BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY | DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND MEDIA ARTS
BYU THEATRE 2015/16
The Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents a variety of drama, comedy, and musical theatre favorites and premieres for all to enjoy.
Season ticket renewals on sale May 11. New subscriptions on sale June 1. Tickets to individual productions on sale approximately four weeks prior to each performance.
BYU YOUNG COMPANY–THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
WATER SINGS BLUE
Based on the book by Kate Coombs
Adapted and Directed by Teresa Dayley Love
Travel to the coast, where the sand meets the sea, to celebrate the ocean in this charming and funny play adapted from the award-winning children's picture book. Using pantomime and spoken word, a family—and the colorful personalities they encounter at the shore—interacts with the water and invites you, the spectator, to join in the fun.
Sept. 25, 30, 1–2, 6–9, 7:00 pm
Sept. 26, Oct. 10, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Margetts Theatre
ASL Interpreted Performance Oct. 1
CLASSIC COMEDY
MISALLIANCE
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Barta Lee Heiner
Matrimony occupies the minds of the aristocrats at an English country home on a sunny summer afternoon. New alliances will be formed–and others broken–between parents, children, and sweethearts in this mischievous and witty romantic comedy by the renowned Nobel Prize-winning author of Pygmalion.
Nov. 5–7, 11–14, 17–21, 7:30 pm
Nov. 7, 14, 2:00 pm
Margetts Theatre
Post-Performance Discussions Nov. 12, 19
ASL Interpreted Performance Nov. 12
BYU INTERDISCIPLINARY MUSIC DANCE THEATRE PROGRAM
DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice
Book by Linda Woolverton
Directed by George Nelson
Musical Direction by Mark Johnson
Choreographed by Becky Phillips
This beloved musical classic–more than simply cartoon characters and dancing spoons–is a parable about looking upon a person's heart rather than the outward appearance. Be our guest as this beautiful "tale as old as time" gets a non-traditional staging for its BYU premiere. Musically talented storytellers and dancers bring this enchanting fairytale to life in an unexpected and thrilling way.
Nov. 19–21, 27–28, Dec. 1–5, 8–10, 7:30 pm
Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, 2:00 pm
Pardoe Theatre
Post-Performance Discussions Dec. 3, 10
ASL Interpreted Performance Dec. 3
NEW WORK
MICROBURST THEATRE
A Series of Short Plays Written by BYU Students
Directed by Wade Hollingshaus
Short, thought-provoking and funny new plays take center stage in this annual showcase of new work by aspiring BYU student writers. Winner of three national awards at the 2014 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Microburst explores the moments in time that often go unnoticed.
Jan. 13–16, 7:30 pm
Jan. 16, 2:00 pm
Nelke Theatre
Post-Performance Discussion Jan. 14
ASL Interpreted Performance Jan. 14
BYU YOUNG COMPANY–THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
TWELFTH NIGHT
By William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Megan Sanborn Jones
Rip-roaring action and high-falutin'song and dance meet Shakespeare's poetry in this cowboy version of Twelfth Night that encourages audience members of all ages to look beneath outward appearances and value people. So grab your hats, buckle on your spurs, and come on over for the best little Shakespeare show in the West!
Feb. 3–5, 10–12, 7:00 pm
Feb. 6, 13, 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Nelke Theatre
ASL Interpreted Performance Feb. 11
CONTEMPORARY DRAMA
THE TASTE OF SUNRISE
By Susan L. Zeder
Directed by Julia Ashworth
This bilingual play–performed in American Sign Language and spoken English–takes place in the mind and memory of Tuc, a deaf man who struggles to navigate the path of loss, love, and language in his silent world. Set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties in Illinois, this award-winning drama explores the cultural complexities of deafness with great humor and compassion.
March 10–12, 16–19, 22–25, 7:30 pm
March 19, 26, 2:00 pm
Margetts Theatre
Post-Performance Discussions March 17, 24
Performed in American Sign Language and spoken English
DRAMA
MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN
By Bertolt Brecht
English version by John Willett
Directed by David Morgan
Starring Barta Lee Heiner
Frequently hailed as the greatest play of the twentieth century, this 1939 anti-war drama asks us to reflect upon the folly of conflict as the title character loses all she has to the very clashes she seeks to profit from. Featuring the retiring and incomparable BYU Theatre professor Barta Lee Heiner in the lead role, Mother Courage is dynamic and impactful "epic theatre" at its finest.
March 17–19, 22–25, 28–April 1, 7:30 pm
March 19, 26, 2:00 pm
Pardoe Theatre
Post-Performance Discussions March 24, 31
ASL Interpreted Performance March 24
FOR THE FAMILY
CHARLOTTE'S WEB
Adapted by Joseph Robinette
Based on the book by E.B. White
Directed by Shawnda Moss and Bradley Moss
Adapted from "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years" (Children's Literature Association), this heartfelt drama about friendship boasts a girl with the ability to understand the language of animals, a gluttonous rat, an irresistible young pig, and an extraordinary spider who works a miracle within the magic of her fragile web.
May 26–28, June 2–4, 8–10, 7:00 pm
May 28, June 2, 4, June 10, 11, 2:00 pm
Pardoe Theatre
Post-Performance Discussions June 2, 9
ASL Interpreted Performance June 2