September 18, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Isaac Walters
(801) 863-8434
The Utah Valley University Theatre Department will begin its season with the show that earned them “Best in the Fest” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland this past summer. “Flies in the Snuffbox,” a collection of four jokes in one act, will open Thursday, Sep. 25 in the Black Box Theatre in the Gunther Trades building at UVU. The production will run every night, except Sunday, through Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
“Flies in the Snuffbox” is a collection of one-act plays by the famous Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov. While Chekhov is better known for his classic dramas, he also wrote several famous “jokes in one act.” Translator Dustin Condren brought together four of these comedies to create “Flies in the Snuffbox.“ The four comedies include “On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco,” which introduces us to the thoughts of a hen-pecked school master, “The Bear,” a romance where enemies fall in love, “The Proposal,” where a hypochondriac proposes to the girl next door and ends up in a land war, and “The Jubilee,” where a bank manager’s special day quickly disintegrates into chaos. Condren will be traveling from his home in New York in order to see the UVU production this September.
“We’re excited our production is considered strong enough to gain the attention of Mr. Condren from clear across the country,” said Chris Clark, head of UVU’s acting program. “We know he won’t be disappointed during his visit.”
The show will be directed by department chair D. Terry Petrie and new faculty member Isaac Walters. Petrie is best known for his direction of “Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii,” and Walters’ productions of “Hayfever” and “Scapino!” were considered the best comedies in northern Indiana.
“It’s wonderful to have such an incredibly talented cast,” said Petrie of “Flies in the Snuffbox.” “Our program is growing so fast. It’s extremely exciting to see the depth of talent that is available for all of our shows this season. This cast is particularly funny.”
The cast for the different plays include Nathaniel Drew of Provo, Utah, in “The Harmful Effects of Tobacco,” Samuel Davis of Lehi, Utah, Jeremy Minagro of Orem and Penny Pendleton of Redlands, Calif. in “The Bear,” Elise Newton and Scott Stringham of Springville, Utah and Julie Suazo from Orem in “The Proposal” and Levi Brown of Beverly, Mass., Britni Gibbs of Woodland Hills, Utah, Jana Grass of Springville, Utah and Amos Omer of Orem in “The Jubilee.” In addition, Natalie Devine of Milton Keynes, England and Jacob Porter of Aurora, Calif. are in both “The Bear” and “The Jubilee.”
Directions to the Black Box Theatre can be found at the UVU Theatre website at http://www.uvu.edu/theatre. Tickets are $6 for UVU students, $8 for seniors and non-UVU students and $10 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased at Campus Connection in the Sorensen Center or by calling (801) 863-8797. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
(Details and pictures of the trip to Scotland can be found at http://christopher-clark.blogspot.com.)
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College Marketing Contact:
Kim Chapman
(801) 494-7409