Theater Tulsa Presents UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE 3/27-29, 4/2-4

Theatre Tulsa, in cooperation with Clark Theatre, presents Bel Kaufmans "Up the Down Staircase"

This will be a joint production with the City of Tulsa Parks and Recreation Department, to be performed at the Liddy Doenges in the Tulsa PAC. Performance dates are March 27-28, April 2-4 at 8 pm. and March 29 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets range from $10-$17.50 and can be purchased at 587-8402, 596-7111, or online at www.myticketoffice.com

The show is directed by Frank Gallagher & Julie Tattershall. The set is by Erin Scarrberry & Joel Cheatham. The lights are by Anthony Batchelder, the stage manager is Cathy Blackmore, and the producer is Anthony Batchelder.

The cast includes Phil Blackmore, Deborah Bosworth Campbell, Ron Friedberg, Beth Anne Herrmann, Deborah Hunter, Miriam Mills, George Romero, W. Bryan Thompson, and Sherry Zyskowski

It also features Tim Bowman, Erin Bridwell, Chazz Browne, Ethan Cantrell, Grace Cuellar, Jon Dicandeloro, Scorpio Flynn, Tanner Friend, Jose Gonzalez, Michaela' Hanneyer, Shannon Harris, Madeline Lackey, Erika Loney, Ryan Mannschreck, Julia Mills, Hannah Moore, Simone Summers, Marjorie Tanner, Nicholas Thomas, and Tiffany Wright.

Best remembered as the 1967 movie with Sandy Dennis, "Up the Down Staircase" tells the touching and humorous story of a new teacher in an inner-city high school. Confronted with situations her Ivy League education never prepared her for, Sylvia Barrett struggles to find ways to reach kids who don't care. Or do they?

The directors' vision is to update the play to have more of an impact in today's modern times. The original was almost a "Laugh-In" version of stock characters coming in and out of the classroom. The students in the play were played more for comedy. It was easy to fit the play into today's classrooms and the problems young teachers still grapple with. Just as in 1967, schools are over run by the educational bureaucracy and mountains of monotonous paper work that interfere with the students' actual learning process. Sylvia must learn to accept the kids as they are and motivate them by example. Trust runs both ways and a classroom where real ideas are exchanged is built by mutual trust and not practical rules. All the problems of the 1967 movie of teen suicide and bullying still exist and we need caring teachers to create a different model in which students are seen as individuals and not stamped out by cookie cutters.

For more information on Clark theatre visit www.clarktheatre.com or Theatre Tulsa visit www.theatretulsa.org.

Clark Theatre is a youth theater program and is part of the city of Tulsa Park and Recreation Department. Clark Theatre is located at 11440 E Admiral (1/4 mile east of Garnett on Admiral). For more information please call 669-6455 or 746-5065, or visit the website at clarktheatre.com

Theatre Tulsa and Clark Theatre are proud members of the Tulsa Area Community Theatre Alliance and the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association.

This production made possible by The City of Tulsa Parks and recreation Department, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa, The George Kaiser Family Foundation, The Williams Companies, Urban Tulsa Weekly, Dale Gillman Antiques, Donna Simmons/Tulsa Tech Broken Arrow and all the proud sponsors of Theatre Tulsa and Clark Theatre.

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