‘Grapes of Wrath’ opens Oct. 1 at University Theatre

The Department of Theatre and Drama’s producing arm, University Theatre, will present Frank Galati’s award-winning adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” directed by Professor Norma Saldivar, Oct. 1–16 in the Hemsley Theatre.

A story of courage and endurance in the face of overwhelming hardship, Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize-winning novel examines a family of sharecroppers who strive for the American dream in an environment that raises and then shatters their dreams and aspirations. Galati’s adaptation premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and garnered him a Tony award in 1990 for best adaptation. The script combines Steinbeck’s powerful language with masterful theatrical invention. Holding to the simplicity and directness of the original novel, the play uses the sparest of technical means to convey its timeless message of the persistence and strength of the human spirit as it battles against the adversities of nature and an uncaring society.

“What makes this a really good piece for our students is the marrying of storytelling and community” Saldivar explains. “The story depicts the travails of a family caught in a time where the very fiber of who they are as individuals, family and community is tested.” The Joad family’s search for a better life in a period of extreme economic distress has an inescapable resonance for today’s audiences.

Saldivar, who directs the Arts Institute, also knew that the novel is part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” program that is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Rocco Landesman, chair of the NEA, visited campus as part of UW–Madison’s “Year of the Arts”, a celebration that Saldivar and the Arts Institute staff are coordinating. “We are happy to join the efforts of The Big Read program; we are honoring the writer by staging this in a modified performance style that I hope will draw attention to the writer, the core of the storyteller, and the uniqueness that is American theatre.”

The cast features a combination of faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students. The design team includes Professor Gail Brassard (costumes), MFA student design students Erik S. Barry (lighting), Michael Maloney (scenery) and guest sound designer Jack Sayre.

The Grapes of Wrath will run Thursdays through Sundays, Oct. 1–16, with a pre-performance lecture on Oct. 7 and a post-performance discussion on Oct. 14. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and matinees begin at 2 p.m. Individual tickets for all performances are $20 general public or $14 for UW students. Discounts are available for senior citizens and Friends of University Theatre.

Purchase tickets by phone at 265-ARTS (2787), in person at the Vilas Hall Box Office, or the Wisconsin Union Box Office, or order online, buy tickets and view the calendar.