University Theatre provides a world tour with 2009-10 season

Audiences that take in one or more productions during University Theatre’s 2009-10 season at the University of Wisconsin–Madison can boast that they experienced a world of drama for very little cash.

They will see plays that bring to the stage the cultural experiences and enduring questions from generations of playwrights from France, Spain and Norway. There is also a trip planned to Beaverland, Japan, and an enchanted forest.

The season is shaped by the needs of the students, and “it is important for us to build on the work we do in the classroom by moving it to the stage,” says David Furumoto, newly inducted director of University Theatre.

“Narukami — The Thunder God,” is one example. To be directed by Furumoto in the winter of 2010, the show will highlight some of the students and their work from his fall 2009 Kabuki-style acting class.

The season begins in October with the annual Theatre for Youth production the 1938 play, “The Revolt of the Beavers,” adapted by two UW–Madison graduate students, Pete Rydberg and John-Stuart Fauquet. The new play, with music, tells the story of two children who travel to a magic land where beavers rule, but their journey goes awry as they find themselves caught in a tyrannical leader’s prison.

The play offers lessons about teamwork and environmental stewardship. School performances are targeted to students in third to fifth grade, with some students attending for free, thanks to a generous grant from the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission. Public performance dates are Oct. 3-16 in the Hemsley Theatre.

“The Imaginary Invalid” is set in 17th century France, where professor Patricia Boyette brings life to Moliere’s most famous play. This story tells the tale of a controlling hypochondriac old miser who is convinced to play dead in order to find his true allies. Newly adapted by UW–Madison graduate student Arrie Callahan, this farce will have audiences laughing at the ridiculous nature of a man in need of some good advice and a family willing to tell him anything he wants to hear. Performances are Oct. 23-Nov. 7 in the Mitchell Theatre.

Spanish dramatist Frederico Garcia Lorca and his deeply poetic and tragic play “Blood Wedding” will provide the first acting challenge for the department’s newly selected MFA acting class. Professor Norma Saldivar will direct Lorca’s play, known for its use of strong symbolism to explore and challenge social issues, ranging from the struggle to maintain tradition to the subjugation of women to death’s role in our lives. Saldivar’s keen eye for staging such difficult masterpieces will be accompanied with traditional dance and music from the region to bring to life the true Spanish flare. Performances are Nov. 13-Dec. 5 in the Hemsley Theatre.

Furumoto will kick off 2010 by bringing to the stage a true masterpiece of the Kabuki theatre tradition in his presentation of “Narukami — The Thunder God.”

About the production, Furumoto, a renowned Kabuki artist, says, “‘Narukami — The Thunder God’ is one of the 18 favorite plays of the Ichikawa Danjuro Kabuki Acting Family and remains one of the great favorites of Kabuki audiences of today. Full comedy, drama, dance, sumptuous costuming — it is a feast to the senses and is a great introduction to the world-class theatre that is Kabuki.”

Audiences will be treated to the over-the-top aragoto acting styles used to portray the super heroes and villains of Kabuki and the grace of the onnagata-female acting styles, as well as fine examples of classical Japanese dance movement and stage combat. Performances are Feb. 26-March 13 in the Mitchell Theatre.

From Japan to Norway, second-year MFA directing student Jeremy Thomas Poulsen will bring Henrik Ibsen’s “Lady from the Sea” to the university stage. This rarely produced play tells a haunting tale of a woman who must choose between her marriage with a man who she loves and a mysterious stranger who holds over her a dark, alluring power. This tale of sacrifice and the power of true love is told through the words of one of Scandinavia’s greatest playwrights. Performances are March 19-April 10 in the Hemsley Theatre.

For the final show of the 2009-10 season, University Theatre turns to Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, who brought to life the fairytales of German folklorists, the Brothers Grimm, in their musical adaptation of the Tony Award-winning “Into the Woods.” Milwaukee director Pam Kriger, who directed and choreographed the University Theatre 2007 smash hit, “Urinetown: The Musical,” will be back to stage this production. Performances are April 16-May 1 in the Mitchell Theatre.

Ticket prices are $20 for general public or $14 for UW–Madison students. Discounts are available for children, senior citizens and Friends of University Theatre.

Tickets or a season brochure are available at either UW Campus Arts Ticketing Service offices: Vilas Hall Box Office, 821 University Ave. or Wisconsin Union Box Office, 800 Langdon St., or by calling the Campus Arts Ticketing hotline at 608-265-ARTS (2787). To order tickets online, visit www.utmadison.com or www.arts.wisc.edu.