Publish Date

UIS Theatre Announces the '23-'24 Season

Celebrating 21 Years of Theatre that Matters

Fall 2023 - THE THANKSGIVING PLAY by Larissa FastHorse

  • Directed by Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson
  • Scenic Design and Technical Direction by Dathan Powell

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse's wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally "woke" teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. ~ from the Concord Theatricals/Samuel French Acting Edition back cover of the play

"The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs."~ The New York Times

"A satirical and visual punch."~ New York Stage Review

"Very, very funny. Larissa FastHorse's The Thanksgiving Play skewers liberal pretensions with glee - this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful." ~ Hollywood Reporter

SETTING

A high school drama classroom anywhere but the Los Angeles area.

CHARACTERS: 2 M / 2W

Logan

  • Female presenting
  • The high school drama teacher that's always pushing the envelope in potentially inappropriate ways
  • Earnest about theatre and proving herself

Jaxton

  • Male presenting
  • Yoga practitioner/actor
  • Politically correct to a fault, a big one
  • He's that confident guy everyone loves, but his logical PC thinking takes weird turns

Alicia

  • Female presenting
  • Brunette
  • Has looks that would have been cast as ethnic in 1950s movies
  • Without guile
  • Sexy and hot, but not bright

Caden

  • Male presenting
  • The Academic
  • Awkward elementary school teacher with dramatic aspirations but no experience

OPEN AUDITIONS/OPEN CREW INTERVIEWS

  • Tuesday, September 5 & Wednesday, September 6
    • with Callbacks for some actors on Thursday, September 7
    • 6:00pm Crew Interviews & 7:00pm Auditions on Sept. 5 & 6
    • Studio Theatre, Level 1, Performing Arts Center, UIS Campus
    • Limited number of scripts NOW available at the Brookens Library front desk for 24 hour checkout
    • Nothing to Prepare/Cold Readings from the script/Headshots-Resumes Appreciated, but not required

Performances in the Studio Theatre

Friday, October 27; Saturday, October 28; Sunday, October 29 & Thursday, November 2; Friday, November 3; Saturday, November 4. (All performances at 7:30pm, except for the Sunday, Oct 29 Matinee at 2:00pm)

Spring 2024 - JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN by Kimberly Belflower

  • Guest Directed by Rhys Lovell
  • Scenic Design and Technical Direction by Dathan Powell

At a rural high school in Georgia, a group of lively teens are studying “The Crucible” while navigating young love, sex ed, and a few school scandals. Holding a contemporary lens to the American classic, they begin to question who is really the hero and what is the truth, discovering their own power in the process. Alternately touching and bitingly funny, this new comedy captures a generation in mid-transformation, running on pop music, optimism, and fury, writing their own coming of age story.

  • Winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production of a Play.
  • “A knockout…[John Proctor Is the Villain] is…pushing for a 4.0 GPA.” —Washington Post.
  • “I would urge everyone to see this play.” —Georgetown Dish.
  • “Biting and exquisite.” —MD Theatre Guide.
  • “Operates adroitly as both think-piece and thrilling drama.” —Metro Weekly.
  • “Cracking good theatre…Add it to your ‘must see’ list.’’ —DC Metro Theater Arts.

TIME AND PLACE

Spring Semester, Junior Year, 2019

Helen County High, the only high school in a one-stoplight town, northeast Georgia

All scenes are in Mr. Smith's classroom unless otherwise noted

CHARACTERS: 3M / 6W

Carter Smith

  • Teacher
  • Mid-30s M.
  • A former golden boy, but one of those rare smart and sensitive ones
  • Now he's a great teacher: charming, engaging, goofy

Shelby Holcomb

  • student
  • 16, F.
  • Her brain works faster than her mouth, but her mouth works pretty dang fast
  • People have always underestimated her

Beth Powell

  • Student
  • 17, F.
  • Nervous and ambitious and enthusiastic
  • Kind of like if Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller had a baby and raised her in the Deep South

Neil Shaw

  • Student
  • 16, F.
  • From Atlanta
  • Grounded and sincere
  • Genuinely curious about things
  • A good judge of character, and a quick study

Ivy Watkins

  • Student
  • 17, F.
  • Fiercely loyal and always well-intentioned
  • From old Southern money, resist the urge to play her as a mean girl

Raelyn Nix

  • Student
  • 16
  • A cheerleader type who's always lived her life by other peoples' standards.
  • She was paying careful attention the whole time

Mason Adams

  • Student
  • 17, M.
  • He's never really tried before, and he's surprised by how good it feels
  • Earnest and affable

Lee Turner

  • Student
  • 16. M.
  • A Carhartt-wearing good ol' boy
  • Deeply insecure and without the tools to deal with it
  • He's always been good at getting what he wants

Bailey Gallagher

  • Counselor
  • 24, F.
  • Sweet in all the ways Southern women are supposed to be
  • This is her first real job out of college, and she really cares about it

A note on casting: rural Georgia doesn't mean all white.

OPEN AUDITIONS/OPEN CREW INTERVIEWS

  • Sunday, January 28 & Monday, January 29
    • With Callbacks for some actors on Tuesday, January 30
    • 6:00pm Crew Interviews & 7:00pm Auditions on Jan. 28 & 29
    • Studio Theatre, Level 1, Performing Arts Center, UIS Campus
    • Limited number of scripts available at the Brookens Library front desk beginning in later December
    • Nothing to Prepare/Cold Readings from the script/Headshots-Resumes Appreciated, but not required

Performances in the Studio Theatre

Friday, April 12; Saturday, April 13; Sunday, April 14 & Thursday, April 18; Friday, April 19; Saturday, April 20. (All performances at 7:30pm, except for the Sunday, April 14 Matinee at 2:00pm)

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