to her by her charm. Catherine's father, a successful doctor, sees through the fortune hunter and forbids the marriage, but his daughter proposes an elopement that fails to materialize because the young man knows most of her expected fortune will go elsewhere if he marries …