News – Swine Palace

SWINE PALACE’S FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS

JOIN US FOR THE FIRST SEASON OF THE SWINE PALACE FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, WHICH WILL OFFER FREE CONCERT READINGS OF REMARKABLE NEW PLAYS:

THE LEARNING CURVE
By Ian Mairs
Directed by April Daras
April 22 and 23, 2012 at 7:30pm
Shaver Theatre
ADMISSION IS FREE!

THE LEARNING CURVE, by theatre educator Ian Mairs, follows the journeys of teachers at all phases of their careers. Mitch has fled his depressing stint as a management trainee in search of a more meaningful existence and winds up with a dismal assignment: working as a long-term substitute teacher to a particularly challenging set of high school students. Created to speak to teachers, students, and those who train teachers as well as to enlighten and entertain all audiences, THE LEARNING CURVE tracks the journey of daily setbacks and the occasional tiny victory as it charts one person’s struggle to find his place in the world.

Following each performance there will be a talk-back and discussion panel, offering an opportunity for community-wide discussion of education issues and the use of arts in the classroom with the playwright and invited guests from the regional school system and the State Department of Education.

THE BROTHERS SIZE COMMUNITY TALK-BACK

Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 6 pm

Admission is FREE

Race & Gravy, a program of Leadership Baton Rouge, invites you to join us for a community discussion on education, criminal justice, race and our common desire to move Baton Rouge forward.

This forum builds upon Swine Palace’s production of THE BROTHERS SIZE, a play that tackles some current societal issues. The Forum is designed to allow community members the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas about current compelling topics in an intimate setting.

The reception begins at 6 pm, followed immediately by the forum at 7 pm.

Speaking at the Forum will be Leadership’s Willie Johnson; Judge Kathleen Stewart Richey; Dennis Blunt, attorney with Phelps Dunbar; and Michael Tipton, Teach for America executive director.

Location:
Swine Palace’s Studio Theatre
Music & Dramatic Arts Building on the LSU campus
Dalrymple Drive

The discussion will be facilitated by the YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge’s Dialogue on Race.

About Race & Gravy: Race & Gravy is designed to encourage residents of different races and ethnic backgrounds to enjoy a meal together in a comfortable home setting. Participants enjoy a simple dinner with new friends while discussing issues that are important to the growth of our community.

About Swine Palace: Swine Palace is a non-profit, professional Equity theatre company supporting the educational mission of LSU Theatre. Over the course of twenty seasons, Swine Palace has produced over 72 professional productions (including, world, regional, and national premieres) in which Louisiana born, resident and/or trained talent was featured prominently. Swine Palace has been the recipient of the YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge’s 13th Annual Racial Justice Award and the Louisiana Governor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Large Arts Organization.

SWINE PALACE’S FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS

JOIN US FOR THE FIRST SEASON OF THE SWINE PALACE FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, WHICH WILL OFFER FREE CONCERT READINGS OF REMARKABLE NEW PLAYS:

SHELTER OF LAST RESORT: GONZO’S BLUE DREAM
By Leslie Wade
Directed by George Judy and Kristina Sutton Udy
April 1 and 2, 2012 at 7:30 PM
Studio Theatre
ADMISSION IS FREE!

With great power and insight, SHELTER OF LAST RESORT examines a fractured family and city in post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. The play occurs in the future, following the aftermath of a powerful storm. HAM, a former actor suffering psychic trauma, inhabits the storage room of a derelict New Orleans church, accompanied by his lover, MARTHA. Emotionally unable to leave this space, HAM labors to create a one-person show about the troubled life of famed New Orleans pianist James Booker. HAM is pushed to confront his situation and future (and the future of the city) by the arrival of IKE, his step-son from a former marriage. The subsequent action explores issues of civic and personal recovery and investigates the power of performance, in face of division, diaspora, and loss.

Swine Palace is offering a chance for one bold fellow to PROPOSE ON STAGE after Pride & Prejudice’s opening night curtain call!

SWINE PALACE continues its 20^th Anniversary Season by inviting audiences to fall in love all over again with a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE. A timeless tale of wit, romance and the battle of the sexes, this refreshingly fast-paced and engaging new adaptation written by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan of New York’s Pearl Theatre Company will delight in all its lush period style.

For even more romance and excitement, Swine Palace is hosting a MAJOR GIVEAWAY for the BATON ROUGE community to coincide with the production!  Swine Palace is offering a chance for one bold fellow to PROPOSE ON STAGE after Pride & Prejudice’s opening night curtain call!In addition to the proposal, the winner will receive 4 comp tickets to the production and a complementary Engagement Session from the husband and wife photography team, MadTight Photography. Immediately following the proposal, Swine Palace invites opening night guests to a reception hosted by Baton Rouge favorite, JUBAN’S.

Eligibility and Guidelines:

• Contestants must enter via email by sending an email to swinepalace@gmail.com by 11:59 pm CST on January 15, 2012.

• Contestants must include their phone number, preferred e-mail address and answer the following question:

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE TO PROPOSE ON STAGE AT SWINE PALACE’S PRODUCTION OF JANE AUSTEN’S PRIDE & PREJUDICE?

• Fan or follow Swine Palace and MadTight Photography on Facebook and/or Twitter. In the e-mail, state whether you are a fan of the Facebook pages or are a Twitter follower (if a Twitter follower, include your Twitter handle). Only one is required, just tell us which you did. If you are an existing fan/follower prior to the contest, just tell us so (and thanks for your support!).

Swine Palace: www.facebook.com/swinepalace or http://twitter.com/#!/swinepalace
MadTight Photography: www.facebook.com/madtightphotography or http://twitter.com/#!/madtightphoto

• Winner will be selected based on statement’s content and creativity.

• Winner will be notified via e-mail January 18, 2012.

About Pride & Prejudice

Finding a husband is hardly Elizabeth Bennet’s most urgent priority. But with four sisters, an overzealous match-making mother, and a string of unsuitable suitors, it’s difficult to escape the subject. When the independent-minded Elizabeth meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, she is determined not to let her feelings triumph over her own good sense – but the truth turns out to be slipperier than it seems.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan
Directed by George Judy
February 1-19, 2012
Shaver Theatre
7:30 p.m. Performances: 2/1 Pay-What-You-Can, 2/2 Preview, 2/3 Opening, 2/4, 2/8, 2/9, 2/10, 2/11, 2/15, 2/16, 2/17, 2/18
2:00 Matinee: 2/5, 2/12, 2/19

SWINE PALACE invites you to celebrate the opening of our 20^th Anniversary Season with the unforgettable dark comedy, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.  Come over to America’s heartland and venture into the dangerous territory of one family’s callous relationships in playwright Tracy Letts’ 2008 Pulitzer Prize Winner, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.  The play has received numerous awards including the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play and the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is set on the plains of modern day, middle-class Oklahoma.  The Weston family members are intelligent, sensitive creatures who have the uncanny ability of making each other absolutely miserable.  When the patriarch of the household mysteriously vanishes, the Weston clan gathers together to simultaneously support and attack one another.

TRACY LETTS has seen several of his plays adapted for the screen.  Bug, starred Ashley Judd, and Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey, is currently filming in Louisiana.  AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is to be released as a feature film in 2013, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
By Tracy Letts
Directed by George Judy
October 26-November 13, 2011
Reilly Theatre

7:30 p.m. Performances:
10/26 Pay-What-Can, 10/27 Preview, 10/28 Opening,
11/2, 11/3, 11/4, 11/9, 11/10, 11/11
2:00 Matinee:
10/30, 11/5, 11/6 & 11/13