Department of Theatre and Dance

Caryl Churchill's feminist piece, The Skriker Opens November 29th

2011-11-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Combining theater and dance, along with mask work and puppetry, Frank directs Churchill's desperate fairy tale of love and revenge. The Skriker, an ancient fairy and shapeshifter surrounded by creatures of the underworld, haunts, seduces, and entraps two teenage mothers.

Featuring a live, original score by Ratty Scurvics.

November 29 - December 3 at 8 pm, December 4 at 2 pm in Lupin Theater.

Buy tickets online:

Or through the Lupin Theater Box Office at 865-5106.

Above the Oaks Opens November 1st

2011-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

This fall, the intimate space of the McWilliams Room 300 dance studio is transformed in to a performance space, providing audiences the opportunity to experience the energy and passion of the Newcomb Dance Company up close.

Guest artist Adrienne Clancy, Artistic Director of ClancyWorks, has a choreographic residency in October, and will set the piece, “Back to the Wall,” for the Newcomb Dance Company. Clancy’s work focuses on partnering, which blends contact improvisational techniques and structural ideas based on architecture.

Above the Oaks features choreography by Newcomb Dance Faculty Alice Pascal Escher, Barbara Hayley, Jeffrey Gunshol, and John Allen, along with guest artist Adrienne Clancy.

Above the Oaks
November 1-5, 8 pm
November 6, 2 pm

Tickets are available at the Lupin Theater Box Office at 865-5106 or box@tulane.edu

The Assembly Women Opens October 18th

2011-10-06T13:37:00.001-07:00

Set in ancient Athens, a group of women disguise themselves as men to vote in favor of giving women control over the government. Once they gain control, the women create a totalitarian-esque government that provides shelter, food, and basic care for every Athenian citizen. Sexual freedom also is granted to the citizens, and in the name of equality, every man may sleep with every woman—provided he sleeps with the ugly women before sleeping with a beautiful one.

Though the show is rooted and set in Ancient Greece, the audience can expect a few modern touches woven in to the production.

Aristophanes' The Assembly Women
Ocotber 18-22 at 8 pm
October 23 at 2 pm.

Tickets are available at the Lupin Theater Box Office at 865-5106 or box@tulane.edu

Welcome Back Students! Information Meeting & Dept. Party

2011-08-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

Join the Tulane Theatre & Dance department for their yearly informational meeting and party. Meet the professors and students from both departments, find out about upcoming productions, and network with your fellow performing artists.

Follow it up with the chance to meet your new classmates or visit with them for the first time since spring. Pizza, snacks, and drinks provided by the department.

All are welcome!

Save the Date:
Informational Meeting & Party
September 2nd at 4:00 pm with Party to Follow
McWilliams Lab, Room 105 (for meeting)
Lupin Theater Lobbby (for party)

Upcoming Auditions for the Fall Semester: The Skriker, Newcomb Dance Company & Assemblywomen

2011-08-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Auditions are held over multiple weekends and we want to make sure to have you prepared. Please check below for dates & times, as they will be held over various dates!

Assemblywomen Auditions
Directed by Antony Sandoval

Auditions will be:
Friday, September 2nd from 6-8 pm
Saturday, September 3rd from 12-5 pm.

Sign up forms will be on the bulletin board in McWilliams Hall.

Please come prepared with a classical monologue under 1 minute.

The Skriker Auditions
Directed by MFA candidate Rebecca Frank

Auditions will be September 3rd from 12-5 pm.
Sign up forms are on the bulletin board in McWilliams Hall

Actors, Dancers, Athletes and more are welcome to join!
Actors, please have a classical or complicated text monologue. (Shakespeare is a great option.)
Dancers and athletes, please have a short movement piece prepared.

Copies of the text will be available as well.

Newcomb Dance Company Auditions
Auditions will be September 6th from 6-7:30 pm in McWilliams Room 300 (3rd floor of McWilliams).
Auditions will be a technique class.

Theatre & Dance 2011-2012 Season Announced!

2011-08-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

Assemblywomen by Aristophanes
In this Greek comedy, the women of Athens gain control of the city, instituting a totalitarian-esque government. Among their government changes, each Athenian is fed, housed, and taken care of-- and every man may sleep with every woman.

