Season features 'Machinal,' 'Peter and the Starcatcher,' 'Backkhai,' and 'Guys and Dolls'
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URI’s Theatre
Department takes dynamic storytelling to the next level with a lineup
of mainstage student performances ranging from a classic Greek tragedy to a
bread-and-butter American musical. The range in themes and tone of each play
offers students an opportunity to challenge themselves and rise to their
strengths.
“Machinal,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” and “Bakkhai” will
premiere in J Studio in the Fine Arts Center, 150 Upper College Road. “Guys and
Dolls” will be held at the Robert E. Will Theatre to accommodate the
iconic musical’s scale.
The season will begin Oct. 10 with
“Machinal,” directed by URI’s own Rachel Walshe. The 1928 play by American
playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell is inspired by the real-life case of
convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder. The play is considered one of the
high points of expressionist theater in the history of the American stage and
offers contemporary students the opportunity to test the waters of avant-garde
theater.
Walshe is an assistant professor of acting and directing at URI, where her interests include the intersection of performance and social justice. She is a professional director and dramaturge whose theater work has focused, in particular, on the work of women writers and the development of new plays.
Next, “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice takes flight
on Nov. 21, directed by Ted Clement, professor of theater
at the Community College of Rhode Island.
“It’s a wonderfully delicious imaginative story that a lot
of people have never seen or thought about. It’s the story before the story we
all know; Peter Pan, Wendy, the lost boys – we get that – but we don’t know the
beginning of that story,” said Paula McGlasson, chair of the department.
Clement’s experience as a director at CCRI has a dynamic
range, including “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright Annie Baker to Green Day’s “American Idiot,” which earned him the
2019 Motif Theatre Award for Best College Production and Best College
Direction.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to direct these
exceptional URI theatre makers in creating a new interpretation of this
wonderful play,” said Clement.
On Feb. 27, director Theo Fantozzi will
lead the student-run production of the Greek classic “Bakkhai” by
Euripides. Fantozzi is a senior pursuing a BFA in theater (concentration
in directing and stage management) and a BA in Global Language and Area Studies
with a specialization in Classical Studies. He will spend the fall semester at
the National
Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, to hone his directorial
skills before he returns in the spring to lead the student production.
“The version we’ll be using does a wonderful job of infusing
an ancient story with contemporary poetry and meaning,” said Fantozzi. “I’m
hoping this production will serve as a gateway for connecting the oldest form
of Western theater — something we learn about extensively in class but rarely
have the opportunity to explore as artists — with our modern education
practically. It’s going to be a great collaborative undertaking, and one I
can’t wait to share.”
Each year, students (usually rising seniors with a
concentration in directing) submit plays they are interested in directing. The
proposals and plays are read by URI theater professors and a selection is made
based on what the play could contribute to the department and the specific
student’s strengths.
“Theo’s love of ancient studies and scripts by the Greeks
fits in perfectly with where he wants to go as a director,” said McGlasson.
“We’re very proud of the student lead full-length plays. The whole thing
is students. Everything is in the hands of our student body, and we, as faculty
and staff, serve as advisors.”
The sweeping classic musical “Guys and Dolls” (music
and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling) will
grace the URI stage starting on April 17. The season’s final
production will be directed by Jimmy Calitri, professor of theater at
Providence College.
Calitri is no stranger to URI; he’s an alumni and was
assistant director on “Little Shop of Horrors” last season alongside
department chair, Paula McGlasson. “I’m coming home to URI,” said Calitri. “And
I’m excited to continue building relationships with the theater
students.”
While Calitri has ample experience as a professional artist
(director at White Heron Theater in
Nantucket and artistic director at Festival
56 in Princeton, Illinois), his heart lies with students. “It’s more
rewarding for me to work at a college,” he said. “It’s about fostering the next
generation of future artists. You want to make sure at a young age that they’re
getting a taste for something to be invested in and to get a taste of their own
potential.”
This production of “Guys and Dolls” will be the very first
at URI. “It is one of the most award-winning musicals of all time. We have an
incredible team on that show. This is the only play to be put on in the Will
Theatre to match the vastness and largess of a brilliant show like “Guys and
Dolls.” Americanah – that’s what it is,” said McGlasson.
“Machinal” by Sophie Treadwell
Oct. 10-12 and 17-19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 13 and 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice
Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 5-7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 24 and Dec. 8, 2024, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Bakkhai” by Euripides
Feb. 27 and March 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
March 2, 2025, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Guys and Dolls”
April 17-19 and 23-26, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
April 27, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Robert E. Will Theater
