Evan Fox
Managing Editor
Students prepare to audition for "Lysistrata"
Anyone looking for on-campus entertainment will not have to look far this year. The MUW Theatre Department has a full schedule tailored to make audiences laugh. The lineup includes “Lysistrata,” “The Cat in the Hat” and an alumni-led production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
“Lysistrata” will be performed Oct. 16-18 in Cromwell Theater. It was written by Aristophanes in the fifth century. The fictional tale accounts Lysistrata’s attempts to end the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta by urging all women to withhold sex until the men sued for peace.
“It’s ancient Greece, but we’re updating it to World War I,” said David Carter, associate professor of theatre and department chair. “This is the 100th anniversary of World War I and the women’s suffrage movement at the same time, which works extremely well for this play.”
“Twelfth Night” will be performed by the Blue Line Shakespeare Festival on Jan. 21-25. It is a comedy about twins, a boy and a girl, who are separated in a shipwreck. The boy falls in love with a countess who in turn falls in love with the sister, who is disguised as a boy.
The Blue Line Shakespeare Festival is comprised of Theatre alumni from the W. This will be its inaugural year. They will also put on a Shakespearean improv show along with “Twelfth Night.”
Lee Crouse, assistant professor of theatre, noted that while “Twelfth Night” is run by alumni, current theatre students can participate. Auditions will be held on Sep. 20.
Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” will be performed on Feb. 26 and 27 in Rent Auditorium. It is being produced in conjunction with the Columbus Arts Council through the Young People Artist Series.
William “Peppy” Biddy, professor of theatre, is also working on reviving the MUW improv group. It is called Mission: Improvable and will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week.
Busy schedules and the graduations of several members contributed to the improv group’s decline, but there has been renewed interest in it. Biddy likened improv to a sport, because an improv actor has to constantly practice. The actor has to react to the situations he or she is given, and the skill has to be developed.
The group is open to all students. There will be meetings on Wednesday, Sep. 3 at 4 p.m. and Friday, Sep. 5 at 2 p.m. in Cromwell 237. Anyone who is interested should plan to attend both meetings.