Ithaca College Theatre Announces Its 1999–2000 Season

Ithaca College Theatre will present an exciting finale to the 20th century with a season of six productions: a dark thriller by Eric Overmeyer, an American classic by Tennessee Williams, a beloved musical by Rodgers and Hart, a celebration of the many forms of dance, a comic opera by Benjamin Britten, and a special nonsubscription production of a poignant comedy by John Guare.

New this season are preview performances at a lower ticket price. Subscription series packages cost between $18.00 and $36.00, offering discounts of up to 20 percent off single ticket prices, which range from $3.50 to $9.00. Other subscriber benefits include first choice of the best seats, free ticket exchanges, free replacement of lost tickets, and special invitations to studio shows and senior directing projects. Evening performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. Matinees will be on Saturday at 2:00 except for Albert Herring, which will have its matinee at 2:00 on Sunday. For more information call Cynthia Folkers at 274-3915.

Dark Rapture by Eric Overmeyer will open the new season on September 30. After a fire destroys the home of Ray and Julia Gaines, a charred corpse is discovered in the rubble. Whose corpse is it? Where was Julia when the house burned down? And what happened to the parcel Julia says she left in Ray’s custody? Any number of sinister people want to know as reality is challenged and morals are questioned. Dark Rapture will run from September 30 through October 9.

Babes in Arms by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart opens October 21. A group of young people stage a revue to keep from being sent to a work farm. Joining forces with a frustrated secretary and a movie star, the apprentice company performs such standards as "The Lady Is a Tramp," "My Funny Valentine," and "Johnny One Note." After opening on October 21, Babes in Arms will run from October 26 to 30.

John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves — a special production not part of the subscription season — will open November 18. In this black comedy Queens zookeeper Artie Shaughnessy longs to become a hit songwriter and run away to Hollywood with his girlfriend, Bunny, leaving behind his mad wife, Bananas. Meanwhile, Artie’s son is planning to blow up the pope at Yankee Stadium. In hilarious, poignant, and disturbing ways, each character moves a little closer to achieving his or her dream. The play opens Nov-ember 18 and runs from November 30 through December 4.

Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten will be the first spring production. "Honest, truthful, keen as Colman’s Mustard as they say!" So sing the people of East Suffolk, England, about upstanding resident Albert Herring, who is pressed into service as May King when a sufficiently chaste candidate for May Queen can’t be found. Can sudden fame smear the reputation of even the most virtuous citizen? One of Britten’s rare comedies has the answer. Albert Herring opens February 15 and runs through February 20. As noted earlier, the matinee for this production is on Sunday, February 20, at 2:00.

Beyond Words: A Celebration of Dance brings movement in its most sublime form to the Hoerner stage. Revealing the expressive power of the human body, this riveting exposition showcases the College’s most talented dancers performing tap, ballet, modern, and jazz. Performances are March 28 through April 1.

Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams will close the season. The story follows Alma, the repressed daughter of a Victorian southern minister and his unbalanced wife, as she struggles through a romantic relationship with the town’s young doctor. The forces that attract the lovers also pull them apart, and after a summer of passion and discovery, the purest souls have the farthest to fall. Summer and Smoke will run April 13–15 and 18–22.