University of Pittsburgh Theatre Department Announces Their 2009-2010 Season

There's love, betrayal and trickery-something for everyone in the 2009-2010 season at the University of Pittsburgh's Repertory Theatre.

A comic spin on the world's most famous vampire opens the season just in time for Halloween. COUNT DRACULA, written by Ted Tiller and directed by W. Stephen Coleman, runs October 22-November 1 at the Charity Randall Theatre located in the Stephen Foster Memorial. Dr. Seward's beautiful young ward has fallen mysteriously ill. Is it something she's eaten...or is something eating her? This Transylvanian tale abounds with special effects, lots of camp and dark theatre magic.

Internationally famous commedia dell'arte star Gale McNeeley will appear in an adaptation of Moliere's SCAPIN February 3-14, 2010 in the Studio Theatre located in the basement of The cathedral of Learning. McNeely will play the title role of Scapin, one of the greatest heroes in comedy history. Scapin has been adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell and will be directed by Holly Thuma.

Offering yet another take on a classic will be ALICE by Emilia Anderson and Tamara Goldbogen. Adapted from the Lewis Carroll novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the play will be co-directed by Goldbogen and Sam Turich and runs March 24-April 3, 2010 in the Studio Theatre. The surreal world Alice visits will be recreated amid the offbeat musical stylings of Buddy Nutt and breath-taking puppets sharing the stage with live actors. This circus-inspired version will amuse audiences of all ages!

About the season Theatre Arts Department Chair Bruce McConachie said, "Plays that have remained popular over the years-and that have survived countless transformations into other media and genres-often continue to excite and inspire."

The 2009-2010 Lab Season will feature five events, directed by undergraduate and graduate students from the Pitt Theatre Arts Program.
LAB SESSION #1 October 7-11 The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel, directed by Andrew McNally

LAB SESSION #2 October 28-November 1 Two one-acts:

Chad Curtiss, Lost Again by Arthur Kopit, directed by David Bisha

Gasmasks by RoBert Crane, directed by Thomas Costello

LAB SESSION #3 January 27-31, 2010 Two one-acts:

Am I Blue by Beth Henley, directed by Natalia Kaniasty

The Yellow Boat by David Saar, directed by Molly Bierman
LAB SESSION #4 February 24-28, 2010 Two one-acts:

Parallel Lives by Kathy Najimy & Mo Gaffney, directed by Grace Eubank

The General of Hot Desire by John Guare, directed by Joanna Gettig
LAB SESSION #5 April 14-18, 2010 Two one-acts:

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal, directed by Inga Meier

Mud by Maria Irene Fornes, directed by Rachel DeSoto.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Theatre Arts (founded in 1982) offers the BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. All faculty members are active in both teaching and artistic / research activities. The department shares a philosophy of theatre education, the chief feature of which is the firm conviction that theory and practice, academic and creative work, and educational and professional theatre must be integrated for a successful program of theatre education. The University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre is the department's flagship theatre company with performance spaces in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial and The cathedral of Learning. www.play.pitt.edu