Take a trip to Medieval London �€Bluegrass style �€and experience five rollicking tales by the father of English poetry, as the West Virginia University Division of Theatre and Dance presents”The Canterbury Tales”Feb. 28-March 8 at the CreativeArtsCenter.
In this version, adapted for the stage by Michael Bogdanov with additional material by Kevin Kling, it is the final evening of the 25th anniversary of the annual Geoffrey Chaucer Storytelling Competition. Five competitors have five entertaining stories to tell and the audience will help choose the winner.
Its an evening of vaudevillian fun that will begin Friday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre and continue March 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. There will also be matinee performances at 2 p.m. on March 1 and 2.
In addition, a special”Upfront&Backstage”pre-show discussion March 2 at noon in the lobby of the Davis Theatre will provide an opportunity for visitors to see and hear what it takes to make theatre come to life. There will be a tour of the WVU scene and costume shops, a backstage tour of the theatre, and a presentation by the director and designers of”The Canterbury Tales”about how the show was envisioned and created. A reception will follow.
A post-show panel discussion will follow the 7:30 p.m. performance on March 6, where the audience may learn more about Geoffrey Chaucer, the play, and why WVU is the first educational unit to present this Guthrie Theatre original.
Michael Bogdanov, who adapted and directed”The Canterbury Tales”last year at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, joined the WVU Division of Theatre and Dance for workshops and lectures during December 2002 to help create the performance. The Guthrie Theatre is the most prestigious professional theatre in the country and employs artists from all over the world, including directors such as Bogdanov.
Born of Russian and Welsh parents, Bogdanov is a graduate of DublinUniversity and the Sorbonne. He has directed productions in many of the worlds most prestigious theatres, including Oxford Playhouse, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Royal Shakespeare Company, Tyneside Theatre Company, Leicester Haymarket Theatre Trust, Phoenix Theatre, YoungVicTheatre, Stratford Festival and Royal National Theatre.
He is the co-founder and joint artist director of the English Shakespeare Company, as well as the recipient of the 1988 Chicago Tribune Award for Most Outstanding Production of the Decade for”The Wars of the Roses.”
WVU students in”The Canterbury Tales”include Andrew H. Lyons, Neil Austin, Heather Pratt, Aaron Crothers, Nicole Mazon, Nick Lopez, Beau Bowden and Carrie Witting.
The director is theatre professor Theresa M. Davis. Scenery is by Jessica Greene, costume design is by Nicole Frachiseur and lighting is by Julya Oglivie.
Tickets are $12 for the general public; $11 for WVU faculty and staff and senior citizens; and $9 for students and children.
For tickets or more information, call the box office at (304) 293-SHOW. See the College of Creative Arts Calendar of Events on our website atwww.wvu.edu/~ccarts.