Outreach Programs
Theatre Symposiums
The Reed Special Programs office makes available to area high school students and teachers complimentary tickets on designated dates for both the fall and spring faculty-directed Theatre Department productions at the Reed Mainstage Theatre.
Directly following the production, the department offers a “talk back” of the play to the high school students and faculty in attendance. The discussion lasts between 15 and 20 minutes and includes the faculty director, as well as members of the cast and technical crew.
We strongly encourage teachers to accompany their students and ask that teachers make all reservations. Schools are limited initially to 20 student tickets, plus teachers. Please contact the theatre department administrative assistant, Cathy D'Ambrosia, at 503/777-7710 or cathylee@reed.edu, to reserve tickets. Seating is limited due to the small size of the facility. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis and should be made only for the number of students and teachers who are certain to attend.
2010-11 Productions
James Joyce's The Dead
A musical by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey
Directed by Darrin Pufall, visiting assistant professor of theatre
Thursday, November 11 @ 7:30 p.m., Mainstage Theatre
Adapted from Joyce's literary masterpiece set in Dublin in 1904, and the last and best known of the short stories collected in The Dubliners, this intimate musical portrays a homespun Yuletide party given by the aunts of Gabriel Conroy. Each year three generations gather here for a holiday feast filled with laughter, song, and dancing. This year, a guest awakens a memory for Gabriel's wife and revives a long-buried passion. Directed by Darrin J. Pufall, visiting assistant professor of theatre and designer and costumes studio supervisor, with performances by theatre professor Kathleen Worley; visiting assistant professor, designer, and technical director Kristeen Crosser; and thesis candidate Stephen Bennett '11.
Running time is about 2 hours, including intermission. Teachers should make reservations no later than November 1 on a space available basis.
The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Kate Bredeson
Thursday, April 14 @ 7:30 p.m., Mainstage Theatre
In celebration of Tennessee Williams' 100th birthday, Reed Theatre offers a new look at the play that heralded Williams' arrival as an incandescent American playwright. Premiered in 1944, The Glass Menagerie is the original American memory play, an expressionist classic. Funneled through the memory of Tom, the story is set in the St. Louis apartment of his youth where his mother, Amanda, battles demons real and imaginary, and his sister Laura seeks to carve out a quiet world of her own, a world composed of delicate glass animals. The enigmatic gentleman caller and a lively music score round out this family of ghosts to craft a haunting world where language is elevated to lyricism, and where memory and present intertwine.
Teachers should make reservations by Friday, April 1, 2011.
Directions to the Reed theatre building.