THE WILD PARTY to Run 11/20-12/5 at Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Wild Party, November 20-December 5, 2015 at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre.

What we are is all we are after midnight dies.

Set in Manhattan in the Roaring Twenties, vaudeville performer Queenie and her volatile partner, Burrs, host an evening of excess for their guests; a collection of the unruly and undone. The jazz and gin-soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads to tragedy at dawn, this dark and decadent musical reminds us that no party lasts forever.

Created by Michael John LaChuisa and George C. Wolfe, The Wild Party premiered at the Virginia Theatre (now named the August Wilson Theatre) on Broadway in April 2000. The musical received three Drama Desk Award nominations and seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. It is based on Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem of the same name.

"We all have a mask to wear. We wear them for a thousand reasons. Maybe it's because we don't feel we have enough to offer on our own. Maybe it's to hide what is deep down inside us; or maybe it's to give us permission to the thing we really want to do," shares director Cara Phipps. "The characters of The Wild Party are shrouded in façades. LaChuisa's musical asks us: What happens when that mask comes down?"

A master of fine arts candidate at The University of Texas at Austin, Phipps directing work focuses on new play development and production. She recently worked as a directing intern at Actors Theatre of Louisville where she directed two newly-devised shows, three solo performance pieces and the ten-minute play Grace by Eric John Meyer. Assisting credits at Actors Theatre include The Grown-Up (directed by Ken Rus Schmoll) for the Humana Festival of New American Plays, The Pirates of Penzance (directed by Sean Graney), The Mountaintop (directed by Giovanna Sardelli) and Noises Off (directed by Meredith McDonough). A Bay Area native, Phipps has developed new work with several companies including The Transient Theater, The 06 Ensemble and City Lights Theater Company. She received one of the 2012 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Awards in Directing for her work on the world premiere of Candice Benge's The Egg Play (New York International Fringe Festival).

The Wild Party features an all-star cast of University of Texas at Austin students, including: Emma Center as Queenie, Christopher Montalvo as Burrs, Connor Barr as Jackie, Maddrey Blackwood as Miss Madelaine, Caroline Kinnamore as Sally, Trey Curtis as Eddie Mackrel, Devin Medley as Mae, Emily McIntyre as Nadine, Cosme Flores Jr. as Phil D'Armano, Nyles Washington as Oscar D'Armano, Toni Baker as Dolores Montoya, J. Dylan Gibson as Gold, Tucker Martin as Goldberg, Max Torrez as Black and Tori Robertson as Kate.

Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChuisa

Book by Michael John LaChuisa and George C. Wolfe
Based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March

Direction by Cara Phipps Ÿ Lighting Design by Andrew Carson Ÿ Orchestration by Bruce Coughlin Ÿ Choreography by Natasha Davison Ÿ Sound Design by Billy Henry Ÿ Costume Design by E.L. Hohn Ÿ Scenic Design by Bruno-Pierre Houle Ÿ Music Direction by Lyn Koenning Ÿ Projection Design by Jared LeClaire Ÿ Dramaturgy by Gabrielle Randle Ÿ Stage Management by Joseph Heike

For more information on The Wild Party, please visit JoinTheDrama.org.