'Pinter Works' gives audiences three different views of playwright
The School of Performing Arts and Cinema at Virginia Tech opens its 2012-13 Mainstage Theatre season with "Pinter Works," a trio of short plays by acclaimed playwright Harold Pinter, directed by Gregory Justice.
The production runs in Squires Studio Theatre Sept. 27-30 and Oct. 2-6 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 30 and Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.
The triptych of plays in "Pinter Works" includes "Applicant," "The Lover," and what many regard as Pinter’s best known one-act play, "The Dumb Waiter." In "Applicant," Mr. Lamb, an unassuming physicist, interviews for a job with domineering Ms. Piffs. As Piff’s questions intensify, the everyday interview careens toward a shocking conclusion. In "The Lover," a well-to-do couple interrogate one another over the revelation of a mysterious affair. The final play, "The Dumb Waiter," takes viewers to an abandoned hideout where a pair of clownish hit men wait for their next fateful call.
Harold Pinter (1930-2008) was an award-winning British playwright, actor, screenwriter, and director. He penned 29 plays and 15 dramatic sketches, including "Betrayal" (1978), "The Homecoming" (1964), and "The Birthday Party" (1957). Over the course of his 50-year career, Pinter was honored with the Laurence Olivier Award (1996), Legion d’honneur (2007), and the Nobel Prize in Literature (2005).
Director and faculty member Gregory Justice began teaching at Virginia Tech in 1983. He conducts courses in acting and movement, and has directed over 30 productions. Justice also offers workshops and executive coaching on "The Art of Business: Using Acting Techniques in Presentations, Sales, and Corporate Communication" for businesses and organizations. Justice talks about the upcoming production of "Pinter Works" in this video.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students/seniors, and are available at the Student Centers and Activities Ticket Office in the Squires Student Center. For tickets, call 540-231-5615, order online, or purchase at the ticket office. Tickets will also be sold at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance.
Free parking is available 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 Square parking garage and the Farmers Market metered parking lot, both located on Draper Road. Additional Downtown Blacksburg parking information can be found online.
