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Sundance Theatre Lab on hiatus
Due to construction, the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab is temporarily moving from Provo Canyon to the East Coast for the 2010 season. The July workshops will return in July 2011, after construction of a new conference center is completed, said Christopher Hibma, associate director of the program. For the 2009-10 season, the organization will hold workshops at MASS MoCA and on Governors Island in New York City. The labs provide a protected environment to help artists shape new work.
Crazy barber
Utah State University will celebrate Halloween with a production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." For those who didn't see last year's film adaptation, a collaboration between director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, it's the story of a London barber driven to a life of crime after malevolent Judge Turpin takes his wife and child from him. Sweeney's (Anthony Eversole) plan for revenge against the judge (Wyn Moreno) includes a cutthroat partnership with enterprising businesswoman Mrs. Lovett (played by Felicia Stehmeier), who bakes the tastiest meat pies in London. "We thought it would be fun to do a spooky, elaborate musical during the days running up to Halloween, which is the date of the final performance," said director John Doyle.
When » Oct. 22-24 and 28-31 at 7:30 p.m.
Where » Chase Fine Arts Center's Morgan Theatre, USU campus (approximately
Tickets » $13 adults (discounts available; free to USU students with a valid ID), at 435-797-8022 or boxoffice.usu.edu)
Want to direct?
Empress Theatre in Magna is taking applications for directors and artistic staff for the 2010 season, with the following lineup of plays:
Jan. 22-Feb. 13 » "The Odd Couple"
March 5-April 10 » "Annie"
April 15-17 » One-act play festival, with plays written by Utah high-school students.
April 30-May 29 » "Nunsense"
June 11-July 23 » "Footloose"
Aug. 6-21 » "High School Musical Jr."
Sept. 10-Oct. 16 » "Damn Yankees"
Nov. 5-27 » "Little Women"
Dec. 3-22 » Christmas show
To apply for the positions, download an application at www.empresstheatre.com. Application deadline: Nov. 1. For more information, e-mail Shawn Maxfield at smax_us@yahoo.com or Glen Carpenter at glenorcarp@hotmail.com.
Are you the man? Park City wants to know
Park City's Egyptian Theatre invites individuals and businesses to promote candidates for the title of Manly Man 2009. The title will be awarded in an Oct. 24 competition, with categories such as beer chugging, manly man trivia, diaper changing, hairiest back, pushups and best dance moves.
Entry fee is $300 per contestant, and the judges will be a panel of local women.
When » Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.
Where » Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City. More info online at www.ParkCityShows.com or by calling 435-649-9371.
Tickets » $15 ($18 at the door), with $20 cabaret seats at tables of four; available at www.ParkCityShows.com or 435-649-9371
Bat Baby: The Musical
SCERA Center for the Arts presents "Stellaluna," a musical about a baby bat who is raised with a trio of baby birds, an adaptation of the children's book by Janell Cannon. The musical tells the story of learning how to be who you are, based on watching the bat Stellaluna attempt to adapt to bird life. "The birds like bugs, but she likes fruit; they like to stand, but she likes to hang upside down; and they sleep at night while she stays awake," said director David Whitlock.
When » Opens Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m.; continues on Mondays and Fridays through Nov. 6
Where » SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. State, Orem,
Tickets » $6 adults, $4 children, reservations required at 801-225-ARTS
Halloween thrillers
Two spooky shows share the stage in the Covey Center's Halloween production, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Orson Scott Card's "Lost Boys," both directed by Randy King. Poe's classic story is a brooding psychological thriller that challenges listeners' sanity, while the stage adaptation of Card's story is the tale of a family's bittersweet triumph over dark forces, both natural and supernatural.
When » Oct. 22- 24, 26, 29-31 at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 24 and 31.
Where » 745 S. State, Orem.
Tickets » $10, at www.coveycenter.org or 801-852-2002.
Pioneer Theatre tickets
Tickets for the six remaining shows in Pioneer Theatre Company's season are now available at the theater box office, 300 S. 1400 East, Salt Lake City.
The schedule:
Oct. 30-Nov. 14 » "Is He Dead?," a recently rediscovered play by Mark Twain.
Dec. 4-19 » "A Christmas Story," the stage adaptation of the contemporary classic movie about Ralphie's legendary quest for a Red Ryder BB gun.
Jan. 8-23 » "Touch(ed)," a world premiere drama by playwright Bess Wohl about two sisters.
Feb. 12-27 » "Twelve Angry Men," the classic courtroom drama.
March 12-27 » Thorton Wilder's 1938 classic, "Our Town," considered one of the great American plays.
April 23-May 8 » "42nd Street," the musical about Peggy, a small-town chorus girl who moves to the Big Apple, lured by the lullaby of Broadway.
Tickets are also available by calling 801-581-6961 or visiting www.pioneertheatre.org. Prices range from $22 to $49 (group discounts available), with half-price tickets for children in grades K-12 for Monday and Tuesday shows.
Everyone's favorite hypocrite
The Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts presents Molière's comedy "Tartuffe," directed by Jared Larken, head of the school's acting department and artistic director of Pinnacle Acting Company.
The production uses a verse translation by American poet Richard Wilbur. It's the story of what happens when Tartuffe works his way into the good graces of a gentleman under the guise of religious piety -- all the while scheming to marry the man's daughter, seduce the man's wife and steal the family's fortune. The play was viewed by some as an attack on religion, while the writer intended it as a condemnation of religious hypocrisy.
When » Oct. 22, 23, 24, 27 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
Where » Highland High School's Allred Little Theatre, 2166 S. 1700 East, Salt Lake City
Tickets » $7 adults, $5 students, available at the door
"Third"
Westminster College presents Wendy Wasserstein's "Third," a play set on a college campus about a female professor who, in her quest for social justice, neglects and rejects others. Wasserstein, noted for the feminist "The Heidi Chronicles," explores the question of what can happen when the disenfranchised gain power. The show is directed by Michael Vought, program chair of the speech/theater department.
When » Oct. 21-24 at 7:30 p.m.
Where » Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory's Dumke Student Theatre, 2350 E. 1700 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets » $5 (free for Westminster students, faculty and staff); at 801-832-2457 or www.westminstercollege.edu/campusevents.
The headless warrior returns
Weber State University presents a new musical adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the classic tale of police constable Icabod Crane facing off against a headless horseman. The show is directed by theater professor Jim Christian, who wrote the book, along with lyrics and music by Tom Edward Clark.
When » Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 2-7 at 7:30 p.m.; with 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 31 and Nov. 7
Where » Browning Performing Arts Center's Allred Theatre, WSU, Ogden
Tickets » $10 adults ($7 students, children, seniors) available at 800-WSU-TIKS (with a $6 handling fee) or at the door
