Wright State Theatre and Dance to Present THE LIAR, CABARET, and More in 2023-24 Season

Wright State Theatre will present a season of riotous comedy, thoughtful drama, classic and contemporary musicals. In a season the features the stories of rising independence, tragic consequences and joyful discovery, audiences will experience one of their most eclectic and varied seasons in recent memory. This year they welcome a pair of local artistic directors (Emily N. Wells and Gina Handy Minyard) to lead major area premieres.

THE LIAR is a riotous farce, adapted from Pierre Corneille by contemporary comic playwright David Ives. This “scintillating comic romp” will have audiences rolling with rhymed laughter at mistaken identity, wily servants, foolish masters and complicated romance. The perfect way to start your Fall Theatre season. Directed by Josh Aaron McCabe (head of Acting).

In a reimagined production, CABARET returns to our stage under the direction and choreography of Greg Hellems (head of Musical Theatre). John Kander and Fred Ebbs classic Broadway hit follows the rise of fascism in 1930s and the inevitable costs to the German people. Filled with classic hits, like “Cabaret”, “Maybe This Time”, “Money”, this classic musical will entertain and illuminate the dark corners of our culture.

Wright State brings the regional university premiere of Katie Kring and Rob Hartmann's KELLY THE DESTROYER VS THE SPRINGFIELD COBRAS to our Herbst Theatre. Kelly, a new student at Cotesville Magnet High School, faces a school where testing is everything, everything is testing, and some of the students are really weird. Kelly and her new friends discover that the educational consultant reforming the school is secretly turning the students into high-performing, brainwashed cobras! It's up to Kelly to uncover the truth and save the school before it's too late! Directed by Jamie Cordes (Senior Lecturer).

BY THE BOG OF CATS is a furious, uncompromising tale of greed and betrayal, of murder and profound self-sacrifice. Loosely based on Euripides' tragedy Medea, and set on the bleak, ghostly Irish landscape of the Bog of Cats, this provocative drama discloses one woman's courageous attempts to lay claim to that which is hers, as her world is torn in two. Directed by Gina Handy Minyard (Artistic Director, Magnolia Theatre Co.) Area premiere.

In our Herbst Theatre, we're presenting a rare chance to see the original classic drama and its unlikely sequel side-by-side:

Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE is one of the most important works of world theatre, setting the stage for a revolution in psychological realism with one woman's discovery of her own strength and independence in a world determined to crush her. As one critic said, Nora's was “the door slam heard round the world.” Frank McGinnis' contemporary translation brings Ibsen's landmark of Modern Drama to vivid life. Directed by Artistic Director Marya Spring Cordes.

Ibsen's original is followed the next week by Lucas Hnath's 2017 sequel of sorts, DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2. Many years after Nora Helmer's shocking departure, there's a knock on that same door. Nora has returned. But why? And what will it mean for those she left behind? Witty, incisive, and deeply satisfying drama. “This unexpectedly rich sequel reminds us that houses tremble and sometimes fall when doors slam, and that there are living people within, who may be wounded or lost.” (NY Times). Directed by guest artist Emily N. Wells (Artistic Director, Human Race Theatre Co.) Area premiere.

Spring welcomes the Tony and Drama Desk Award winning 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, where audience members will actually participate in the fun of a middle school spelling bee. Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn, this bee is one unforgettable experience. Six awkward spelling champions learn that winning (and losing) isn't everything. Directed and Choreographed by Joe Deer (Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre).

Wright State University Dance Ensemble offers the region's most varied evening of Dance with our annual Spring Dance Concert. Featuring the work of Wright State's faculty and guest artists, we will be joined by community education partners, Dayton Ballet II and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II.

Season tickets can be purchased through Wright State School of Fine and Performing Arts Box Office at (937) 775-2500 or www.wright.edu/theatre

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