October 18-22 at 8:00 pm, October 23 at 2:00 pm in the Lupin Theater.
Directed by Antony Sandoval

Above the Oaks by the Newcomb Dance Company
The Newcomb Dance Company presents their fall dance concert in the intimate and flexible performance space of McWilliams' Room 300. Above the Oaks features original choreography by the Newcomb Dance Faculty.

November 1-5 at 8 pm, November 6 at 2 pm in McWilliams' Room 300.
Alice Pascal Escher - Artistic Director.

Tickets for this event are $10.

The Skriker by Caryl Churchill
Combining theater and dance, along with mask work and puppetry, Frank directs Churchill’s desperate fairy tale of love and revenge. The Skriker, an ancient fairy and shapeshifter surrounded by creatures of the underworld, haunts, seduces, and entraps two teenage mothers.

November 29 - December 3 at 8 pm, December 4 at 2 pm in Lupin Theater.
Directed by Rebecca Frank.

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
This early comedy by William Shakespeare explores the conflict between loyalty to friends and the foolish pursuit of young people in love.

February 28- March 3 at 8:00 pm, March 4 at 2:00 pm in the Lupin Theater.
This is a co-production with The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane.

An Evening of Dance by the Newcomb Dance Company
The Newcomb Dance Program Faculty, along with guest choreographers, will present new ballet and modern dance choreography featuring the Newcomb Dance Company.
March 30-31 at 8 pm, April 1 at 2:00 pm in Dixon Auditorium
Alice Pascal Escher - Artistic Director

Tennessee Williams' The Eccentricities of a Nightingale Closes Season

2011-03-28T10:51:00.001-07:00

Set just before World War I, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale follows Alma Winemiller, the eccentric daughter of the town minister and an emotionally crippled mother. Alma, “The Nightingale of the Delta,” is an impassioned and vocally gifted young woman in love with the young doctor next door, John Buchanan. John, feeling pressure from his mother to marry advantageously, is drawn to Alma’s quirky sensibilities.

“How amazing for our actors to explore this piece without having to live up to the performances of people like Marlon Brando, Paul Newman or Elizabeth Taylor. That's just one of the benefits of working on these lesser known masterpieces by one the theatre’s truly great geniuses." says director Shad Willingham.

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
April 12-16th at 8 pm
April 16-17th at 2 pm

Tickets are available at the Lupin Theater Box Office at 865-5106 or box@tulane.edu

Students Produce Internet Sensation

2011-03-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

A musical tragicomedy in three acts, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog follows the aspiring supervillain, Dr. Horrible, as he attempts entrance into the Evil League of Evil: a supervillain society ala Legion of Doom. Along the way he grapples with his nemesis, Captain Hammer, pines for the girl of his dreams, and bursts into song.

This production of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is adapted from the web series for stage. It is directed by BFA candidate Stephen Eckert, and is entirely produced by Tulane Theater & Dance students. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog received grant support from the Dean’s Office at Tulane University.

Born from the writer’s strike of 2008, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog launched as an online web series. This series was written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator Joss Whedon, his brothers Zach Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer) and Maurissa Tancharoen (writer & actress).

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog features Nicholas Damon Carver as Dr. Horrible, Hope Barnard as Penny, Jake Ely as Captain Hammer, and Jesse Friedman as Moist. It is directed by Stephen Eckert, featuring costume design by Rebecca Frank, lighting and sound by Zane Hilton, and props by Emily McDonald.

Admission to the production is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available 1 hour prior to the performance.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog runs March 22-26 at 8 pm, and March 26 at 2 pm in McWilliams Lab Theater.

MFA Directing Student Rebecca Franks Directs Les Liaisons Dangereuses

2011-02-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

MFA Directing student Rebecca Frank directs her second Lab Theater production of the season with Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Le Vicomte de Valmont has a reputation that precedes him: sexual conquests are his pride and glory. La Marquise de Merteuil has a malicious, manipulative streak hidden beneath the posture of etiquette, charm, and social graces. When the two set their sights on a conquest, modesty and virtue are destroyed.

