UMW Theatre will open its 2017-18 season with Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang. Performances will be Sept. 21-23 and Sept. 28-30 at 7:30 p.m., and Sept. 24, 30 and Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. in Klein Theatre, duPont Hall. A sign-interpreted performance will be held on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., and Friday Night Out, a pre-show meet and greet, takes place on Sept. 22. A post-show talkback with the cast, AfterWords, will take place after the Sept. 24 matinee performance.
Christopher Durang’s comedic play brings together three middle-aged siblings — Vanya, Sonia and Masha — who have unresolved feelings following the death of their parents. Masha sends money to her siblings as she lives the glamorous life of a Hollywood movie star, while Vanya and Sonia spent the better part of the last several years caring for their parents in quiet Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Their lives are turned upside down when Masha returns to the family home for a weekend, bringing with her the latest in a long line of boyfriends. Tensions escalate as a clairvoyant housekeeper foretells an uncertain future for the house and its residents.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is directed by Gregg Stull, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance. Scenic design is by Associate Professor Julie Hodge, lighting design is by guest designer Catherine Girardi, costume design is by guest designer Kate Fulop and sound design is by guest designer Jon Reynolds.
Tickets are $20 for standard admission; $16 for students, senior citizens and military, $8 with a UMW ID and $35 for Friday Night Out, a pre-show event that includes beverages, hors d’oeuvres and the chance to win door prizes. For information, call the Klein Theatre Box Office at 540-654-1111 or visit www.fredtix.com.
