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| The Merchant of Venice closes the 2013-14 season in April |
If you're a big fan of the local arts, then odds are you're familiar with the Hartke Theatre at Catholic University, home to the renowned CUA Drama program. For the casual theatre goer however, there's a chance you haven't visited the impressive 600-seat venue... at least not yet. That's a real shame, especially when you consider Hartke played host to the final stage performance of Helen Hayes' brilliant career. Now that's history.
History is fine and dandy (Orson Welles gave a lecture here back in 1937!) but what about today? The upcoming season offers four productions, including two new plays. Tickets start at $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens and CU alumni, faculty & staff, and $15 for everyone else. Hmm... I wonder what kind of seat you can fetch at the Kennedy Center for 15 dollars?
Performances occur Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30, with Saturday & Sunday matinees starting at 2:00 PM. Tickets will go on sale soon. You can call the box office at (202) 319-4000 for more information; or join CUA Drama's mailing list by clicking here.
Here's a rundown of this season's schedule...
A Dream Play
By August Strindberg
Directed by Colin Hovde
How do you stage a dream? Agnes, a girl from “beyond,” possibly an angel or goddess comes to Earth and becomes trapped by the sufferings and cruelties of mankind. Images and characters merge and separate, locations change in an instant, and a locked door recurs obsessively. A Dream Play is a captivating mix of Freud, Alice in Wonderland and Strindberg’s own personal symbolism.
November 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23 at 7:30 p.m.
November 17 and 24 at 2 p.m.
Etiology
By Teri Gillmor
Directed by Shirley Serotsky
New Production
Three estranged sisters face a choice when their mother passes away - reconcile, or cut their losses and move on. On the day of the funeral, a magical stranger arrives at their childhood home, promising the possibilities of a new beginning - but only if the sisters unearth the past and come face to face with their family's ghosts.
February 13, 14, and 15 at 7:30 p.m.
February 15 and 16 at 2 p.m.
Fifi and Hunter Forever!
by Robert Montenegro
New Production
"Give the people what they want…And then take their money." Such is the maxim of Hollywood super-agent Clair Cupid, who specializes in making careers and breaking careers, all for the starry-eyed fans and their disposable incomes. A massive chain reaction is set off when Clair's latest enterprising scheme, a faux celebrity romance between an aging starlet and an ambitious young unknown actor sends Hollywood into a uproarious tailspin of scandal and greed, beyond even the tabloids' wildest dreams.
February 27, 28 and March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
March 1 and 2 at 2 p.m.
The Merchant of Venice
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
In Shakespeare’s epic play about prejudice, revenge, justice and redemption, during the time of the renaissance, an age of a fierce religious divide and prejudice, one man strives to win the love of a lady. To do so a terrible business deal is made between his friend, the merchant of Venice, and Shylock the Jew. The consequences of that deal call the beliefs of the city and its people into question, expose the tangled legal strains of mercy versus justice, and test the tenacity of young men and women struggling to find love and connection in a world gone mad.
April 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m.
April 26 and 27 at 2 p.m.
