Curse of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard and Oleanna
The University of Central Arkansas Theatre has announced its line-up of
productions for the 2010-2011 season. The season opens with two
productions in repertory, directed by senior Theatre majors Bradley
Mancil of Harrison and Greg Antley of Conway. Mancil will direct Curse
of the Starving Class by Sam Shepard. In Shepard’s final play about
family tragedies, the Tate clan struggle for control of the family farm
in this darkly, comedic search into the American family psyche. The 1994
film version featured James Woods, Kathy Bates, and Randy Quaid. Antley
will direct Oleanna by David Mamet. This compelling story has become one
of Mamet’s most controversial dramas. It features a female college
student who accuses her professor of sexual harrassment, but the
question remains - who is right and who is wrong? Curse of the Starving
Class will run September 8, 10, and 16, and Oleanna will run September
9, 15, and 17. Both productions begin at 7:30 pm and will be performed
in the Studio Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. Admission is free.
However, due to limited seating in the Studio Theatre, tickets are
required.
Tickets to all UCA Theatre performances go on sale August 16, 2010 and
are handled through UCA Ticket Central regardless of the performance
venue. Ticket Central is located in the Reynolds Performance Hall, 201
Donaghey in Conway. Box Office hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday
through Friday. Reservations can be made by calling 501-450-3265. The
general public may also purchase tickets online at www.uca.edu/tickets.
UCA Theatre has been an accredited institutional member of the National
Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) since 1995. UCA Theatre is
recognized for its challenging and diverse theatre arts education
program. It has consistently received honors and awards for its
productions through the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
(KCACTF). UCA Theatre has received the prestigious Directors’ Choice
Award or the Critic’s Choice Award from the state KCACTF festival in
eleven of the last fourteen years and was invited to perform at the
KCACTF Region VI festival in 2010, the fourth such invitation in the
past several years. Faculty, professional staff, and theatre students
have also been honored for excellence in acting, directing, designing,
and stage managing. The program has had three students win the Region VI
Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and perform at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C. and has had one national winner of the competition.
Further information regarding UCA Theatre can be obtained online at
www.uca.edu/theatre or by calling 501-450-5092.
