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2012-2013 SEASON

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DARK MATTERS (Second Stage production) (Thriller)
By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa September 6, 7, 8, 9, 2012
Place: Spotlight Arena Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: September 9 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD (Drama/Comedy)
By Anton Checkhov
Translated by Curt Columbus
October 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 2012
Place: Spotlight Arena Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: October 7 and 14 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m. (Musical)

RENT  (Musical)
Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson 
November 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 2012
Place: Ford Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: November 11 and 18 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

DOG SEES GOD (Second Stage production) (Comedy)
By Bert V. Royal
January 24, 25, 26, 27, 2013
Place: Spotlight Arena Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: January 27 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

BROKE-OLOGY (Drama)
By Nathan Louis Jackson
February 21,22, 23, 24, March 1, 2, 3, 2013
Place: Ford Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: February 24 and March 3 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

GEMINI (Comedy)
By Albert Innaurato
April 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 2013
Place: /Spotlight Arena Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: April 7 and 14 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

HANSEL AND GRETEL (Opera)
By Englebert Humperdinck
April 18, 19, 20, 21, 2013
Place: Ford Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: April 21 at 3 p.m.; all other performances at 7:30 p.m.

YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE  May 2. 3, 4, 2013
Place: Ford Theater, Bliss Hall
Time: all performances at 7:30 p.m.

PAST SEASONS

_{2011 - 12 SEASON
REASONS TO BE PRETTY by Neil LaBute
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE  by Tennessee Williams
THE 1940S RADIO HOUR by Walton Jones
RIFF RAFF by Lawrence Fishburne
MEDEA  by Euripedes
EARLY ONE EVENING AT THE RAINBOW BAR & GRILLE by Bruce Graham
LA SERVA PADRONA by Pergolesi; and DIDO AND ANEUS by Purcell and Tate- two one-act operas
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE}

2010 - 11 SEASON
LOVE SONG by John Kolvenbach
LEADING LADIES  by Ken Ludwig
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND  Music by Steven Flaherty and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING by Joe Penhall
THE CRUCIBLE  by Arthur Miller
BLOSSOMS AND BLISS (an Original Musical Revue)
LA PERICHOLE, an Opera Bouffe by Jacques Offenbach
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2009 - 10 SEASON
HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, by Paula Vogel
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS  by Mark Brown
THE BAKER'S WIFE: Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Book by Joseph Stein
THE SHAPE OF THINGS by Neil LaBute
AS YOU LIKE IT  by William Shakespeare
THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN by Martin McDonagh
THE MIKADO, an Operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2008 - 09 SEASON
DEARLY DEPARTED, by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones
HOW HIS BRIDE CAME TO ABRAHAM by Karen Sunde
LITTLE WOMEN: The Musical Music by Jason Howland, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, Book by Allen Knee
ALMOST MAINE by John Cariani
THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS by Carlo Goldoni
MISS JULIE by August Strindberg
THE TENDER LAND, an Opera by Aaron Copeland
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2007 - 08 SEASON
THE MIRCLE WORKER, by William Gibson
MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL by T. S. Elliot
URINETOWN: The Musical Music an Lyrics by Mark Hollmann, Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis
AN EVENING OF TWO ONE-ACTS:
THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE UNIVERS by Christopher Durang
ROULETTE by Douglas Hill
THE RIVALS by Richard Brinsley Sheridan
LOBBY HERO, by Kenneth Lonergan
AMELIA GOES TO THE BALL, an Opera by Gian Carlo Menotti
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2006 - 07 SEASON
LOVE OF A PIG, by Leslie Caveny
FLATSPIN by Alan Ayckbourn
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, Willie Gilbert and Frank Loesser
PROOF by David Auburn
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
THEOPHILUS NORTH, by Matthew Burnett, based upon the last novel of Thornton Wilder
SECRETS EVERY SMART TRAVELER SHOULD KNOW, a musical review by various artists
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2005 - 06 SEASON
THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS
ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS by Paul Zindel
FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS by Alan Ball
THE MISER by Moliere
POLISH JOKE by David Ives
SEUSSICAL: The Musical, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
J. B. , by Archibald Macleish
THE GOLDEN APPLE by Jerome Moross and John Latouche
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2004 - 05 SEASON
ROMANCE IN D by james Sherman
SIDE MAN by Warren Leight
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS by William Shakespeare
ALL OVER by Edward Albee
ANYTHING GOES by Cole Porter, Timothy Crouse, John Wiedman, et. al.
SPINNING INTO BUTTER , by Rebecca Gilman
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE by Gilbert and Sullivan
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2003 - 04 SEASON
THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE by Neil Simon
NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn
GOOD THING by Jessica Goldberg
COMPANY by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
ZASTROZZI, by George Walker
HANSEL AND GRETEL by Englebert Humperdinck
THE UNDERPANTS by Steve Martin
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2002 - 03 SEASON
OVERTIME by A.R. Gurney
DOCTOR FAUSTUS by Christopher Marlowe
PRAYING FOR RAIN by Robert Lewis Vaugn
SIDE SHOW by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger
STOP KISS by Diana Sun
MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini
MOON OVER THE BREWERY by Bruce Graham
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2001 - 02 SEASON
COMMUNICATING DOORS by Alan Ayckbourn
A FITTING CONFUSION by Georges Feydeau
BETTY'S SUMMER VACATION by Christopher Durang
SWEET CHARITY by Neil Simon, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields
PAINTING CHURCHES Tina Howe
THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF by Gian Carlo Menotti
GUN SHY by Richard Dresser
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

