February 20, 2003 :: No. 157
Who: |
Department of Theatre and Dance at Cal State
Fullerton |
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What: |
The Merry Wives of Windsor
by William Shakespeare
directed by Joseph Arnold |
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When: |
February 28-March 9, 2003
8:00 p.m. February 28, March 1 & 5-8
2:00 p.m. March 1-2 & 8-9
6:30 p.m. March 9 |
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Where: |
Little Theatre, California State University,
Fullerton
Nutwood Ave and State College Blvd., Fullerton |
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Program: |
Windsor, Connecticut in 1957 provides the
background for CSUF’s 2003 production of “The
Merry Wives of Windsor.” When asked why this setting
for his production, director Joseph Arnold provided some background
on his decision, “Over the years, “The Merry Wives
of Windsor” has been placed in a variety of settings
and times. Since Royal Shakespeare Company’s landmark
production of 1985, there has been an increased interest in
seeing how the play resonates within the nostalgic context
of the world and mores of the 1950s.” He continues,
“Part of the reason for this is the nature of the play
itself. It’s Shakespeare's domestic comedy about middle-class
life, decidedly not set in the city, but in the comfortable
suburbs of a village, and draws from the familiar staples
of domestic comedy—concerns about marriage, money, appearances,
sex, marrying children, and maintaining social respectability.
Throw in the odd round of golf and tennis, and you are not
all that far from the Windsor I knew growing up in Connecticut
in the 1950s. As one critic put it, the play ‘retains
a contemporary, domestic and non-aristocratic feel unique
in Shakespearean drama.’”
Performing as Sir John Falstaff, Brian Rickel engages in
an ill-fated romantic skirmish with two 50s housewives, Mistress
Alice Ford, played by Mitra Anoushiravani and Mistress Meg
Page, played by Leanne Raney. Other notable actors are Rebecca
Wright as Mistress Quickly, Frank Astran as Master Frank Ford,
Michael Ivans as Master George Page and April Ibarra as Jane
Rugby.
Designers include: Heidi Ballard, scenic design; Bruce Goodrich,
costume design; Nathan Jones, lighting design; Marcela Flores,
make-up design and Matt Schleicher sound design. |
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Admission: |
Advance sales $9; $7 with Titan Discount (student,
senior or CSUF ID)
All tickets are $9 at the door. |
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Box Office: |
Tickets available at the CSUF Performing Arts
Center box office.
Phone: 657-278-3371
Hours: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Mondays-Fridays and one hour prior
to performance.
Tickets are also available online at: www.tickets.com |
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Internet Site: |
http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/events/ |
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Media Contact: |
Dr. Jim Volz, Professor, Department of Theatre
and Dance
Elizabeth Champion, College of the Arts at 657-278-2434 |