Current Season

SMASH by Jeffrey Hatcher

September 30 – October 15, 2011

Directed by Susan Coromel

BUY TICKETS HERE!

Preview: Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Runs: Sept. 30–Oct. 15
Evening performances: Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: Oct. 2, 9 and 15, 2 p.m.

Hilarious fun; roller skates and unicycles, love triangles and economics! SMASH, set in a British women’s college, romps its way through explorations of love, capitalism and the messiness of human nature. This adaptation of Shaw’s comic novel, An Unsocial Socialist is a story about a young man with a dreadful moral dilemma. He is newly wedded and filthy rich, with everything life could possibly offer. So what’s the problem? He’s a socialist!

Read a recent blog review of SMASH HERE.

Cunning, intelligent and skillful. It is also generous something that cleverness isn’t always … The author makes you the audience feel just as clever as he. Brilliant writing. — The Seattle Weekly

A fine evening out in high Shavian fashion — BackStageWest

The captivating one-woman show: Tea for Three

October 21, 2011

One Performance Only!!

By Eric H. Weinberger with Elaine Bromka
Director Byam Stevens

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An intimate portrait of three celebrities — in what Pat Nixon called the “hardest unpaid job in the world!” Emmy award-winning actress Elaine Bromka stars in this deeply touching and funny play, that spotlights three first ladies, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford, in a performance hailed as a “subtle feat of brilliant acting.”

“A fascinating evening … laced with insight, emotion and humor” — Times Herald-Record, New York

“Elaine Bromka is impeccable” — New York Times

“Run-do not walk to “Tea for Three”! Elaine Bromka is remarkable.” — Lee Grant, The Actor’s Studio, NYC

PeopleDance: Stadium

November 11 – 19, 2011

Artistic Director: Matthew Nelson
Guest Choreographer: Kitty Sailer
Guest Dancer: Jessi Fouts

Preview: Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Runs: Nov. 11–19
Evening Performances: Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: Nov. 13 and 19, 2 p.m.

The theme of our dance concert Stadium, arises from a belief that dance is a universal human activity, and that any movement can hold significance. The physical theatricalities of guest artist Kitty Sailer, artistic director Matthew Nelson, and Willamette students will investigate, through dance performance, the stadium setting, with its tendency toward polarity and competition, and its simultaneous generation of community.

Edward Albee’s: The American Dream and the Sand Box

February 17 – 25, 2012

Director: Jonathan Cole

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Preview: Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Runs: Feb. 17–25
Evening performances: Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: Feb. 19 and 25, 2 p.m.

The Sandbox introduces one of America’s most dysfunctional families. In this pioneering work, Albee manipulates clichés of language and social mores, breaking the fourth wall and purposefully destroying the audience’s illusion of passive observation of the action of the play.

The American Dream continues the story of The Sandbox’s mommy and daddy. It is a ferocious, uproarious attack on the substitution of artificial for real values, a startling tale of murder and morality that rocks middle-class ethics to their complacent foundations. In it, Albee explores the hollowness of the American dream, as well as the fallacy of the ideal American family.

“Albee’s probing intellectual breadth and scalpel-edged elegance of language makes this a must see.”
—New York Times

Adding Machine: A Musical

April 13 – 28, 2012

Director and Choreographer Guest Artist: Jessica Wallenfels
Music Direction Guest Artist: Eric Nordin
Sound Design Returning Guest Artist: Cecil Averett
Preview: April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Runs: April 13–28
Evening Performances: Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: April 15, 22 and 28, 2 p.m.
Original Music: Joshua Schmidt
Libretto: Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt

A musical adaptation of Elmer Rice’s incendiary 1923 play, Adding Machine tells the story of Mr. Zero, who after 25 years of service to his company is replaced by a mechanical adding machine. An eclectic score gives passionate and memorable voice to this stylish and stylized show.

“Add [Machine] to must-see list!”
—Boston Herald

The New Writing Festival

April 30 – May 1, 2012

April 30 and May 1

The New Writing Festival is a two evening collaboration between the English and Theatre departments during which we will hear performances of new plays, prose and poetry written and performed by Willamette students. The plays will be chosen from playwrights participating in THTR 320: Playwriting Workshop.

These plays will be developed in the classroom with the entire group acting as a company of actors, directors, dramaturgs and writers.

“Add [Machine] to must-see list!”
—Boston Herald