'The Trojan Women', opening Nov. 10, offers alternative history to a classic work
The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts' production of “The Trojan Women," adapted from Euripides’ classic post-war drama, opens Tuesday, Nov. 10, for five performances at the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center.
Performances are Nov. 10-13 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. The show contains adult language and content.
Under the direction of faculty member Bob McGrath, “The Trojan Women” follows the disposed leaders' and soldiers’ wives as their grief and strife are compounded into the realities of post-war 'relief.' The production will use projections and music to help shape the themes of an 'alternative history.'
“All of the performance elements — projections, lights, scenic, costumes, props, music, and sound — work in consort to create a unified world that tells this tragic story,” said McGrath, who has been awarded three OBIE awards and is the co-founder and director of Ridge Theater.
The music for the performance, written by Brooklyn-based composer Joseph Budenholzer, helps establish the exposition of the story and delivers a haunting background as the actors bring the audience into the desolation of post-war life. “ As the piece is developing, it is becoming more and more operatic in nature,” McGrath said.
The twenty-one-person cast is made up of students in various degree programs. One of the cast members, Logan Fry of Roanoke, Virginia, a sophomore majoring in hospitality and tourism management in the Pamplin College of Business, describes the process as “a professional experience that brings both theatre and non-theatre majors together, which helps the cast discover new techniques from one another.”
Admission is $12 general and $10 for seniors/students and may be purchased online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Student Centers and Activities Ticket Office on the first floor of Squires Student Center, or by calling 540-231-5615. Tickets will be available at the Haymarket Theatre box office beginning one hour prior to the performance.
Haymarket Theatre is located at 290 College Avenue in the Squires Student Center on the campus of Virginia Tech. Free parking is available on weekends and after 5 p.m. weekdays in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Streets, in the Architecture Annex Lot on Otey Street, and the Perry Street/Prices Fork lots. Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200. Alternative parking is available in the Kent Squires parking garage and the Farmers Market metered parking lot, both located on Draper Road. Additional downtown Blacskburg parking information is available online.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please email Susan Sanders or call 540-231-5200 during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
The 2015-2016 School of Performing Arts Mainstage Theatre series will present "Boeing Boeing" by Marc Camoletti Feb. 23-March 1 and the musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" based on the book by Rachel Sheinkin, with music and lyrics by William Finn, April 29-May 1. Tickets for all performances are now on sale.
