Vincent Cardinal will Head UConn's Rep Theater

Big changes are in Storrs for the 2010 – 2011 season as Vincent J. Cardinal begins his first year as Artistic Director and a new season is announced.

Vincent J. Cardinal, formerly the Artistic Director of Miami’s Jerry Herman Ring Theatre and Associate Artist with Circle Repertory Company, will begin as both artistic director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre and head of the Department of Dramatic Arts beginning August 23, 2010.

The 2010 – 2011 season was selected and planned by Dale AJ Rose, associate artistic director and director of performance studies, who served as interim during the search for Cardinal who succeeds Gary English, who stepped down in June 2009 after 15 years.

The Main Stage season will begin with Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, an irresistible story of love and revenge, in the Nafe Katter Theatre in October. One of the funniest plays of all time, Georges Feydeau’s bedroom farce A Flea In Her Ear, will play in the Harriet S. Jorgensen in the late fall. In February CRT will present the East Coast premiere of a new stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice in the Nafe Katter Theatre. The Main Stage season will conclude next spring with the innovative and funny Broadway musical Urinetown in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre.

All CRT Main Stage Series productions feature professional actors performing side-by-side with some of the Department of Dramatic Arts’ most advanced student artists.

The Studio Works Series fall show will be the Off-Broadway hit The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. In the spring, CRT’s extraordinary puppet artists will present a new Puppet Arts adaptation of Strindberg’s classic A Dream Play.

Substantial discounts are available by purchasing season subscriptions. Four and six play packages are available. CRT subscribers receive the best discounts and privileges including free, unlimited ticket exchanges and priority seating. For more information on subscribing call the box office at 860-486-4226.

THE MAIN STAGE SERIES

Othello Oct. 7 – 17, 2010
by William Shakespeare Nafe Katter Theatre
Directed by Dale AJ Rose

Iago has a plan. Passed over for promotion by his commander, Othello, this sinister soldier weaves an increasingly tense web of revenge meticulously, maliciously, brilliantly. At once a love story and a psychological thriller, Othello exposes how one man’s envy can wreak havoc in an entire community. A magnificent meditation on trust, jealousy, love and passion, Othello remains strikingly resonate 400 years after it was written, which is why it is one of Shakespeare’s most produced plays today.

A Flea In Her Ear Dec. 2 – 11, 2010
by Georges Feydeau, Adaptation by David Ives Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre
Directed by Art Manke

Mistaken identity, revolving beds and an improbable, hysterical plot provide the riotous foundation for Georges Feydeau’s masterpiece bedroom farce set in the Frisky Puss Hotel. The amorous antics are unleashed with mathematical precision to create a fast and furious, sexy comedy featuring a suspicious spouse, a lusty lothario and a hot-blooded Spaniard – all chasing each other through this hormone-powered, rollicking romp.

Pride and Prejudice Feb. 24 – Mar. 6, 2011
Adaptation by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan Nafe Katter Theatre
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Helene Kvale

Mrs. Bennet has five eligible daughters and a lot at stake. This early Nineteenth Century British middle class family has no sons, so their future depends on finding wealthy matches. When a pair of upper class bachelors appears on the scene, passions quickly escalate and romantic sparks fly! CRT is presenting the East Coast premiere of this exciting new stage adaptation of one of the most delightful and popular romances of all time.

Urinetown Apr. 14 – 17 & 27 – 30, 2011
Book & Lyrics by Greg Kotis Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre
Music & Lyrics by Mark Hollmann
Directed by Paul Mullins

In this mythical town, scarce water is worth its weight in gold after a 20 year drought. Private toilets are illegal, and the monopoly on public bathrooms held by a malevolent corporation is driving up the costs. From the midst of these downtrodden people a hero emerges to lead a revolution to freedom! This satirical musical was a hit on Broadway, winning three Tony Awards and reinventing the very notion of what a Broadway musical can be. Urinetown takes a witty, irreverent, and uniquely “Musical” look at corporate greed, corruption and human survival. You’ll leave the theatre humming these tunes about people who have to pay to pee!

THE STUDIO WORKS SERIES

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot Oct. 28 – Nov. 7, 2010
by Stephen Adly Guirgis Studio Theatre
Directed by Kristin Wold

What was Judas Iscariot thinking? This compelling, popular Off-Broadway drama imagines a mythical trial to determine Judas’ motives, beyond the 30 pieces of silver, for betraying Jesus and if he should spend eternity in hell or not. Despite the profound line of questions for
witnesses including Mother Teresa, Satan, Mary Magdalene, Sigmund Freud, a hand-full of Saints, and Pontius Pilate, the play is filled with humor and unfolds with a decidedly contemporary feel that melds street slang, ecstatic poetry, rude comedy, and sublime allusions. Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ sprawling courtroom dramedy provides fresh insights into the “Greatest Story Ever Told” and will test your limits for forgiveness and laughter.

A Dream Play Mar. 24 – Apr. 3, 2011
A Puppet Arts Production Studio Theatre
Adapted and Directed by Joseph Jonah Therrien
Based on the Play by August Strindberg

CRT audiences have come to love puppet arts productions that feature all original puppet creations. August Strindberg’s ground breaking experiment in surrealism A Dream Play, written in 1901, offers puppet artist Joseph Jonah Therrien fertile creative territory to stage this haunting story where Agnes, daughter of the gods, is sent down to earth to see if life is really as difficult as people make it out to be. Therrien will design and direct with all original puppets created specifically for this surreal world of gods and humans, where, as Strindberg writes in the preface, “Everything can happen, everything is possible and probable. Time and space do not exist.”

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Current CRT subscribers have been sent a subscription renewal form. New subscriptions are on sale now. Please call 860-486-4226 for information on subscribing and general ticket information.

Performances are usually Wednesdays through Sundays. Wednesday and Thursday evening performances start at 7:30. Friday and Saturday evening performances start at 8. Saturday and Sunday matinee performances start at 2. There are occasional Tuesday evening performances at 7:30.

Ticket prices range from $9.50 to $35, and subscribers receive a discount of up to 21 percent off regular ticket prices.

Student Passes are available for current UConn students with a valid UConn ID. Call the box office for more information on Student Passes.

For detailed information and tickets call the box office at 860-486-4226 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu.