Theatre UAB's production of "The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" from the 2018-2019 season. Seated: Peyton Overstreet. Second row L-R: Brian Wittenberg, Alyse Rosenblatt. Third Row L-R: Elizabeth Forman, Royzell D. Walker, Nick Linhardt, Diego Villanueva, Briana Hernandez and Joey Parker.The musical “Hair,” plus “The Wolves,” “The Glass Menagerie,” a world premiere collection of short plays by Alabama playwright Audrey Cefaly and “The Secret Garden” are on Theatre UAB’s 2019-2020 season.
Theatre UAB is the performance company of the University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Theatre.
This season will again include two musicals, “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” and “The Secret Garden.”
For tickets or season tickets, visit the UAB Department of Theatre online at www.uab.edu/cas/theatre, or call the department at 205-934-3236.
Theatre UAB presents “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” Oct. 16-20
The American tribal love-rock musical “Hair” celebrates counterculture in all its barefoot, beaded and fringed glory. Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, “Hair” remains as relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world. Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot. Directed and choreographed by Roy Lightner, with musical direction by Carolyn Violi. Performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly Oct. 16-19, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Sirote Theatre. Tickets are $15 and $20, $6 for students, and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens. Content advisory: This play contains adult language and situations.
Theatre UAB presents “The Wolves,” Nov. 13-16, Nov. 20-23
From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, a girls’ indoor soccer team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals. By Sarah DeLappe. Directed by Camilla Almond. Performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly Nov. 13-16 and Nov. 20-22, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Odess Theatre. Tickets are $15, $6 for students, and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens.
"Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches," with Antonio Mitchell, left, and David Parker.Theatre UAB presents “The Glass Menagerie,” Feb. 26-March 1, 2020
Amanda Wingfield, a faded remnant of Southern gentility, now lives in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura, who has a physical handicap and debilitating shyness. When Amanda convinces Tom to bring home from his workplace a “gentleman caller” for Laura, the illusions that Tom, Amanda and Laura have each created in order to make life bearable collapse about them. A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, “The Glass Menagerie” is an icon of the American theater. By Tennessee Williams. Directed by Dennis McLernon. Performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly Feb. 26-29, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Sirote Theatre. Tickets are $15 and $20, $6 for students, and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens.
Theatre UAB presents “Tell Me Something Good,” a world premiere collection of short plays by Alabama playwright Audrey Cefaly, March 9-13, 2020
Cefaly’s tenderly crafted stories of ache and longing examine the most ordinary and disparate of characters in high-stakes moments of self-doubt: some life-threatening, some bordering on life-ending, all life-affirming. Directed by Jack Cannon. Performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly March 9-13, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Odess Theatre. Tickets are $15, $6 for students, and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens.
Theatre UAB presents “The Secret Garden,” April 15-19, 2020
Orphaned in India, 11-year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald and his invalid son, Colin. Mary adapts to her new life by exploring her uncle’s vast estate including her Aunt Lily’s hidden garden, which Mary is determined to nurse back to life. This enchanting classic, reimagined in brilliant musical style by Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, presents a compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal. Book and lyrics by Marsha Norman, music by Lucy Simon. Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Directed by Valerie Accetta. Musical direction by Carolyn Violi. Performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly April 15-18, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19, in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Sirote Theatre. Tickets are $15 and $20, $6 for students, and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens.
Theatre UAB's production of "Savage," spring 2019. L-R: Kristen Hall, Justine Nelson, Chance Novalis, Brian Wittenberg, Joe Condon, Peyton Overstreet, Nick Lindhardt, and (kneeling) Nina Ballon. Each show in Theatre UAB’s season is cast almost entirely from the student body. Each show averages about 90-100 students participating, from performing to costume construction, lighting, props and more. Theatre UAB offers hundreds of opportunities each year for student writers, actors, technicians, running-crew members, stage managers, dramaturgs or directors, and more than 100 opportunities each year for students to design scenery, costumes, lighting or sound.
In addition to the department’s main-stage productions, 19 students participate in the Theatre UAB Touring Program. The student tour groups travel to schools, retirement homes and community centers on Fridays throughout the school year. Last season, the Theatre UAB touring companies performed 54 shows in 24 cities in 13 counties, and entertained more than 10,000 people.
This season’s tour shows will include “Broadway’s Leading Ladies,” “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Abridged,” “Amelia Earhart” and “Get Animated.” For information and booking, call Theatre UAB Tour Groups at 205-934-3237 or visit online.