2000 - 01 SEASON
LEND ME A TENOR by Ken Ludwig
OEDIPUS REX by Sophocles
MEMORY OF WATER by Shelagh Stephenson
INTO THE WOODS by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
TWO ROOMS by Lee Blessing
XERXES by George Frideric Handel
YSU DANCE ENSEMBLE

For more information about individual shows, or to get on our mailing list, you may call the box office at 330-941-3105, or e-mail the department at: theater AT cc.ysu DOT edu

Thriller (Spotlight Arena Theater))

 

THE STORY: In an isolated house at the edge of a cornfield, in the mountains of Virginia, something almost beyond belief is happening to the Cleary family. When Bridget Cleary goes missing, in the dead of the night, her husband Michael and son, Jeremy, scramble to help Sheriff Richard Egan find her. Then, as suddenly as she vanished, Bridget reappears, talking about strange visitations and otherworldly beings. Is she lying? Or are supernatural forces at work? DARK MATTERS is a suspense thriller about the secrets that hold families together and the terrible truths we sometimes choose to ignore in the people we love.

"…science fiction is virtually off the menu of contemporary playwriting. So give Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa credit for trying to stretch the boundaries of contemporary theater with a little pop-culture fun." —NY Times. "Fans of both The Twilight Zone and The X-Files will find lots to like in DARK MATTERS…Aguirre-Sacasa keeps one's head spinning with all of his story's delicious and sinister possibilities…" —NYTheatre.com. "…a taut thriller, smartly constructed and written…" —CurtainUp. "…absorbing…for all its twists, the play has serious issues at its core." —TheaterMania.com.

Drama/Comedy  (Spotlight Arena Theater))

THE STORY: The play takes place on the grounds of Lyubov Andreyevna Ranevskaya's estate, somewhere in the provinces of Russia. Lopakhin, a sometime peasant who has become a wealthy businessman, and Dunyasha, the maid, are waiting for Lyubov. She has been away from home a long time, living in Paris with her lover. When she arrives with her daughter, Anya, she is welcomed by her brother, Gayev, and other family, friends, staff and neighbors. Lyubov and Gayev recall happy times from their childhoods on the estate. But unless the family can raise enough money to save it, the estate will have to be sold to clear Lyubov's debts. They concoct several plans, one of which entails cutting down their famous cherry orchard. But no one plan is settled upon. As August approaches, when the estate must be auctioned off to meet the mortgage payments, what unfolds in this household is a comedy-drama of timeless, bittersweet beauty. THE CHERRY ORCHARD is universally acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of world theatre.

"For a long time after you have seen it, you are likely to believe this must be the most wonderful play in the world." —NY Times. "…

Rent

Book, Music, and Lyrics  Jonathan Larson 

Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award® for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, RENT follows a year in the life of a group of friends struggling to make it in the big city. They include Mark, a filmmaker and the narrator of the story; his former girlfriend, Maureen, a performance artist; Maureen's lover, Joanne, a public interest lawyer; Mark's roommate Roger, a musician; Mimi, an exotic dancer, with whom Roger falls in love; Tom Collins, a computer genius; Collins' lover, Angel, a street musician and drag queen; and Benny, a former member of the group who, after marrying into a wealthy family, has become their landlord. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

"exhilarating, landmark rock opera" with a "glittering, inventive score" that "shimmers with hope for the future of the American musical.”  New York Times,-   Ben Brantley

"Rent speaks to Generation X the way that the musical Hair spoke to the baby boomers ….a rock opera for our time, a Hair for the 90s.'"  The New York Times: 

 

THE STORY: When CB's dog dies from rabies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation; his sister has gone goth; his ex-girlfriend has recently been institutionalized; and his other friends are too inebriated to give him any sort of solace. But a chance meeting with an artistic kid, the target of this group's bullying, offers CB a peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.

"Good grief! The Peanuts kids have finally come out of their shells." —Time Out NY. "A welcome antidote to the notion that the Peanuts gang provides merely a slice of American cuteness." —NY Times. "…easily identifiable with the Peanuts crowd yet with a distinctly 'Royal' touch…The way Royal builds on the foundation of Charles Schulz's iconic comic strip actually results in a parody that's also a stand-alone play apt to resonate even with anyone belonging to that small population segment unfamiliar with Peanuts." —CurtainUp. "Inventive and raunchy…hysterically funny." —NY Post. "Bert V. Royal is the playwright of the Off-Broadway show DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD and is he ready to confess all!" —Broadway.com. "DOG SEES GOD doesn't feel like the same old high-school-warfare schlock. The characters—teenage and reckless—are both genuinely sympathetic and unquestionably cruel. Growing more hysterical—and more harrowing—as it flows to an inevitable, uncomfortable end, this taut comedy manages to make tired clichés about stoners and popular homecoming airheads funny and endearing." —NY Magazine.

Drama   (Ford Theater)

 

THE STORY: The King family has weathered life's hardships, surviving with their love for each other intact. William King lives in the house his two sons grew up in. He's alone, but he maintains his allegiance with their mother in his own way. When the brothers are called home to take care of him, they find themselves strangely at odds.

"We're in the land of loss, but not lamentation. Jackson's characters love and laugh, dance and argue in a way that honors their bittersweet survival. Tender emotions are much harder to achieve onstage than pathological ones; it's a pleasure to see goodness, not hate, dissected." —The New Yorker. "…well-observed…Mr. Jackson writes easygoing, believable dialogue, and the play is moving in its exploration of how time and circumstance—and the hard fact of poverty—can diminish hope, divide loving siblings and ultimately extinguish life itself." —NY Times. "Thematically rich, structurally deft, and emotionally complex…tightly focused family drama…BROKE-OLOGY is a play not just about two young men, but about the family they grew up in, and Jackson's beautifully crafted shifts between past and present, between the future that family dreamed and the real future that followed instead, enrich and enlarge our sense not just of this family, but of our own families, our own cultures, and our lives." —Boston Globe.

Comedy/Drama (Spotlight Arena Theater))

THE STORY: The play takes place in the backyard of adjoining houses in South Philadelphia: one house occupied by Fran Geminiani, a laborer, and his son, Francis, a Harvard student; the other by a boisterous, earthy divorcee named Bunny and her fat, asthmatic son, Herschel. It is the eve of Francis' twenty-first birthday, and suddenly he is paid a surprise visit by two friends from college, a brother and sister named Hastings, who set up a tent in the backyard. The friends, Randy and Judith, are wealthy, attractive and from an elevated social background that contrasts painfully with Francis' own humble circumstances. In addition, while Judith is in love with Francis, he is infatuated with Randy (or thinks he is) and it is from this unsettling discovery that the plot proceeds—a series of lively, funny, touching and revealing incidents that occur in fast-moving, antic succession until the final, joyous moments of the play.

Winner of the Obie Award. Bursting with vitality and creative imagination, this funny, perceptive and timely play enjoyed major critical and popular success in its presentation (first off and then on Broadway) by New York's famed Circle Repertory Company. "This is a play that comes alive in performance…Mr. Innaurato is a playwright with his own extraordinary voice and the imaginative talent of a conjuror." —NY Times. "Innaurato is an original, of incomparable imagination…" —The New Yorker. "…a rambunctious, hilarious, touching, quite beautiful play." —NY Magazine.

Hansel and Gretel

by Englebert Humperdinck

An Opera (Ford Theater) 

THE STORY: The classic fairy tale of two lost children and an evil witch brought to life by the singers and musicions of the Dana School of Music

YSU Dance Ensemble

(Ford Theater) 

The May performance marks the 21^th annual concert that the Ensemble has produced under the direction of Christine Cobb.  Ms. Cobb is Professor of Theater and Dance at YSU, and also serves as Artistic Director and advisor to the Dance Ensemble. The concert features choreographed works from visiting artists, students, and faculty, and is inclusive, but not limited to, the dance styles and genres of Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop and World Dance forms.  The YSU Dance Ensemble will be presented in Ford Theater.

SUITABLE AUDIENCE: All Ages.