THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, HEROINES & More Set for Sonoma State University Dept. of Theatre Arts & Dance's 2014-15 Season

The Department of Theatre Arts & Dance has announced its 2014-2015 performance season showcasing the emerging talents of Sonoma State University students studying theater arts, dance and music.

Join SSU's Department of Theatre Arts & Dance for a wild, rebel-filled and wickedly funny season that begins in the Deep South and travels to India, Russia and around the globe.

The journey begins atop the "The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek," by Naomi Wallace, presented Oct. 16 to Oct. 25, 2014 in Studio 76, Ives Hall. Ken Sonkin directs this dark, coming-of-age story, as two young lovers seek adventure and escape by racing trains through a Depression-ravaged town in the 1930s. As the tragedy unfolds, Wallace provides an unsentimental and uncensored gaze into the lives and struggles of the working class.

Perhaps the most perfectly funny play ever written, Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" travels to colonial India, running Oct. 30 to Nov. 9, 2014 in the Evert B. Person Theatre. Judy Navas directs this brilliantly witty satire that follows two eligible British bachelors as they court two young women - each determined to marry a man named Earnest. Wilde's classic play skewers the British upper classes and their traditions of love, marriage and social conformity.

Aspiring playwrights are showcased at the "6th Annual Super Mega Molten Hot Lava - New Play Festival," presented Nov. 13 to Nov. 15, 2014. Curated by Scott Horstein, this annual event features script-in-hand readings of new plays written by Sonoma State University student playwrights.

Just around the corner is SSU's annual student-choreographed "Fall Dance Concert," presented Nov. 20 to Nov. 23, 2014 and directed by renowned Bay Area choreographer Christine Cali. Always a wild ride, the "Fall Dance" promises bold and expressive dancing, full of inventive movement and adventurous choreographic choices.

In a strange, otherworldly landscape, women from different times and places find themselves wrestling with life in "Heroines," a dynamic, new musical revue presented Feb. 5 to Feb. 15, 2015. Drawing from Gilbert & Sullivan, "The Merry Widow" and "The Threepenny Opera;" directors Lynne Morrow and Jane Hammett gather the most soaring, inspiring and hilarious numbers from the history of operetta in this one-of-kind production, focusing on an explosive period of musical history at the turn of the 20th century. "Heroines" is co-produced by the Departments of Music and Theatre Arts & Dance.

"Orchard Development," presented April 16 to April 25, 2015 at Evert B. Person Theatre, tells the story of impoverished Russian aristocrats who return to their country estate, oblivious that it may soon be lost to foreclosure. Anton Chekhov's darkly funny masterpiece "The Cherry Orchard" gets a massive remix in this contemporary deconstruction, exploring text and character through acting, dance, music, technology and design. "Orchard Development" will be directed by Paul Draper, with choreography by Kristen Daley and original music from Jesse Olsen Bay.

For its annual performance season, the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance offers special events, several free K-12 Student Matinees, SSU "Faculty & Staff Night" and alumni performances. Sonoma State University students are admitted free to all productions.

For tickets or more information call the box office at 707-664-4246 or email tickets@sonoma.edu

Sonoma State University Department of Theatre Arts & Dance 2014-2015 Season

Photo credit: David Papas