Valerie Curtis-Newton to Direct BOYS' LIFE at UW School of Drama

Valerie Curtis-Newton, professor and head of performance at the University of Washington School of Drama, will direct the School's undergraduate students in Howard Korder's Boys' Life.

Told in a series of fast-paced, sharply etched scenes, Boys' Life follows three former college buddies as they stumble through their 20s-and their various relationships with women-attempting to come to terms with life and the meaning of manhood. On the surface, it is a comedy in the vein of the American Pie films or other "boys coming of age" material, but it has a sharpness and relevance to our current culture that really resonates with Valerie Curtis-Newton.

"I feel like it's easy to dismiss this play as fluff," states Curtis-Newton. "I completely disagree with that reading of the play. For me and our team, it is a play about the definition of manhood, about the pressures faced by boys playing at man-ness and ultimately about how much men need places to be really seen for who they are: vulnerable, proud, competitive, strong, and funny."

Boys' Life previews May 27 and 28 and runs May 29 - June 7. Performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets range from $10-20 and are available online or over the phone through the ArtsUW Ticket Office, 206-543-4880 / drama.uw.edu/performances. The ArtsUW Ticket Office is located at 1313 NE 41st Street, open Monday-Friday, 11 am-6 pm.

Performances are in the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre, located on the UW campus near the north entrance at NE 45th St. and 17th Ave. NE.