UW School of Drama Presents ONCE UPON A TIME 6X IN THE WEST, Now thru 4/28

UW School of Drama presents Once Upon a Time 6X in The West, based on the musical play The Story of Little Horse. Book and lyrics by Jeffrey Fracé with music by Frank Ferrara, Jeffrey Fracé, Sari Breznau, Rob Witmer, Spencer Hamp and Christian Frederickson, premiering at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. Previews begin tonight, April 17, 2013. The production runs through Sunday, April 28, and features the School of Drama's undergraduate program students and guest performers.

In an essentially American story, a young orphan girl is set adrift in the Wild West. She's been rescued (and lost) by an old bandit only to be reclaimed in a boisterous new life on the frontier. While the play feels classic, the production explores the frontiers of storytelling by drawing inspiration from six avant garde theatre companies and directors. Peter Brook, Grotowski, Mabou Mines, Robert Wilson, and The Wooster Group are represented. The ensemble's own mash-up completes the group with a blend of Ridiculous Theater, Gob Squad and Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant.

Stylistically, this show is 'everything BUT the kitchen sink.' Playwright and director Jeffrey Fracé has a very specific goal to "take something familiar (the Western) and make it strange; and also to take something strange (Avant Garde Performance) and make it familiar, or at least accessible." Drawn to iconic film westerns' simple stories, grand vistas and sensational music (think Stagecoach, Once Upon a Time in The West, and Shane) Fracé wants us to see them through a new lens - SIX new lenses - to discover what's yet uncharted in both content and form.

Jeffrey Fracé, director, is a writer, director, actor and multi-instrumentalist. He has performed in over 70 productions throughout North America, South America and Europe. He has directed original devised theatre pieces throughout the U.S., as well as numerous Shakespeare productions and the opera Don Giovanni. He is a founding member of Conni's Avant Garde Restaurant, a New York-based ensemble, for whom he writes, directs and performs. He is a former Associate Artist of the Siti Company, and he holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University.

Jeffrey Fracé currently teaches physical acting at the University of Washington. Seattle audiences most recently saw him as Deeley in Old Times at ACT Theatre's Pinter Festival. Seattle directing credits include The Two Orphans, Untying My Cement Shoes, Harp Song for a Radical and Barbarians.

Lane Czaplinski, co-conceiver, is Artistic Director of On the Boards, one of the nation's premier venues for regional and international contemporary performance.

The University of Washington School of Drama is one of the country's leading training institutions for theatre artists and scholars. Sixteen faculty and 20 staff members serve 150 undergraduate majors and 45 graduate students. The School offers a four-year undergraduate liberal arts education, Masters of Fine Arts degrees in acting, design, and directing, and a PhD in theatre history and criticism

Internationally, students study and present work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and in Pontlevoy, France as The Drama Collective. Faculty and alumni have founded theatres such as ACT (Seattle), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Empty Space Theatre, and most recently, Azeotrope, the Washington Ensemble Theatre, Emerald City Scene, Wing-it Productions, and Next Stage. drama.uw.edu

Once Upon a Time 6X in The West will run tonight, April 17, through Sunday, April 28. Previews: Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30pm; Thursday, April 18 at 7:30pm. Opening Night: Friday, April 19 at 7:30pm. Week One: Saturday, April 20 at 7:30pm; Sunday, April 21 at 2:00pm. Week Two: Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30pm; Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm; Friday, April 26 at 7:30pm; Saturday, April 27 at 7:30pm; Sunday, April 28 at 2:00pm. All performances run at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse, located at 4045 University Way NE, Seattle, WA.

Ticket and subscription information: (206) 543-4880 or drama.washington.edu. Advance orders save $2 on at-the-door single ticket prices; season subscriptions offer additional savings. Single tickets at the door: Wednesday-Sunday, $20; Preview, $10. Student tickets are $12 to all shows. Tickets for UW employees/UWAA and Seniors are $15. The UW Arts Ticket Office is located at 1313 NE 41st Street, open Monday-Friday, 11am-6 pm. Or click HERE.

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