Lipscomb University Theatre Unveils 2018-19 Season with TARTUFFE, GODSPELL and more

Lipscomb University Theatre has only just announced its 2018-19 season and Beki Baker, chair of the Lipscomb University theatre department, says student response already has shown "an overwhelming amount of excitement."

"There is always so much thought and strategy that goes into creating a season line-up, so when we recently announced it internally to our theatre students and saw the joy and enthusiasm that followed, it was extremely affirming and made us that much more excited to share this upcoming season with the greater Nashville community," Baker explains.

"Our 2018-19 lineup includes an extremely diverse representation of playwrights, cultures, eras and stories, and because we consider ourselves a classical-based training ground for students, we believe this season will help foster a lot of growth for our students and department."

Baker promises that members of the community are "in for a treat this season with a front-row seat to a variety of shows from classical works to modern pieces only a couple of years old including shows by French, Spanish and American playwrights, male and female playwrights as well as a shadow-interpreted performance for the deaf and hard of hearing."

The 2018-19 season includes:

Tartuffe - September 14-23 Lipscomb Theatre opens its season with Molière's 17th century French comedy in the Flatt Amphitheater. Directed by Nat McIntyre, the show will feature an all-student cast as well as a partnership with Lipscomb's Department of French.

Originally subtitled as "The Hypocrite" in 1664, the play focuses on Tartuffe, a scheming religious fraud who ingratiates himself in the wealthy household of gullible Orgon, spouting virtues while secretly trying to seduce Orgon's wife.

Through a partnership with Lipscomb's Department of French, French majors will help Lipscomb Theatre students to better understand 17th century French culture and literature to best tell the story.

"We are thrilled to partner with Lipscomb's department of French," says Baker. "Throughout the course of the semester, French students will study Molière specifically his contribution to literature, language and culture, and will help work with our theatre students to develop the presentation.

"We also love opening our season outdoors in the Flatt Amphitheatre because it has such a visible presence on campus, and allows for a dynamic, energetic performance under the stars."

Godspell - November 2-11 The 2018-19 season continues with Stephen Schwartz's three-time Grammy and Academy Award-winning musical Godspell in Collins Alumni Auditorium.

An immensely successful rock opera that was first produced on Broadway in 1971, Godspell broke new ground in its stage treatment of the historical Jesus Christ. Based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the production includes dramatized versions of several well-known parables.

Directed by Scott Baker, director of marketing and recruiting for the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts, the musical will feature an all-student cast that will perform the 2012 revival version of the play.

Music will be directed by musician and songwriter John Mark Painter and will feature a band comprised of students within the Contemporary Music program at Lipscomb.

"We are very excited to present Godspell as this year's fall musical," saysBaker. "This is such a well-known, well-versed musical about the life and death of Jesus, and is definitely one for families to come enjoy together.

"We are also excited to partner with the School of Music to present this musical. John Mark Painter is an incredible, well-known musician who will work directly with our theatre students as vocalists as well as contemporary music program students who will make up our band. These interdisciplinary opportunities and interconnectedness as a college is exactly what makes our program such a valuable training ground for students because it mimics that of a real-world theatrical experience."

Silent Sky - February 15-24 Lipscomb Theatre will bring award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky to Shamblin Theatre. Directed by Beki Baker, the play will feature a shadow-interpreted performance through a partnership with Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as a follow up to last year's smashing success with The Miracle Worker.

Based on the true story and science of early 20th century female "computers" at Harvard Observatory, Silent Sky follows the story of Henrietta Leavitt as she maps distant stars in galaxies beyond our own. This brilliant, headstrong pioneer struggles for recognition in the man's world of turn-of-the-century astronomy. In this exquisite blend of science, history, family ties and fragile love, a passionate young woman must map her own passage through a society determined to keep a woman in her place.

"Silent Sky will feature a small, intimate cast that will tackle some really dramatic material," said Baker. "The play itself is very deep and profound and will be great for our students to stretch themselves in this capacity. The main character is also hard of hearing, so we are excited to feature our second shadow-interpreted performance at Lipscomb."

During the shadow-interpreted performance, Lipscomb's Scott Baker, who has served as a professional interpreter for the deaf for over 20 years, will serve as an American Sign Language consultant for the performance and will be on stage with the actors following them around and providing a much more dynamic interpretation.

Elevate 2019 - March 8-10 Lipscomb University's Foundation Dance Theatre will shake up the theater season with its annual spring dance concert, Elevate, which features students telling stories through movement and various types of dance.

Directed by Kari Smith and Leigh Anne Ervin, adjunct professors and co-founders of the Foundation Dance Theatre, each piece showcases dance styles including ballet, jazz, musical theater, hip hop, modern, lyrical, contemporary and tap. There are also a few comedic pieces, some that are fierce and even some that are heavy.

Blood Wedding - April 11-14 Lipscomb Theatre's 2018-19 season will wrap up with Blood Wedding by Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca, in Shamblin Theatre.

Directed by Lipscomb adjunct professor and artistic associate for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival Santiago Sosa, Lorca's 1930s tragedy is filled with themes about choice, deception, fate and nature, and all circles around a wedding and an epic family feud, according to Baker.

"Lorca is to Spanish playwriting as Shakespeare is to English playwriting, and we are excited to bring an epic story like "Blood Wedding" to the Shamblin Theatre stage," she continues. "Our students are very excited to work with Santiago Sosa, who is brilliant actor and coach, and will do a wonderful job bringing this work to life."

Tickets are regularly $15 for adults, $10 for university faculty/staff/alumni and $5 for students per show. Lipscomb Theatre will offer season ticket packages this summer that will represent the deepest available discount to see all of the great shows.

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