Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

The Wizard Of Oz, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967-1968 Season

No abstract provided.

Waiting For Godot, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967-1968 Season

It has been said Waiting for Godot, with destructive intent, that it is a drama in which absolutely nothing happens. "And does that seem a small accomplishment?" we should ask. This is precisely what is so fascinating about Waiting for Godot: that nothing happens. It is a lucid testimony of nothingness. But while we are left cold by many dramas of intrigue in which a great deal happens, this "nothing happens" of Waiting for Godot keeps us in suspense. These men who are bored cast us out of our own boredom; their boredom produces our catharsis, and we …

The Merchant Of Venice, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967-1968 Season

The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice must default on a large loan provided by an abused (Jewish) moneylender. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of mercy".

The Merchant of Venice. (2017, June …

The Philadelphia Story, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967 Summer Theatre

The Philadelphia Story is a 1939 American comic play by Philip Barry. It tells the story of a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist.

Take Her, She's Mine, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967 Summer Theatre

A father is overprotective toward his teenage daughter as she leaves home to go to college and study abroad in Paris.

Take Her, She's Mine. (2017, June 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:05, June 14, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Take_Her,_She%27s_Mine&oldid=783721960

The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967 Summer Theatre

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs is a 1957 play by William Inge about family conflicts during the early 1920s in a small Oklahoma town. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1958 and was made into a film of the same name in 1960.

The drama centers on Rubin Flood, who loses his salesman job. While searching for a new job, he must deal with his wife, Cora, who shuns intimacy and mistakes his joblessness for stinginess, his shy daughter who prepares for her first dance and his pre-teen son who runs to …

Rhinoceros, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967 Summer Theatre

Rhinoceros (French original title Rhinocéros) is a play by Eugène Ionesco, written in 1959. The play was included in Martin Esslin's study of post-war avant garde drama, "The Theatre of the Absurd", although scholars have also rejected this label as too interpretatively narrow. Over the course of three acts, the inhabitants of a small, provincial French town turn into rhinoceroses; ultimately the only human who does not succumb to this mass metamorphosis is the central character, Bérenger, a flustered everyman figure who is initially criticized in the play for his drinking, tardiness, and slovenly lifestyle and then, later, for …

The Fantasticks, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1967 Summer Theatre

The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play The Romancers (Les Romanesques) by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud. The fathers hire traveling actors to stage a mock abduction, so that Matt can heroically seem to save Luisa, ending the supposed feud. When the children discover the deception, they reject the arranged love match and separate. Each then gains disillusioning experiences of the real world, …

Brigadoon, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1966-1967 Season

Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love", have become standards. The story involves two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every 100 years. Tommy, one of the tourists, falls in love with Fiona, a young woman from Brigadoon.

The original production opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran for 581 performances. It starred David Brooks, Marion Bell, Pamela Britton, and Lee Sullivan. In 1949, Brigadoon opened at the …

Our Town, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1966-1967 Season

Our Town is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 through the everyday lives of its citizens.

Throughout, Wilder uses metatheatrical devices, setting the play in the actual theatre where it is being performed. The main character is the stage manager of the theatre who directly addresses the audience, brings in guest lecturers, fields questions from the audience, and fills in playing some of the roles. The play is performed without a set on a mostly bare stage. With a …

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1966-1967 Season

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a Broadway play that debuted at the Little Theatre on West 44th Street, New York City, on October 31, 1912. Based on the stories by the Brothers Grimm, it was produced by Winthrop Ames who had written it under the pseudonym "Jessie Braham White." The play met with favorable reviews and became the basis for the 1916 film, Snow White.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1912 play). (2016, August 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:38, June 12, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snow_White_and_the_Seven_Dwarfs_(1912_play)&oldid=737081172

Brecht On Brecht, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1966-1967 Season

Brecht on Brecht is not a play; it is more a portrait of Bertolt Brecht, made up from selected writings by the playwright-poet. In 1963, George Tabori assembled poems and selections from plays and arranged them in a thematic order to resemble Brecht's own life experiences. This was essentially the script for Brecht on Brecht.

As You Like It, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1966-1967 Season

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio, 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility.

As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques who speaks many of Shakespeare's most …

Spoon River Anthology, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1965-1966 Season

Spoon River Anthology was originally conceived, adapted, and directed by Charles Aidman, who also acted in the original Broadway production. He reports a keen interest in the book of poetry as a student at Indiana University. While working as an actor at the Theatre West, a workshop on the west coast, he began experimentation with a script that eventually led to a presentation of the completed production under the auspices of the UCLA Theatre Group. The Broadway production opened in September, 1963, to rave reviews and after a successful engagement toured throughout the United States.

The Madwoman Of Chaillot, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1965-1966 Season

Jean Giraudoux wrote "The Madwoman of Chaillot" during 1942-43. Since Paris was then occupied by the Germans, Giraudoux, who was living quietly there and would never have permitted a play of his to be performed during the Occupation, put it aside with the prophetic note on its fly-leaf: "To be performed Oct. 17. 1945" - this was at a time when no one could foresee when, if ever, the Nazis would be driven out of France. They were driven out in August, 1944 (by which time Giraudoux had died); peace came in August 1945. Thus the author's estimate of the …

Hansel And Gretel, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1965-1966 Season

Hansel and Gretel is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children escape with their lives by outwitting her.

