By Mariela Limon|Staff Writer|
The CSUSB Theatre Arts Department is set to ring in the new school year with four productions set to take center stage at the Barnes Theatre.
The recently unveiled 2012-2013 season features, among others, a classical adaptation and a widely popular musical that has set high expectations for the department.
“I think it’s a really exciting season,” said Department Chair Kathryn Ervin. “The whole department worked really hard to come up with something that would be rebellious, rock ‘n’ roll and full of revelry for our viewers.”
“The Trojan Women: A Love Story,” by Charles Mee, is a modern adaptation of Euripides’ classic “The Trojan Women.”
“Despite being adapted from a classical piece it is very modern. You will see modern dress and modern music,” said Josh Gren, the department’s public affairs specialist.
The play has themes of gender differences in two very different settings; a torn down city of Troy and a spa where a love story flourishes and falls. “The Trojan Women: A Love Story” is set to open its doors Nov. 9.
“The Twists and Turns of Edgar Allan Poe,” written and directed by faculty member Carol Damgen is a story about the life and death of Edgar Allan Poe.
“The play itself is a timeline of his life. It starts when he was born with his original family, to his adoptive family, then runs into his marriage and his eventual mysterious death,” said Gren.
The play integrates some of Poe’s famous writings such as “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven.”
“Twists and Turns” is a touring production and will be visiting various middle schools and high schools in the Inland Empire. It will open at the Barnes Theatre on Nov. 29.
“Hay Fever,” written by Noel Coward, tells the story of an awkward meet up of a family at their country estate.
“Noel Cowards’ witty and precise comedy of bad manners follows the antics of the family, as they entertain their guests, carry on their affairs, and attempt to eat a single meal without fighting,” according to the Theatre Arts website.
“It’s a very slapstick comedy with very smart, intelligent wit in the writing. For me at least that makes it a very good well rounded comedy,” said Gren. “Hay Fever” opens March 8, 2013.
The popular eight-time Tony Award-winning musical “Hairspray” will also make its way to the Barnes Theatre this year.
Opening May 31, 2013, the musical follows Tracy Turnblad as she becomes an instant local star in the 1960s. This rendition is an adaptation of John Waters’ 1988 film Hairspray.
For this production, the Theatre Arts Department will have a live orchestra, which includes students from the Music Department.
“I expect it to be a very good, exciting, riveting season,” said Gren. “We have an incredible mix of newer works and more established works.”
For more information about the Theatre Arts Department, ticket sales, and hours visit theatre.csusb.edu or call (909) 537-5884. You can also like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CSUSBTheatreArts to enter giveaways and see behind the scenes pictures.