This production is produced with the Tulane Theatre & Dance Department in our Lab Theater. Lab Theater productions offer our students the opportunity to present full length productions with limited resources. This provides them with an educational opportunity to explore the shows creatively.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is directed by graduate student Rebecca Frank. Costume design by Sophia Costanzi, Set design by Jen Stone, Lighting design by Martin Sachs, and Sound Design by Zane Hilton.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses
February 22-26 at 8 pm
February 26-27 at 2 pm

General Admission, $10
Tulane Community, $7
Students & Seniors, $6

Tickets are available at the Lupin Theater Box Office by calling 504-865-5106 or emailing box@tulane.edu.

An Evening of Dance Runs February 18-20

2011-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

This year the Newcomb Dance Company has the rare opportunity to study, learn and perform the choreography of Alwin Nikolais, modern dance pioneer and father of multimedia, as part of the Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebration. Alberto Del Saz, Artistic Director of the Nikolais Louis Foundation for Dance, staged two works, “Water Studies” from Sanctum (1964) and “Temple” (1974) during his residency activity.

“Water Studies” and “Temple” will be staged on February 18th & 19th at 8 pm, and February 20th at 2 pm, as part of the Newcomb Dance Company’s annual An Evening of Dance performance.

They will present both Nikolais pieces, in addition to new choreography by the Newcomb Dance Program faculty: Michaela Cannon, Jeffrey Gunshol, Diogo De Lima, Beverly Trask, and Artistic Director Alice Pascal Escher.

An Evening of Dance
February 18 & 19 at 8 pm
February 20 at 2 pm

General Admission, $12
Tulane Community, $9
Students & Seniors, $8

Tickets are available at the Lupin Theater Box Office by calling 504-865-5106 or emailing box@tulane.edu.

About the Alwin Nikolais Centennial:
The Newcomb Dance Company will end their yearlong celebration of Alwin Nikolais in April (April 13-16, 2011) with performances of “Temple” as part of Hunter College’s Sharing the Legacy 2011, at the Kaye Playhouse in New York City. Approximately 20 other dance groups from around the United States and Europe will be participating.

In 1949 Alwin Nikolais founded the Playhouse Dance Company at the Henry St. Settlement Playhouse on the lower East side of Manhattan. Nikolais is considered to be the father of multi-media dance theatre, directing what became the Nikolais Dance Theatre until his death in 1993. His artistic brilliance has had influence on countless numbers of professional artists worldwide, including members of the Newcomb Dance Program faculty. “Water Studies” was originally commissioned by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1964 and premiered at the Henry St. Playhouse in New York City and “Temple” was originally commissioned in 1974 by the Rockefeller Foundation and premiered at Teatro Zarzuela in Madrid, Spain.

The Alwin Nikolais Centennial project is in partnership with the Newcomb Dance Program, Tulane University Department of Theatre and Dance and the New Orleans Ballet Association. This project has been made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.

Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth

2011-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Caught between being teens and becoming adults, Dennis and Warren are both disenchanted children of privilege living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Warren, having been kicked out of his father’s home and stealing $15,000 in retaliation, seeks refuge at his abusive friend Dennis’ apartment. Dennis, a brash, aggressive, and wily man, uses the money to buy coke, hoping to flip a profit. Meanwhile, Warren attempts to forge a relationship with Jessica, an anxious and over analytical F.I.T. student. Despite their youthful indiscretions, Dennis and Warren prove to have a deep, brotherly bond.

This Is Our Youth explores the bridge between adolescence and adulthood, how friendships and romantic relationships are bonded, the corruption of familial bonds, and the emotional toll of tragedy in our lives.

“To young audiences, it’s sheer relief to celebrate the return of a rambunctious and witty play about wayward teenagers and post-adolescents that doesn’t turn youthful travails into plastic rap…This Is Our Youth—by turns caustic, cruel, and compassionate—is the real, real world.”

– The New York Times

This Is Our Youth, directed by Carl Walker

January 18-22 at 8 p.m.

January 22-23 at 2 p.m.

General Admission, $12

Tulane Faculty & Staff, $9

Students & Seniors, $8

Young Performers in Concert - Free Theatre & Dance Event!

