Season 2002-2003

True West

By Sam Shepard
Directed by Joanna Rotté
October 1 - 13, 2002

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard's 1980 dark comedy is an explosive exploration of family dysfunction and sibling rivalry. In True West, Austin, an Ivy League-educated writer has returned to his childhood home outside L.A., intent on selling his latest script to a Hollywood producer. Austin's world is turned upside down when his older brother Lee, a crude petty thief, shows up and tries to sell his story - a "true" American western - to the intrigued producer. As the two estranged brothers wrangle over their screenplays, bicker, get drunk, and trash the house, they come to realize that deep down they may not be so different after all. More Information...

The Trojan Woman

By Euripides Adapted by Nicholas Rudall
Directed by James J. Christy
November 12 - 24, 2002

In the aftermath of the Trojan War, the women of Troy are left standing in the ruins of their country, enslaved by the conquering Greeks and awaiting an uncertain fate. Helpless while their men and children are slaughtered, they must deal with the consequences of a war they didn't start and carry on. Called one of the greatest anti-war plays ever written, The Trojan Women will be staged by 2001 Barrymore Award-winning director James J. Christy, who will utilize a contemporary translation and evocative original music to heighten the emotional intensity of this Greek tragedy. More Information...

By the Bog of Cats...

By Marina Carr
Directed by Harriet Power
February 11 - 23, 2003

Marina Carr's plays weave together a rich tapestry of Irish history and culture - and feature a healthy dose of black comedy. She will spend a semester-in-residence in the Irish studies department and work directly with Villanova Theatre on the staging of her gripping 1998 play, By the Bog of Cats... In this modern re-telling of the Medea tragedy, a moody Irish Traveler named Hester Swane has turned her back on her gypsy heritage and settled down near a swamp called the Bog of Cats. Tormented by the memory of a mother who left her and dark family secrets she can't escape, Hester is pushed to the brink of despair when she is abandoned by the younger man she loves and forced to give up her child and leave the only home she has ever known. This play is recommended for ages 16 and older. More Information...

City of Angels

Book by Larry Gelbart
Music by Cy Coleman
Lyrics by David Zippel
Directed by Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A.
March 25 - April 13, 2003

City of Angels takes us to a jazzy 1940's Los Angeles where a fledgling screenwriter named Stine is adapting his hard-boiled detective novel into a screenplay for an egomaniacal producer. Confronted by the seductive charms of Hollywood, money, and glamorous women, Stine's personal life falls apart and the beleaguered writer begins to live out his fantasies through his suave alter-ego, a sardonic detective named Stone. "Smart, swinging, sexy, and funny" (Newsweek), this six-time Tony Award-winning musical is loaded with popular songs that range from scintillating showstoppers to torchy ballads. More Information...

Department of Theatre

True West

The Trojan Woman

By the Bog of Cats...

City of Angels

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