WSU Hilberry Theatre to Open Charles Mee's BIG LOVE, 10/25

Charles L. Mee's dark comedy Big Love brings the classic battle of the sexes to the Hilberry Theatre. Playing October 25 through December 7, 2013, this hilarious and boisterous theatrical production is a meditation on love and an exploration of gender archetypes told through the viewpoint of a trio of soon-to-be brides as they quarrel with their three suitors. Tickets for Big Love range from $12-$30 and are available by calling the Hilberry Theatre Box Office at (313) 577-2972, online at Hilberry.com, or by visiting the box office at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Hancock Street.

Big Love is a contemporary reimagining of one of the western world's oldest plays, The Suppliant Women by 5th century BC Greek playwright Aeschylus. Big Love follows fifty brides, who have been forced to marry their fifty cousins, as they flee their home country and seek refuge in an Italian villa -only to be pursued and discovered by their fifty grooms! A roller coaster of comedic mayhem, passion, and a bit of bloody violence, this dark comedy explores human rights abuses, gender politics, domestic violence, and, ultimately, love.

Director Blair Anderson believes that, "The 21st century is a more ambiguous time where both women and men struggle with the search for 'Love.' Audiences can expect to see young men and women in search of their own individual 'big loves' - because, for each of us, finding love is always a big deal."

The production is highly stylized featuring a scenic design that acts more as an art installation than a traditional set. Anderson explains, "The visual design...is less about establishing traditional elements of time, period, or locale but rather the elements are used to somewhat playfully provide historical pastiche and assist in a montage of actions and emotions," including - lots of laughter!

Playwright Charles L. Mee is the first and only playwright to make a large body of theatre work available on the internet. He pioneered the (re)making project (of which Big Love is a product) where he remakes classic plays then makes them available for free for anyone to produce. Mee has expressed, "There is no such thing as an original play...I think of these appropriated texts as historical documents - as evidence of who and how we are and what we do. And I think of the characters who speak these texts as characters like the rest of us: people through whom the culture speaks, often without the speakers knowing it."

Cast (in alphabetical order): Megan Barbour (Olympia), Danielle Cochrane (Thyona), Brandon Grantz (Oed), Brent Griffith (Nikos), Annie Keris (Bella/Eleanor), Sarah Hawkins Moan (Lydia), Topher Payne (Giuliano), Brandy Joe Plambeck (Piero/Leo), and David Sterritt (Constantine).

Production Team: Blair Anderson (Director), Veronica Zahn (Stage Manager), Lyndee Hallahan (Asst. Stage Manager), Leazah Behrens (Scenic/Projection Design), Anne Suchyta (Costume Designer), Tom Schraeder (Lighting Design), Brian Dambacher (Technical Director), Samuel Byers (Sound Designer), Max Amitin (Properties Master), Cheryl Turski (Movement Direction), Bobby Delisle (Original Music Composition), and Patrick Pozezinski (Publicity Manager).

About the Hilberry Theatre Company: Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance serves students as a nexus of performance, production, and research in the fields of dance, theatre, and performance studies. It provides a wide choice of degree programs that allow students the flexibility to study these disciplines broadly or to concentrate more specifically in performance, design, or management. The Hilberry Theatre hosts a professional theatre company that is staffed by graduate students and runs on a rotating repertory schedule. Each academic year, about forty graduate students receive assistantships to work for the Hilberry Theatre and study for advanced degrees. The company performs and produces an annual season of six plays, including high school matinees for nearly 6,000 students. For box office hours and information on performances, tickets, group discounts, and corporate packages, visit the theatre's website at Hilberry.com.

The Hilberry Theatre, Classic Detroit. Classic Comedy. Wayne State University is a nationally-recognized metropolitan research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students.

DATES:

Wednesday 2 p.m. Oct. 30 (Postshow Talkback)
Thursday 8 p.m. Oct. 31 (Preshow Discussion), Dec. 5
Friday 8 p.m. Oct. 25 (Opening Night), Nov. 1, Dec. 6
Saturday 2 p.m. Oct. 26, Dec. 7
Saturday 8 p.m. Oct. 26, Nov. 2, Dec. 7

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