|
Theatre South Carolina will kick off its 2007-08 main stage season with a production of Noises Off, a comedy written by British playwright and novelist Michael Frayn. Performances will take place at Drayton Hall Theater Sept. 28-Oct. 7.
 |
| Michael Frayn |
Called "the funniest play ever written" by The New York Times critic Frank Rich, Noises Off highlights the chaotic and often hilarious world that lies behind the curtains. The play, directed by University theater professor Steven Pearson, follows the on-and-off-stage drama surrounding a troupe of fifth-rate actors performing a dreadful sex farce, titled Nothing On. In the play, the off-stage noises, dialogue of Nothing On, and the characters' personal conversations get horribly mangled, causing Nothing On to collapse into comical bedlam.
"Noises Off is a terrific challenge," Pearson said. "Playing farce requires great precision, clarity, timing, and agility, as well as a good sense of humor."
Pearson has acted and directed professionally in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and Europe. He is chairman of the master's degree in acting program at Carolina. Before arriving at the University, he taught at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego.
 |
| Steven Pearson |
Noises Off will serve as a main stage debut for several students and a new faculty member. Undergraduate theater student Mallory Morris is stage manager; Vanessa Streeter, a second-year MFA candidate, is costume designer. New faculty member Walter Clissen composed the sound score.
Rounding out the crew is Ian DelDuca, a second-year MFA candidate, as lighting director, and former faculty member Dennis Maulden as the guest set designer.
The cast will feature undergraduate and MFA students, as well as two University faculty members. Robyn Hunter, professor of performance and acting, will play the role of Dotty Otley, and Richard Jennings, professor of theater and film, will play the role of Selson Mowbry.
For more information, go to www.cas.sc.edu/THEA.
9/07
|
Cast members in Theatre South Carolina's production of Noises Off include, from top left, Carin Bendas, undergraduate; Jennifer Burry, MFA candidate; Eric Bultman, MFA candidate; and Robyn Hunt, faculty member.