2010-11-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend join the Theatre & Dance department's Young Performers in Concert, a free and open to the public performance featuring the talents of our theatre and dance majors.

Young Performer's in Concert
December 2 & 3, 2010 at 6 p.m.
Room 300, McWilliams Hall

Featuring selections from The Glass Menagerie, Summer and Smoke, The Stronger, and Eugene O'Neill, along with jazz and modern dance pieces.

Spring 2011 Auditions

2010-11-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

SHOWS:
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by graduate student Rebecca Frank
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, student Lab production by Stephen Eckert
The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, directed by Shad Willingham

WHEN: Saturday, January 15, 12-4 p.m.
Callbacks: Sunday, January 16, 12-4

WHERE: Room 114, Lab Theatre, McWilliams Hall

PREPARATION:

Prepare a 1 minute monologue: Classical through Tennessee Williams.

Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early.

Those who are called back for Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog should prepare 16 bar audition piece.

For more information or questions contact:

Ashley Robison
Business Manager
arobison@tulane.edu
865-5106

Emily McDonald
Stage Manager - Nightingale
emcdonal@tulane.edu

MFA Directing Student Rebecca Franks Directs Life & Limb

2010-10-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Tulane MFA Directing candidate and New Orleans actress Rebecca Frank directs Keith Reddin’s Life and Limb in the Lab Theater as part of Theatre and Dance’s 2010-2011 season. This will be her first production as part of the Tulane season.

Life and Limb is the story of homecoming. Franklin (Brendan Bowen) is a Korean War veteran having difficulties adjusting to life back in post-war New Jersey. Coping with depression, Franklin finds himself unable to find a job and disconnected from his wife Effie (Mary Katherine Brake). The veteran’s inability to rediscover happiness leads him to a repulsive job and his wife into the arms of another man. It is only in Franklin’s descent to rock bottom that he can begin his journey to redemption.

Life and Limb features costume design by Stephen Eckert, scenery by Jennifer Stone, lighting design by Tiffany Hawkins, sound design by Zane Hilton, and props by Casha Jacot-Guillarmod.

Life and Limb
Runs November 9-13, 8 p.m.
November 13-14, 2 p.m.

Tickets
General Admission, $10
Tulane Faculty, Staff, Alumni, $8
Students & Seniors, $6

Chamber Music Opens October 19th

2010-09-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Directed by Tulane faculty member Antony Sandoval, Chamber Music is set in 1938 and focuses on eight famous women from different historical periods who are interned at the same insane asylum.

Though the woman are identified by titles like “Woman with Gavel” or “Woman in Gossamer Dress,” Kopit’s women are, or believe themselves to be, Joan of Arc, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Gertrude Stein, Queen Isabella I of Spain, explorer Osa Johnson, silent film star Pearl White, and Constanze Mozart.

The interactions of these eight women are marked by their limited interaction with The Man in White and his male Assistant. Chamber Music is heralded as a feminist tale signifying male oppression throughout history.

Despite the thoughtful nature of the show, Chamber Music is a quick-witted, playful show with physical comedy to enhance the absurdity of it all. Sandoval leaves the show open-ended, allowing the audience to decide where the lines of reality and fantasy are drawn and leaving it up to them to ultimately decide who is real—and who is not.

Chamber Music

Running October 19-23 at 8 p.m., October 23-24 at 2 p.m.

General Admission, $12

Tulane Faculty, Staff, Alumni, $9

Students & Seniors, $8

Photo: Shea Donovan as Woman in Queenly Spanish Garb, Maebetty Kirby as Woman in Aviatrix’s Outfit, and Becky Howsam as Girl in Gossamer Dress

Season Tickets Now On Sale!

2010-09-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

Season tickets to Tulane University Theatre & Dance are now on sale! For more information about shows, ticket information, and contact information, please visit our Box Office page.

Season tickets to TUTD include all 6 productions for the year:

3 Mainstage Productions

2 Lab Productions, and

The Newcomb Dance Company Dance Concert

At a rate that is low to the Tulane and New Orleans Community.

General Admission Subscriptions are $50
Tulane Faculty, Staff, & Alumni are $40
Student & Senior Subscriptions are $40

Subscriptions are available for purchase online at Brown Paper Tickets, or you purchase them through the Lupin Theater Box Office at box@tulane.edu or (504) 865-5106.

