07-08 Mainstage Series

The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance announces its 2007-2008 mainstage  season. Featuring ten productions from the Departments of Theatre, Musical Theatre, Opera and Dance, the season runs October 4, 2007 through April 14, 2008.

The season begins with Our Lady of 121st Street by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The Theatre Department presented his In Arabia We’d All be Kings in October, 2004 to popular acclaim. Bleak and darkly funny, Guirgis utilizes raw, expletive-charged language and often harrowing situations to present a realistic, unrepentant, yet humane look at people on the streets and universal struggle between dreams and reality. Presented by the Department of Theatre and Drama, the play runs October 4 – 14, 2007 at the Arthur Miller Theatre and is directed by John Neville-Andrews, Professor of Theatre. This play contains extensive profanity. Recommended for 18 and over.

A big-hearted American saga of self-discovery and friendship set in the 1840s, Big River is the tale of the irrepressible Huck Finn and Jim, a slave. Acclaimed and controversial since its first printing in 1885, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn captured the sense of adventure of every young boy's dreams. The musical adaptation features award-winning music and lyrics by country and pop superstar Roger Miller ("King of the Road"). Big River runs October 11 – 14, 2007 at the Mendelssohn Theatre with direction by Mark Madama and musical direction by Catherine Adams.

The University Opera Theatre presents La Bohème, an opera that has won the hearts of audiences since its premier in 1896. Featuring such arias such as "Mi chiammano Mimi," "Che gelida manina," and the flirtatious waltz "Quando m'en vo," Giacomo Puccini's score touches both the passion and the devastation of young. Sung in Italian with projected English translations, the opera will be presented with music by the University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Martin Katz. La Bohème runs November 8 – 11, 2007 at the Power Center.

Wunderkind German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder was at the forefront of the New German Cinema movement in the 1960s and 70s. Starting in the German ‘anti-theatre’ in 1967, his plays and films were, and are, controversial and perversely entertaining social commentary on mankind's propensity towards evil and exploitation. With Two by Fassbinder, the Department of Theatre & Drama presents two of his early one-act plays, Katzelmacher and Pre-Paradise, Sorry Now. Two by Fassbinder plays at the Arthur Miller Theatre from November 15 – 18, 2007. Malcolm Tulip, Assistant Professor of Theatre, directs. These plays contain extensive profanity, violence, and sexual content. Recommended for 18 and over.

J.B., directed by Philip Kerr, Professor of Theatre & Drama, is an exalting morality play based on the biblical story of Job by distinguished poet Archibald MacLeish. Written in verse, the play is an affirmation of what MacLeish called "the fundamental human belief in life in spite of life." J.B. earned MacLeish his third Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1958. Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times declared the play to be "one of the most memorable works of the century." Presented by the Department of Theatre & Drama, J.B. runs December 6 – 9, 2007 in the Power Center.

The University Dance Company creates Stravinsky Revisited, a vivacious concert paying homage to composer Igor Stravinsky. Highlighting the concert is a new work by hip-hop dance choreographer Rennie Harris, Artistic Director of Puremovement based in Philadelphia. Mr. Harris will take a fresh look at Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring with new music by Darien Ross. Works by guests Daniel Gwirtzman and Ginger Thatcher will round out the program. Faculty choreographers include Amy Chavasse and Jessica Fogel. Stravinsky Revisited runs January 31 – February 3, 2008 at the Power Center.

Written in 1599, As You Like It has delighted audiences with its brilliant dialogue for over 400 years. In Rosalind, Shakespeare created a most glorious female character - the largest female role in the entire Shakespearean cannon. A clever commentary on identity and role-playing, Shakespeare's pastoral comedy is a play of merriment and humor, full of shimmering conversations, passionate possibilities, and the transformative effects of love. Directed by guest Gillian Eaton, As You Like It plays at the Mendelssohn Theatre, February 14 – 17, 2008, presented by the Department of Theatre & Drama.

The spring opera is traditionally announced in mid-October. Small chamber operas are generally produced at this time, from innovative works (Daugherty's Jackie O), to old favorites like Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte (Mozart), to rarely produced gems like James P. Johnson's De Organizer. Presented by the University Opera Theatre under the direction of Joshua Major, the spring opera plays at the Mendelssohn Theatre, March 20 – 23, 2008.

Long considered one of George Bernard Shaw's neglected plays, the Department of Theatre & Drama presents You Never Can Tell. The second greatest English language playwright after Shakespeare, GBS published You Never Can Tell in 1898 as one of his "Plays Pleasant," the first work he specifically wrote for a commercial audience. You Never Can Tell is a splendid confection full of hilarity, wit, and delicious absurdity as well as a penetrating social commentary on Shaw's England. Directed by guest Priscilla Lindsay, You Never Can Tell plays at the Arthur Miller Theatre, March 27 – April 6, 2008.

The season concludes with Carousel, presented by the Department of Musical Theatre. Declared the "Best Musical of the 20th Century" by Time Magazine in 1999, Carousel followed on the heels of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ground-breaking success Oklahoma! by further advancing the integration of music and story in musical theatre. Directed by Brent Wagner, Carousel plays at the Power Center from April 10 – 13, 2008. Cynthia Kortman Westphal serves as musical director.

Join us for Curtain Call Fridays - post-performance discussions immediately following the Friday performances of all productions. Moderated by members of the producing department’s faculty and featuring a rotating array of cast and artistic team members, Curtain Call Fridays offer an opportunity for audience members to talk with artists about each production. The discussions are free and open to all.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2007-2008 Power Series, a subscription package for all shows presented in the Power Center – La Bohème, J.B., Stravinsky Revisited and Carousel. Tickets for the four show series are $76 (center orchestra/balcony) and $56 (side orchestra/balcony). For more information on the Power Series, call the League Ticket Office at (734) 764-2538.

Ticket prices are $24 and $18 with students only $9 with ID. Tickets are available at the League Ticket Office, located within the Michigan League on UM’s Central Campus. The Ticket Office is open from 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday, and from 10 am to 1 pm, Saturday. Reservations may be made by phone at (734) 764-2538.  All major credit cards are accepted.