DETROIT – The Wayne State University Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance announces its 2013-2014 season, showcasing a mix of both classic and modern plays that is sure to have something every theatergoer can enjoy. Subscriptions start as low as $102 and go on sale March 1, 2013. In addition to a traditional Hilberry or Bonstelle subscription package, Theatre & Dance at Wayne is also offering packages as well as memberships to the theatres for more value and convenience for busy theatre patrons.
To subscribe, call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University Theatres Box Office at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Hancock. Subscribers are an integral part of the Hilberry community and they enjoy discounted prices, priority seating, exchange privileges, lost ticket insurance, free coffee, and a free subscription to our newsletter. Package and membership holders also enjoy a few more benefits than the single ticket buyer.
At the Bonstelle Theatre:
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Described as “the greatest American play ever written,” this story illuminates two unexceptional families living unremarkable lives over the span of several generations in small town America. This 1938 Pulitzer Prize winner is a touching and thoughtful look at life’s extraordinary journey.
’Twas the Night Before Christmas by Jennifer Kirkeby and Shirley Mier
A whimsical reimagining of the classic Christmas poem! Writer Clement Moore is working on a tough assignment from the New York Evening Post: President James Monroe desires a holiday feature story to read Christmas morning. As Clement struggles with writer’s block, he dawdles by enjoying the season with his family.
In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney
As a girl, Oya must choose between her dream of being a star athlete and caring for her mother. As a woman, she’s torn between the man she lives with and the man she can’t live without. This fusion of contemporary African-American culture and elements from Yoruba mythology is an inspiring story about how our choices make us who we are.
85th Annual Spring Dance Concert
Each spring in March, the dance department curates a collection of dance works choreographed by students, faculty and guest artists. Each piece may employ various disciplines from ballet and jazz to modern, some of the work being reconstructions of prominent choreographers, as well as many premieres.
Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows
The 1951 winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, this classic exposes the gritty 1920s New York underworld. Renowned for his craps game, Nathan Detroit wagers another gambler that he can’t make the next girl he sees fall in love with him—the pretty, pious band leader of the local Mission. This “perfect musical comedy” is a sure bet!
At the Hilberry Theatre:
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Obsessed with ambition upon learning of his destiny to become king from the prophesying Weird Sisters, Macbeth is spurred to assassination by his determined and stout-hearted wife. They descend into the depths of murder and madness, but Macduff leads the vengeful attack against the Macbeths before they can wash the blood from their hands.
Big Love by Charles L. Mee
Fifty brides forced to marry their fifty cousins are on the run—only to be pursued and discovered by the fifty grooms. In this modern adaptation of The Suppliant Women by Aeschylus, you’ll plunge and soar on this roller coaster of comedic mayhem, harsh realities, and the occasional pop song. This dark comedy explores human rights, gender politics, and love.
A Doctor In Spite of Himself by Molière, Adapted by Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp
Hold on to your hats with this laugh-out-loud comedy that begins—as many do—with the soured relationship between a husband and wife. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned when a wife dastardly turns her husband into a doctor. Mistaken identity, lighthearted romance, naughty innuendo, and irreverent hijinks ensue in this ridiculous façade.
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moisés Kauffman
In 1895, playwright and wit Oscar Wilde was put on trial for his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, which led to charges of “committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons.” This dramatically clever piece illustrates the ever-continuing conflict between art and morality in a way that Wilde himself would have approved.
Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig
From the author of Lend Me a Tenor, this whimsical backstage farce piles hysterical misunderstandings on top of madcap misadventures. Fading stars George and Charlotte Hays duke it out during their tour to save their theatre company and their marriage. They are given a (last) chance at fame if they can just figure out which show they are performing!
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
The Westons represent the modern American family dealing with deteriorating health and relationships on the plains of Oklahoma. Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, this dark comedy fluctuates between sidesplitting humor and gut-wrenching despair as we watch the family struggle to support each other through overwhelming circumstances.
About Theatre and Dance at Wayne
Wayne State University’s Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance serves students as a nexus of performance, production and research in the fields of dance, theatre, and performance studies. It provides a wide choice of degree programs that allow students the flexibility to study these disciplines broadly or to concentrate more specifically in performance or management. The dance program is one of the longest-running in the U.S., tracing its beginning to Ruth Lovell Murray’s founding of the Dance Workshop in 1928. The theatre program is internationally recognized as a training ground for theatre professionals. The Hilberry Theatre is the nation’s longest-running graduate repertory company. The two programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance and the National Association of Schools of Theatre, respectively.
The WSU Bonstelle and Studio Theatres at Wayne State 