Newcomb Dance Company Auditions

2010-08-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Newcomb Dance Company Auditions
August 31, 2010
6:00-7:30 p.m.
300 McWilliams Hall (3rd floor)

The audition will be a combined ballet and modern dance technique class.

For more information, contact Alice Pascal Escher, Artistic Director, at apascal@tulane.edu

Information Meeting & Auditions Coming Up!

2010-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

{Departmental Meeting & Party!}

For students interested in majoring or minoring in theatre, auditioning for productions, getting information about working backstage, or with any interest in the theatre department, this is for you!

Come to our departmental meeting, meet the faculty, and learn more about the department.

August 27th, 4 p.m., in the McWilliams Hall Lab Theater (Room 104).
Stay after for a party with the department!

{Auditions}

September 3, 6-9 p.m.

September 4, 12-4 p.m.
September 5, CALLBACKS

Chamber Music, by Arthur Kopit
Life & Limb, by Keith Reddin
This is Our Youth, by Kenneth Lonergan

Lupin Theatre, Dixon Performing Arts Annex

Sign up sheets are on the call board in McWilliams Hall, 1st floor.

Please plan to arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled audition time and come prepared with a monologue.

Theatre & Dance Announces 2010-11 Season

2010-08-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Tulane University’s Department of Theatre & Dance proudly announces their 2010-2011 season, one that is as diverse as it is challenging. The season opens with Arthur Kopit’s Chamber Music, directed by Antony Sandoval. Following in our Lab Theatre, graduate student Rebecca Frank directs Keith Reddin’s Life and Limb.

The Spring semester opens with Eric Bogosian’s SubUrbia, directed by Carl Walker. It is followed by the Newcomb Dance Company’s annual An Evening of Dance performance. Rebecca Frank directs Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the Lab Theatre, and our season closes with Shad Willingham directing Tennesse Williams’ play, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale.

Chamber Music
Written by Arthur Kopit
Directed by Antony Sandoval
October 19-24, 2010

Chamber Music is a 1962 one-act play by absurdist Arthur Kopit. The story is set in 1938 and concerns eight famous women from different historical periods who are all interned at the same insane asylum.

Life and Limb
Written by Keith Reddin
Directed by Rebecca Frank
November 9-14, 2010

Set in the 1950s, Life and Limb is a dark comedy about an embittered Korean war veteran returning to the States who struggles to find a job and save his marriage.

This is Our Youth
Written by Kenneth Lonergan
Directed by Carl Walker
January 18-23, 2011

Set in 1982, This is Our Youth follows 3 young adults who are coming to grips with the conflicting ideologies of their 1960s upbringing and living in a Reagan-era world.

An Evening of Dance
Choreography by Tulane University Dance Faculty
Alice Pascal-Escher, Artistic Director
February 18-20, 2011

In addition to presenting original choreography by the Newcomb Dance Program faculty, the Newcomb Dance Company is honored to perform work choreographed by modern dance legend Alwin Nikolais. The work will be staged by Alberto del Saz, Co-Director of the Nikolais-Louis Foundation, as part of the Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebration.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Adapted by Christopher Hampton
Written by Choderlos de Laclos
Directed by Rebecca Frank
February 22-27, 2011

Follow the sexual exploits and escapades of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont in this adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ infamous tale.

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale
Written by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Shad Willingham
April 12-17, 2011

Tennessee Williams play about a high strung and modest minister’s daughter who forges a spiritual bond with the wild, young doctor next door.

The Shakespeare Festival

2010-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Macbeth sold out for the third performance in a row! Tickets are still available for the next two performances of the run. Call the Lupin Theatre Box Office at 865-5106 for tickets.

The Street Car Project: A Dramatic Practicum

2010-06-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Come join artists from InSideOut Productions and Southern Rep take on Tennessee Williams’ tale of primal lust and gluttony, in a free to the public workshop study and discussion of the American classic. Directed by Mark Routhier. Performance Dates: July 15-17 This performance is free to the public. To reserve tickets, please call (504) 865-5106