EAST LANSING, Mich. – A dark comedy set in the post-9/11 world, a mid-20th-century classic and a nostalgic musical revue are among the plays that will be performed this month on the banks of the Red Cedar River as Michigan State University’s Summer Circle Theatre marks its 46th anniversary.
The season will open with “Sleeper” by Catherine Butterfield, June 7-10; continue with “Bus Stop” by William Inge, June 14-17; and close with “A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine” by Dick Vosburgh and Frank Lazarus, June 21-24.
This year, each of the three main stage productions will be followed on Friday and Saturday nights by a second production. On June 9, 10, 23 and 24, director Rob Roznowski will present “Unwrap Your Candy,” a collection of macabre one-acts from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright. This play is for mature audiences only. On June 16 and 17, director Frank C. Rutledge will present “True Love–in Public,” a collection of famous love scenes in drama throughout the centuries, from Adam and Eve to Romeo and Juliet and beyond.
All shows will begin at 8 p.m. and admission is free, although donations are welcome. The theater is located on the field south of the MSU Auditorium Building on Farm Lane.
Lawn and bleacher seating are on a first-come, first-served basis and early arrival is recommended. Patrons also are encouraged to bring blankets and folding chairs (for lawn seating) and insect repellent. Performances rarely are canceled due to bad weather. Refreshments will be sold on site.
The 2006 Summer Circle Theatre company includes more than two dozen community and campus actors and technical support staff.
Here is a synopsis of each play.
“Sleeper”
June 7-10
This contemporary comedy takes a dark look at the post-9/11 world. A suburban housewife finds herself drawn to her son’s tutor, a handsome young man with political ideas different from her own. As she struggles with her attraction, she begins to suspect that he could be linked to terrorist activities. She experiences an awakening that leads to a bizarre series of events, ultimately changing her life and the lives of those around her. This play contains adult language and adult situations. Rutledge is directing the play.
“Bus Stop”
June 14-17
In this 1955 play, a group of bus passengers is stranded in a Kansas roadside diner during a snowstorm. A young cowboy, Bo, has abducted a nightclub singer, Cherie, from Kansas City with plans to install her as his wife at his Montana ranch. Also stranded are the local sheriff, an alcoholic college professor, the bus driver and a poetry-loving high school girl who waits tables in the diner. Lorijean Nichols is directing the play.
“A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine”
June 21-24
In the first act of this musical comedy (“Hollywood”), ushers at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre present a hilarious, nostalgic spoof of movies of the 1930s. In the second act (“Ukraine”), a group of actors attempt to make the movie the Marx Brothers never made, but should have, featuring the antics of the famous brothers and Margaret Dumont. Roznowski is directing the comedy.
For more information about the MSU Department of Theatre, visit www.theatre.msu.edu. For a history of the Summer Circle Theatre, visit www.summercircle.org/.
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