LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After performing for more than 30 years and before as many as 150,000 theater-goers, the University of Louisville Department of Theatre Arts Repertory Company will make its first public appearance March 7 when the group performs two original plays written by UofL faculty as part of a fundraising campaign.
The plays, “Whose Habitat Is It Anyway,” by Nefertiti Burton, and “Seven Labors of Arlecchino,” by James Tompkins, both theater professors, will be performed at 7 p.m. at the Thrust Theatre, 2314 S. Floyd St.
Formed in 1975, the Repertory Company is composed of theater students and has performed in a variety of venues including classrooms, nursing homes, prisons, chapels and the Governor’s Mansion. The free performances are performed mostly at area schools, giving many kindergarten through high school students their first exposure to theater. The outreach program is estimated to have reached more than 150,000 children, teachers and members of the community, according to Rinda Frye, chair of theatre arts.
“Teachers use the plays to complement classroom discussions on issues and values,” Frye said. “Many of our student performers from this ensemble are now working as actors throughout the country as well as teachers and in other professions.”
The two plays are suitable for young children and serve as teaching tools. The habitat play teaches respect for the environment and how all living things are connected. “Arlecchino,” based on an Italian folk tale, is a hilarious comedy reminiscent of the styles of Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges and Eddie Murphy.
The event is a fund raiser for the university’s Charting Our Course campaign. The performances are free but $15 is a suggested donation to help the theater program.
For tickets and information, call C.F. Callihan, director of development for humanities, at 852-1541 or visit www.UofLalumni.org/rep-mar-2012.