Hansel and Gretel. (2017, May 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:28, June 14, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hansel_and_Gretel&oldid=781024641

1966-1967 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

The Servant Of Two Masters, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1965-1966 Season

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Being Earnest, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1964-1965 Season

The Importance of Being Earnest is the most renowned of Oscar Wilde’s comedies. It’s the story of two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. The elaborate plot ridicules Victorian sensibilities with some of the best loved, and indeed bizarre, characters to be found on the modern stage.

Anastasia, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1964-1965 Season

Discovered as an amnesiac in a Berlin asylum by former Cossack 'prince' turned-taxi-driver Bounine, Anna is swept into a scheme to exploit the 'heritage' of 10 million pounds being held in trust for any surviving heirs of the Romanov dynasty. As the conspiracy prospers, Anna is coached to success but for one last test: the Imperial Grand Empress is alive and her acceptance is essential. In a famous 'recognition scene' of breathless suspense, Anna meets her grandmother and must convince the dowager that she is the long-lost Royal Princess Anastasia.

The Sap Of Life, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1964-1965 Season

No abstract provided.

Look Homeward, Angel, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1964-1965 Season

Look Homeward, Angel traces the coming of age of Eugene Gant, as well as the lives of his family members. It takes place in the town of Altamont, North Carolina. Eugene's mother, Eliza, runs a boarding house, "Dixieland", where boarders often interact with and affect the lives of the Gants. His father, William Oliver, runs a marble sculpture shop, where his prized possession, a statue of an angel.

The Boy Friend - Uso Tour, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

Set against the backdrop of the French Riviera, this romantic spoof of 1920s musical comedies tells the story of English heiress, Polly, who is longing for only one thing: a boy friend. Polly's father, convinced that any boy who isn't wealthy will court Polly strictly for her financial situation, forbids her to engage any potential suitors. Honoring his wishes, Polly explains to Tony, the messenger boy with whom she's fallen in love, that she is no rich girl. This is just the tip of the mistaken identity iceberg, as love proceeds to find its way charmingly through nearly every member …

The Boy Friend, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

Set against the backdrop of the French Riviera, this romantic spoof of 1920s musical comedies tells the story of English heiress, Polly, who is longing for only one thing: a boy friend. Polly's father, convinced that any boy who isn't wealthy will court Polly strictly for her financial situation, forbids her to engage any potential suitors. Honoring his wishes, Polly explains to Tony, the messenger boy with whom she's fallen in love, that she is no rich girl. This is just the tip of the mistaken identity iceberg, as love proceeds to find its way charmingly through nearly every member …

Dark Lady Of The Sonnets - Workshop Theater, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

The Dark Lady of the Sonnets is a 1910 short comedy by George Bernard Shaw in which William Shakespeare, intending to meet the "Dark Lady", accidentally encounters Queen Elizabeth I and attempts to persuade her to create a national theatre. The play was written as part of a campaign to create a "Shakespeare National Theatre" by 1916.

Love's Labour's Lost, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as they attempt to forswear the company of women for three years of study and fasting, and their subsequent infatuation with the Princess of France and her ladies. In an untraditional ending for a comedy, the play closes with the death of the Princess's father, and all weddings are delayed for a year. The play draws on themes of masculine …

Gigi, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

The play's plot generally follows that of the original story, focusing on a young 19th century Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan. Gigi lives with her mother and grandmother, and takes lessons at the home of her aunt. Her lessons include social manners, conversation, and personal relationships. The family has significant social connections, and have been great friends with the rich playboy Gaston. Gaston is bored with his life, and his only joy seems to be in the company of Gigi and her family.

Aunt Alicia decides that the time is right for Gigi's entry into …

Mister Roberts, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1963-1964 Season

Mister Roberts takes place on a U.S. cargo ship that supplies the troops in the Pacific during the final months of World War II. Life on board is monotonous and tedious, and the men are frustrated and bored. They hate the tyrannical captain but feel great affection for Mr. Roberts, one of the officers. The play is mainly about Roberts's attempts to get transferred to combat duty, his relationship with his men, and his conflict with the captain. It also abounds in comic incidents, many of which originated from Heggen's real experiences aboard the USS Virgo (AKA-20), on …

Man And Superman, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1962-1963 Season

Man and Superman tells the story of two rivals: John Tanner (a wealthy, politically-minded intellectual who values his freedom) and Ann Whitefield (a charming, scheming hypocritical young woman who wants Tanner as a husband). Once Tanner realizes that Miss Whitefield is hunting for a spouse (and that he is the only target), he attempts to flee, only to find out that his attraction to Ann is too overwhelming to escape.

J.B., Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

1962-1963 Season

The Book of Job has intrigued men's minds for thousands of years. It is to this book that an outstanding poet of our time has turned, seeking a metaphor for today. The play centers around two broken-down actors who venture to exercise their talents and re-inflate their egos by reading the parts of God and Satan after closing time in a circus show stage. They put on the masks only to discover that they have stumbled through the play into reality: the reality of a Voice, not theirs, which knows the lines ,they mean to speak. The J. B. of …