Wyoming Arts Council

Summer theatre season begins June 11 at UW


It’s time for summer theatre!

From a University of Wyoming press release:

A witty, insightful look at what happens when ordinary life is refracted through the lens of war; a “riotously funny” (Associated Press) comedy about two Irish lads hoping to hit it big as movie extras; and a homegrown, heartfelt tribute to community journalism are all on the marquee this summer for the 60th season of Snowy Range Summer Theatre.

Presented by the University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance, the summer theatre season opens June 11-15 with Donald Margulies’ “Time Stands Still,” followed June 25-29 by the hit comedy “Stones in His Pockets,” and then closes July 9-13 with the premiere production of “Waiting for A Chinook: A New Play About Old Newspapers.”

All theatre performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the UW Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts Studio Theatre. Tickets cost $10 for the public and $7 for students, senior citizens and children over 5. Discounts are available for groups of 20 persons or more. For tickets and information, call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

Opening the summer season is “Time Stands Still,” a moving and often hilarious story of relationships from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Dinner with Friends.” Directed by Professor Rebecca Hilliker and featuring guest artist and Equity actor Caryn Flanaghan, this brilliant Broadway hit follows longtime partners Sarah and James, a photojournalist and foreign correspondent, who share a passion for documenting the realities of war. But when circumstances force the adventurous couple to return home to New York to convalesce, they must confront the prospect of a more conventional life together.

“Time Stands Still” bears witness to the human experience in all its facets, from the exhilaration and danger of living on the front lines to the gentle intimacies of domestic life. This production contains language and themes that some may find objectionable.

Winner of the 2001 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and nominated for three Tony awards, “Stones in His Pockets” is a funny and poignant two-hander about a rural Irish village turned upside down by the arrival of an American film crew. Down-on-their-luck locals Charlie and Jake hope to hit it big when hired as extras for the big-budget movie, but soon discover that Hollywood’s romanticized Ireland stands in stark contrast to harsh reality. Directed by John O’Hagan, “Stones in His Pockets” features guest actors Jake Staley and Jason Pasqua portraying more than a dozen eccentric characters, from the film’s spoiled American starlet to the star-struck locals.

The season closes with “Waiting for A Chinook: A New Play about Old Newspapers,” a premiere production by Gregory Hinton, an acclaimed writer, filmmaker and independent curator, and son of a Wyoming newspaper family. Directed by Leigh Selting and featuring guest actors Tom Watson and Martha Slater, the play follows Vince, a disillusioned city reporter who, in the wake of the drastic declines suffered by metro daily newspapers, returns to his boyhood Western town to search for place and meaning in the writings of his late father, a Wyoming country editor.

“Sometimes, I can hear these old newspapers talking,” he is told by Ramona, a dedicated and spirited county archivist who quickly becomes both sparring partner and guide. Affecting, earnest and compassionate, “Waiting for a Chinook” celebrates community journalism and country editors everywhere, and the sacrifices made to bring us the stories of ourselves.

Photo on home page: Actors perform a scene during the 2012 UW Snowy Range Summer Theatre production of “Romance/Romance.” The 2013 season begins June 11-13 with Donald Margulies’ “Time Stands Still,” followed June 25-29 by the hit comedy “Stones in His Pockets,” and then closes July 9-13 with the premiere production of “Waiting for A Chinook: A New Play About Old Newspapers.”


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