A new play by Catawba College Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts, Dr. Bradley Stephenson, is among the offerings for the 2018-2019 season, announced by Catawba’s Theatre Arts Department. In fact, Stephenson’s play, “Sister of the Stars,” kicks off the season when it opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 25, in Hedrick Little Theatre.
Tickets for each of the season’s plays are $15 for adults, $10 for non-Catawba students and senior adults, and free to Catawba College students, faculty, and staff. Tickets are available online at www.catawba.edu/theatretix or via the box office at (704) 637-4481.
Following are brief synopses of the plays to be offered during the new season.
Sister of the Stars
Dr. Stephenson’s new play tells the story of Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin and her attempts to become the first woman to earn her Ph.D. in astrophysics at Harvard College. It relays Cecilia's experience with the Harvard Computers, skilled women of notable achievement hired to process astronomical data at the Harvard Observatory, and other colleagues as she writes her dissertation. Based loosely in space and time, the script follows Cecilia through various events in her journey as she makes discoveries in both her personal and professional lives.
This show runs at 7:30 p.m. September 25-29 in Hedrick Little Theatre.
Hamlet
Perhaps the single most famous play in history, Shakespeare’s classic revenge drama, “Hamlet,” comes to Hedrick Little Theatre this November. This production explores the political transition from democracy to dictatorship against the not-too-distant backdrop of the year 2028. Staying true to the timeless struggle of the young Prince whose uncle marries his mother after the questionable and untimely death of his father, this production of “Hamlet” promises to deliver an exciting evening full of emotional turmoil, feigned and actual madness, and some of the best-known lines in theatrical history!
This show runs at 7:30 p.m. November 13-17 in Hedrick Little Theatre.
The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence
In this time-jumping play by Madeleine George, time and character run parallel in the present, 19th century America, and the fictional England of Sherlock Holmes. Multiple characters played by only three actors struggle with the idea of meaningful interpersonal connections and examine closely how technology affects human relationships.
This show runs at 7:30 p.m. February 12-16 in Florence Busby Corriher Theatre.
Into the Woods
A witch. A wish. A wolf. What could go wrong?
In Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, all of your favorite fairy tale characters journey Into the Woods to get their wishes granted. But along the way, these characters discover the dangerous consequences of wishing, and learn that what tears us apart might also hold us together. "Careful the tale you tell, that is the spell..."
This final production of the 2018-2019 season plays at 7:30 p.m. April 10-12, and at 2:30 p.m. on April 13 in Hedrick Little Theatre.
Tickets
Tickets to each of the 2018-2019 season’s shows are $15 for adults, $10 for non-Catawba students and senior adults, and free to Catawba College students, faculty, and staff. Tickets are available online at www.catawba.edu/theatretix or via the box office at (704) 637-4481.
