KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 5, 2024 – What do Peter Pan, a female journalist, Dionysus, and big city gamblers have in common? Hint: They all share a home this year at the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center.
URI’s Theatre Department takes dynamic storytelling to the next level with a lineup of main stage student performances ranging from a classic Greek tragedy to a bread-and-butter American musical. The range in themes and tone of each play offers students an opportunity to challenge themselves and rise to their strengths.
“Machinal,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” and “Bakkhai” will premiere in J Studio in the Fine Arts Center, 150 Upper College Road. “Guys and Dolls” will be held at the Robert E. Will Theatre to accommodate the iconic musical’s scale.
The season will begin Oct. 10 with “Machinal,” directed by URI’s own Rachel Walshe. The 1928 play by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell is inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder. The play is considered one of the high points of expressionist theatre in the history of the American stage and offers contemporary students the opportunity to test the waters of avant-garde theatre.
Walshe is an assistant professor of acting and directing at URI, where her interests include the intersection of performance and social justice. She is a professional director and dramaturge whose theatre work has focused, in particular, on the work of women writers and the development of new plays.
Next, “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice takes flight on Nov. 21, directed by Ted Clement, professor of theatre at the Community College of Rhode Island.
“It’s a wonderfully delicious imaginative story that a lot of people have never seen or thought about. It’s the story before the story we all know; Peter Pan, Wendy, the lost boys – we get that – but we don’t know the beginning of that story,” said Paula McGlasson, chair of the department.
Clement’s experience as a director at CCRI has a dynamic range, including “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker to Green Day’s “American Idiot,” which earned him the 2019 Motif Theatre Award for Best College Production and Best College Direction.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to direct these exceptional URI theatre makers in creating a new interpretation of this wonderful play,” said Clement.
On Feb. 27, director Theo Fantozzi will lead the student-run production of the Greek classic “Bakkhai” by Euripides. Fantozzi is a senior pursuing a BFA in theatre (concentration in directing and stage management) and a BA in Global Language and Area Studies with a specialization in Classical Studies. He will spend the fall semester at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, to hone his directorial skills before he returns in the spring to lead the student production.
“The version we’ll be using does a wonderful job of infusing an ancient story with contemporary poetry and meaning,” said Fantozzi. “I’m hoping this production will serve as a gateway for connecting the oldest form of Western theatre — something we learn about extensively in class but rarely have the opportunity to explore as artists — with our modern education practically. It’s going to be a great collaborative undertaking, and one I can’t wait to share.”
Each year, students (usually rising seniors with a concentration in directing) submit plays they are interested in directing. The proposals and plays are read by URI theatre professors and a selection is made based on what the play could contribute to the department and the specific student’s strengths.
“Theo’s love of ancient studies and scripts by the Greeks fits in perfectly with where he wants to go as a director,” said McGlasson. “We’re very proud of the student lead full-length plays. The whole thing is students. Everything is in the hands of our student body, and we, as faculty and staff, serve as advisors.”
The sweeping classic musical “Guys and Dolls” (music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling) will grace the URI stage starting on April 17. The season’s final production will be directed by Jimmy Calitri, professor of theatre at Providence College.
Calitri is no stranger to URI; he’s an alumni and was assistant director on “Little Shop of Horrors” last season alongside department chair, Paula McGlasson. “I’m coming home to URI,” said Calitri. “And I’m excited to continue building relationships with the theatre students.”
While Calitri has ample experience as a professional artist (director at White Heron Theatre in Nantucket and artistic director at Festival 56 in Princeton, Illinois), his heart lies with students. “It’s more rewarding for me to work at a college,” he said. “It’s about fostering the next generation of future artists. You want to make sure at a young age that they’re getting a taste for something to be invested in and to get a taste of their own potential.”
This production of “Guys and Dolls” will be the very first at URI. “It is one of the most award-winning musicals of all time. We have an incredible team on that show. This is the only play to be put on in the Will Theatre to match the vastness and largess of a brilliant show like “Guys and Dolls.” Americanah – that’s what it is,” said McGlasson.
“Machinal” by Sophie Treadwell
Oct. 10-12 and 17-19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 13 and 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice
Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 5-7, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 24 and Dec. 8, 2024, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Bakkhai” by Euripides
Feb. 27 and March 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
March 2, 2025, at 2 p.m.
J-Studio
“Guys and Dolls”
April 17-19 and 23-26, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
April 27, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Robert E. Will Theatre