FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 16, 2002
Contact: Donna McCracken, 206-6716
SPRINGFIELD -- The
theater program at the University of Illinois at Springfield will kick off its
first season with a production of It’s Only a Play, a comedy by Terrence
McNally.
Directed by Eric
Thibodeaux-Thompson, assistant professor of communication and director of
theater at UIS, the cast includes Jim Hepworth, Mallory Houghton, Darin Harms,
Dutch Grove, Jessica Madsen, Christopher Wyant, Paul Russell, and Debra Martin.
It’s Only a Play is a spoof of show business and its
often bizarre practitioners, using the occasion of an opening night party for
what turns out to be a disastrous Broadway play. As celebrities pour in to the
Manhattan townhouse of the show’s wealthy producer, the real action occurs
upstairs where a group of insiders have staked themselves out in the bedroom,
waiting for the reviews. But as the reviews for the show (all bad) start coming
in, everyone begins trying to pin the blame on someone else. Due to some
language and situations, this production may not be appropriate for some
audience members and is not recommended for children. Parental discretion is
advised.
Performances are scheduled
for 8 p.m. Saturday, October 19; 3 p.m. Sunday, October 20; and 8 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 24, 25, and 26. All performances will
be in the Studio Theatre, located in the lower level of the Public Affairs
Center on the UIS campus. Running time is approximately two-and-a-half to three
hours.
Tickets -- $10 general
admission, $6 for UIS faculty/staff, and $4 for UIS students -- may be
purchased at the UIS bursar’s office, level one of the PAC, telephone 206-6738
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at the door, beginning one
hour before curtain time.
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