A New Generation of Theater Artists Shines in the UCLA Department of Theate

Many talented professionals working on Broadway were trained at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Among them are actors Susan Egan (“Cabaret,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Sala Iwamatsu (“Rent,” “Miss Saigon”), Judy Kaye (“Ragtime,” “Mamma Mia!”), John Rubinstein (“Ragtime”), Robert Sella (“Side Man,” “Angels in America”), Michael Stuhlbarg (“Richard II,” “Saint Joan,” “Cabaret”), Clark Thorell (“Titanic”) and Sarah Uriarte (“Les Miserables”), and Tony Award winning director John Rando (“A Thousand Clowns,” “Urinetown,” “The Dinner Party”).

The next generation of Bruins on Broadway and beyond will be showcased during the UCLA Department of Theater 2002-03 Play Series. Opening the series in November are two plays performed in repertory, “The Marriage of Bette and Boo” and “Cloud Nine” (Nov. 14‑23).

Directed by Larry Arrick, UCLA visiting assistant professor, “The Marriage of Bette and Boo” is Christopher Durang’s brilliant comedy about matrimony and families.

Directed by April Shawhan, UCLA visiting assistant professor, “Cloud Nine” is Caryl Churchill’s marvelous spoof and nonstop round robin of sexual liaisons.

Slated for March are two more plays performed in repertory, “Metamorphosis” and “Les Parents Terribles/Indiscretions” (March 6-15).

Adapted by Steven Berkoff and directed by M.F.A. student Brian Snyder, “Metamorphosis” is about Franz Kafka’s dung-beetle facing his dysfunctional family.

Translated by Jeremy Sams and directed by M.F.A. student Tom Burmester, “Les Parents Terribles/Indiscretions” is Jean Cocteau’s acclaimed dark comedy that takes us through the looking glass into an unexpected family drama with an unforgettable twist.

The next production is “Easy Money” (April 18-26), directed by M.F.A. student Natalia Futasova. This play, by Alexander Ostrovsky, “Russia’s Moliere,” is about money, marriage and human nature.

For the final production of the season, UCLA Professor Mel Shapiro directs the Ray Bolger Musical Theater production of “Hair” (May 30-June 7), the first rock musical in the Age of Aquarius. This is the third production of the new UCLA Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program, which teaches students the triple threat: acting, singing and dancing. The program was launched with a generous $2.5 million grant from the Gwen and Ray Bolger Trust.

In addition to the 2002-03 Play Series, the UCLA Department of Theater is also proud to present two complementary events, the Francis Ford Coppola One-Act Marathon (Nov. 21-Dec. 7) and “A Dream Play” (March 12-15).

The fifth annual Francis Ford Coppola One-Act Marathon is a series of one-act plays and ten-minute plays performed and written by graduate students in the Department of Theater and directed by graduate students in the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media.

“A Dream Play,” by August Strindberg and directed by M.F.A. student Aaron Feinstein, is about the search for transcendence in a modern and confusing world.

Admission to both events is free and open to the public.

Tickets to each play in the Play Series are $17 for general admission, $15 for senior citizens and UCLA faculty and staff, $13 for series discount, $10 for groups of 10 or more, and $7 for students. For ticket information, call the UCLA Central Ticket Office at (310) 825‑2101 or visit www.tickets.ucla.edu/.

All performances will be located in Macgowan Hall on the northeast corner of the UCLA campus, near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue. Parking is available for $7 in Lot 3 and can be purchased at the entrance to parking Lot 3 or at the attendant booth on Wyton Drive, just off of Hilgard Avenue.

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"francis ford coppola" "mel shapiro" "april shawhan" 

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