SU Drama announces 2011-12 season

Syracuse University’s Department of Drama (SU Drama) in the College of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its 2011-12 season. Offerings will include the musical “The Cradle Will Rock;” comedy with “Fuddy Meers;” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” a play with music, co-produced with Syracuse Stage; a masterpiece of Russian realism, “The Lower Depths;” the tender and moving musical “Quilters;” and William Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It.” For information on season packages, call the Box Office at 315-443-3275 or visit 820 E. Genesee St., Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Like Syracuse Stage’s upcoming season, SU Drama’s season will utilize two venues in the Regent Theatre Complex. “The Cradle Will Rock” and “As You Like It” will bookend the season in the 499-seat Archbold Theatre, which will also be the venue for “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” “The Lower Depths” and “Quilters” will be produced in the 200-seat Storch Theatre, and “Fuddy Meers” will be produced in the reconfigured Storch Theatre, offering 260 seats in a three-quarter thrust configuration with seating sections on three sides of the performance area.

“In addition to offering patrons a wide range of theatrical experiences, the use of multiple venues offers SU Drama students the opportunity to expand their vocabulary as theatre artists,” says Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond. “Our primary goal when programming a season of plays for SU Drama is to offer training opportunities that reflect what our students will encounter upon graduating, giving them a competitive edge.”

Also notable in the upcoming season, directors have been chosen from both inside and outside the Department of Drama. SU Drama faculty Gerardine Clark, Rodney Hudson and Craig MacDonald will direct “The Lower Depths,” “The Cradle Will Rock” and “Fuddy Meers,” respectively. Ralph Zito, chair of the Department of Drama, will direct “As You Like It.” Seattle-based Linda Hartzell, artistic director of Seattle Children’s Theatre, will direct “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and Atlanta-based Patdro Harris (who previously directed and choreographed “Crowns” for Syracuse Stage) will direct and choreograph “Quilters.”

“Working with faculty directors is important because it offers our students the opportunity to deepen and extend their classroom learning experiences in a direct and readily accessible way,” says Zito. “Equally important is the opportunity to work with visiting directors, who may have different styles of working, offering valuable experience in collaboration. This also gives students the chance to build relationships with theater professionals from across the country.”