Inside Iowa State

Aug. 20, 2009

Cast members from The History Boys include (clockwise from top right): Matt Oleson, Dustin Strawn, Mat Wymore, Nick Toussaint, Sean Tweedale, Bryce Larsen, Caleb Woodley and Chris King. Photo by Casey Gradischnig.

Early start for ISU Theatre

by Erin Rosacker

ISU Theatre will kick off its 2009-10 lineup differently this year. Not only will it start earlier, but the department is bringing in a Des Moines-based production to the Fisher Theater stage for the first show of the season.

Stage West theater company will present The History Boys Aug. 28-30. Assistant theater professor Brad Dell is directing the play, and several ISU Theatre faculty, staff and students are among the cast and crew, including department chair Jane Cox, who is reprising the role of history teacher Mrs. Lintott.

"ISU Theatre's association with StageWest goes back several years with our faculty, staff, and students involved in a number of production areas," Cox said. "This is the first time that a StageWest production has been presented in Fisher Theater and we are so pleased to collaborate with one of Des Moines' best theatre companies to present this Tony Award-winning production."

Five award-winning Broadway shows (including The History Boys) are among the seven productions that make up this year's season-ticket package. Season tickets are $77 for adults, $70 for seniors and $49 for students. Individual tickets for The History Boys are $15 (adults), $13 (seniors) or $8 (students), and are available at the Stephens Auditorium ticket office. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m.; the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m.

2009-10 ISU Theatre productions

The History Boys
(Aug. 28-30, Fisher)
A Tony Award-winning play that follows eight raucous British school boys preparing for college entrance exams and life under the tutelage of three instructors with differing methods.

The Odd Couple
(Sept. 25-27 and Oct. 2-4, Fisher)
Oscar and Felix bring their bickering to the stage in Neil Simon's Tony Award-winning play about polar opposites as roommates.

Sweeney Todd
(Nov. 5-8, Fisher)
In this Tony Award-winning dark musical, a barber returns to London, bringing murderous revenge that boosts his landlady's meat pie business.

Twelfth Night
(Dec. 4-6 and Dec. 11-13, Fisher)
After a shipwreck brings a brother-sister set of twins to a new land, a love triangle is formed on mistaken identity in this Shakespearean romantic comedy.

The Importance of Being Earnest
(Feb. 26-28 and March 5-7, Fisher)
A comic Oscar Wilde play that follows two young bachelors leading double lives on intricately entwined paths.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
(March 25-28, MU Maintenance Shop)
A Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a young girl who strives for success, despite a dysfunctional family spearheaded by her abusive and controlling mother.

Guys and Dolls
(April 16-17, Stephens)
New York City's Broadway is the frenetic setting for this Tony Award-winning musical comedy about relationships between men and women.

ISU Theatre will stage seven productions as part of this year's season-ticket package. Tickets ($77 for adults, $70 for seniors and $49 for students) are available at the Stephens Auditorium ticket office.

"This is the first time that a StageWest production has been presented in Fisher Theater and we are so pleased to collaborate with one of Des Moines' best theatre companies to present this Tony Award-winning production."

Jane Cox