Great literature will come to life in the premiere of “The Good, The
Bad, and the Wilde,” a readers theater production that opens the
2005-2006 season at University of Southern Maine Department of Theatre.
Opening night performance is 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, 2005, in
Russell Hall on the USM Gorham campus. Other performances are Oct. 1, 6, 7 and 8 at 7:30 and Oct. 2, 5 and 9 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 for the general public, $8 for seniors, and $5 for students. Call the Theatre Box Office at 780-5151.
Conceived and directed by Walter Stump, professor of theater at USM, this new two-act play combines well-known stories and poems by American and British writers that illustrate the mostly good side, yet some of the bad side, of human nature.
A cast of eight performers will narrate the stories in an active way,
moving through the many scenes and multiple characters with small
costume and location changes. The cast includes Sarah Malmude of Gorham, Michele Lee of Bridgton, Sara Johnson-Berz of Limestone, Joelle Clingerman of Orono, Erik Moody of Saco, Andrew Coffey of Wolfeboro, NH, Timothy Sheridan of Windham, and Shawn Reardon of Millinocket.
The tricky costume design for the show is by faculty member Jodi Ozimek, lights are by faculty member Brian Hapcic, and the set is by staff designer Matthew Meed.
“The pieces express love and dedication, and show how people have
overcome hardship in some cases,” said Stump. “We’re doing this in a Readers Theater style that focuses on text rather than spectacle, a style that challenges the audience’s imagination.”
Stump is an expert in Readers Theatre. In July he was named the new executive director of the International Readers Theatre Institute, an annual two-week program offered all over the world by USM Summer Session. This year it was held in London; next July 2006 it will be held in Montreal.
Works by famous authors include Bret Harte’s short story set in a mining camp, “The Luck of Roaring Camp”; poems by Robert Service – “The Cremation of Sam McGee” – and the humorous Ogden Nash; O’Henry’s poem, “The Last Leaf,” and his funny story about a little brat who is stolen by crooks, “The Ransom of Red Chief”; and the sad but uplifting fairy tale, “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde. Two other pieces are by local authors: selections from Stump’s original play set in the Southwest, “Anasaze”; and a short story by Susan Farrar of Standish.
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