Furman University, the southeast’s leading liberal arts and science university, recently announced this season’s Theatre offerings. Glad to be post covid, all the dramatic arts stage productions will be on campus, inside and open to the public.
This season continues to be under the guidance of Furman’s Theatre Department Chair, Maegan Azar, who currently is teaching students at Furman’s Semester Abroad Program based in London and at the Stratford on Avon theatre of the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company.
Semester abroad programs are one of the many Furman Advantage programs that offers its students special opportunities to learn distant from the strictly academic classes on campus. They are designed to be a challenging, multicultural, and a broadening learning experience, outside the student’s traditional academic learning model in the United States.
All of this season’s productions will be held at Furman’s Theatre Arts performing space, which is known for its 110-seat theatre, thrust stage, with state-of-the-art lighting. These qualities result in outstanding stage presentations and a very intimate experience for the playgoer.
On tap for this season are four standard plays, and a free fifth, in progress work. This yet to be finalized work, will be fine tunned after input from the three different universities who are staging and experimenting with the work this school year. All three universities will meet with the playwright in NYC this summer to voice their suggestions for changes based upon their experience performing the work and importantly, the audience’s reactions to their individual campus productions earlier in the school year.
Here is the lineup of the five plays
• Never Swim Alone by Daniel Macivor; September 27-October 2. A swift and funny satire between two males and their ruthless competition to better the other and at what expense.
• Consider Me by Wesley Hudson; October 21-22. A play with some song from a recent college grad from a prestigious university, who desperately just needs a job! (Afterall, his educational loans were likely not all forgiven).
• Clever Little Lies by Joe Dipietro: November15-20. A story about a long-term love and marriage full of secrets, half-truths and downright lies!
• Project Dawn by Karen Hartman: February 14-19. This play is anticipated to be the most socially important and challenging of the plays this season and addresses the never-ending issues and concerns with sex trafficking that exists today, and it isn’t just professional football players that are participants.
• Put Yourself Out There by Deneen Reynolds-Knott: April 11-16: A story about whether the college friendships that are formed during the four years are actually real and forever or just transitory.
All performances are on campus and the “best buy” is a flex pass and for $25 you get to go to all four normal plays, PLUS the bonus work or any mix you want. Call the box office for more information and tickets: 864-294-2125 or https://www.furman.edu/academics/theatre-arts/performances/current-season/
Dennis Tavernetti is a retired president of a local based global company with offices and plants in multiple countries, and was for many years a member of the of the Board and Executive Committee of Peace Center for Performing Arts during its conception, building and operation. He also was a key member of the Warehouse Theatre during its new building in the West End. He has been a frequent published writer of opinion columns in the Greenville News for many years.