The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Theatre Arts and Dance To Present BONNETS

Directed by Garret Storms, this Jen Silverman play explores why well-mannered ladies are driven to murder, blending centuries and continents in a unique narrative.

By: Mar. 25, 2024
The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Theatre Arts and Dance To Present BONNETS
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The University of Texas at Arlington Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will present Bonnets: (How Ladies of Good Breeding are Induced to Murder), the 2019 play by leading American playwright, Jen Silverman.

The show runs for six performances from April 10-13 at 7:30 pm, with matinee performances on April 13 and 14 at 2pm. It is directed by Stage West Associate Producer, Garret Storms, with designs by UTA faculty Phillip Schroeder, Jared Land, and Laurie Land.

God is a character in Silverman's satirical and angry comedy, and She is asking: why are well-adjusted and mild-mannered ladies driven to murder? God examines three cases: one in colonial-era America involving an axe to the head, one in pre-Revolutionary France involving poison, and one in Victorian England involving an aggressively wielded broom. Are the actions of these young ladies of good breeding pathological or are they just logical? God wants to know. As God continues to investigate, time and space bend and blend the centuries and continents and storylines together; a warping that is aided by tenacious onstage ensemble, "The Bonnets," a feminist collective who believe that rage and violence are the most fitting response to the circumstances of young ladies in the world. "This play is a wild ride," says Storms. "It gifts us with laughter and surprise as we wrestle with some of the sublime quandaries of existing as a woman in our world. It's also a highly theatrical play, which is my favorite kind of play. It's not often that we encounter a space that is solely and confrontationally feminine. In this production, we are taking that space--gloriously, ferociously, and unapologetically. It's absolutely thrilling!"

Junior BFA Acting major Florence Pierce agrees: "I have found the writing of Jen Silverman to allow such freedom in my expression of femininity. Bonnets has been fulfilling, surprising, and thoroughly exciting."

Music Supervisor, Anne Healy. Stage Management Faculty, Hailey Green. Stage Manager, Saul Martinez. Deck Stage Manager, Amelia Vandiver. Assistant Stage Managers, Caden Benham and Jace Githens. Intimacy Director, Jamie Pringle. Fight Director, Joe Chapa. Assistant to the Director, Jessica Anoruigwe. Dramaturgy by Gwen Mowdy and Sebastian Trainor.

Tickets and More Information

Tickets are $16, $12 for students, seniors, and UTA faculty and staff. For tickets visit https://utatickets.com/

This play deals frankly with such issues as violence and sexual themes, and includes adult language. We do not recommend it for audiences under 16.

The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance in the College of Liberal Arts at UTA provides comprehensive undergraduate education through theory, research, and practice in the performing arts, theatrical design, and dance. Theatre Arts and Dance's educational environment is characterized by shared values, unity of purpose, diversity of opinion, mutual respect, and a commitment to lifelong learning.


 


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