UNC Charlotte’s Robinson Hall is the home of the theatre department. NT file photo
The Department of Theatre is UNC Charlotte’s go to source for students interested in acting, playwriting, stage production and theatre education. Every year, the Department of Theatre hosts multiple events and student-run productions that are open for any and all to watch their friends and fellow students perform on stage. Although exact dates are not set in stone yet, here’s what you can expect for the 2015-16 school year.
September: The Plays of Constance Congdon
Constance Congdon joins us for a one-week residency that will include workshops on the craft of playwriting, the playwriting process and readings from her plays, old and new.
Constance Congdon has been called “one of the best playwrights our country and our language has ever produced,” by playwright Tony Kushner. Some of her notable credits in her 30-year career include her original play “Tales of the Lost Formicans” (produced more than 200 times worldwide) and an adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s “A Mother” with Olympia Dukakis in the lead role. Congdon has taught playwriting at Amherst College since 1993.
October: “Coraline”
A Co-Production with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
Location: Wells Fargo Playhouse
The play is adapted from Neil Gaiman’s terrifyingly imaginative children’s story, with music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt. You’ll likely remember the film adaption of the story released in 2009.
November – Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Location: Black Box Theatre
One of the most impactful and influential plays in English literature, “Hamlet” is the story of Prince Hamlet. Betrayed, he must seek revenge for the murder of his father and his uncle’s swift claiming of both the throne and of his mother.
January – “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman”
Location: Black Box Theatre
A co-production from the Department of Theatre, the Department of Music and theatre alumni presents a musical take on the famed comic book superhero.
March – “Hamletmachine” by Heiner Muller
Location: Anne R. Belk Theatre
Written in 1977 by playwright Heiner Muller, “Hamletmachine” is a post-modernist drama that is loosely based on the famous Shakespeare play, “Hamlet.” The play does not follow a standard plot, but uses a sequence of monologues where the protagonist breaks the fourth wall and reflects on his role as an actor.
April – “36 in 6: A Celebration”
Location: Anne R. Belk Theatre
This is the beginning of the department’s project to perform the entire Shakespeare canon by performing six events per year for six years. In the time it takes to perform all 36 works, some students will have entered and graduated from UNC Charlotte.
As you can see, this is going to be a big year of Shakespeare for the theatre department to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death. Shakespeare was a revolutionary playwright and poet of the English Renaissance. He is often referenced as the greatest writer in the English language and the father of drama. Shakespeare has been a stunning inspiration to theatre enthusiasts for generations and this is a special time to celebrate his classic works.
So, if plays, stage production or Shakespeare is something you’re into, then you should definitely keep an eye out this year for a chance to go see one of the theatre department’s productions in live action.