Suzan and Buzz talk with actors Sean Langenecker and Brian Turner about Madison Theatre Guild's upcoming production of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus at the Bartell Theatre.

Titus Andronicus

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Betty Diamond

Shakespeare’s first known tragedy, TITUS ANDRONICUS was the most frequently produced of Shakespeare’s plays during his lifetime. Today, it is one of his least frequently produced shows. MTG wants to change that! Set in Ancient Rome, the aging Titus Andronicus returns home from war victorious over the “barbarous” Goths, only to realize that Rome itself is “but a wilderness of tigers.” Titus is a violent play about violent times and could easily be performed with blood and gore spilling all over the stage. That will not be this production. The focus here will be on the hard and painful emotional truths of the play.

Produced by Madison Theatre Guild at Bartell Theater's Drury Stage, 113 E. Mifflin St. , Madison

Performances: September 8-23, 2017

Performance Times: 
Sept 8 - 7:30
Sept 9 - 7:30
Sept 14 - 7:30
Sept 15 - 7:30
Sept 16 - 7:30
Sept 17 - 2:00 pm
Sept 21 - 7:30
Sept 22 - 7:30
Sept 23 - 2:00 pm

http://madstage.com/Shows/titusandronic170403.html

Suzan and Buzz chat with director Jake Penner and actor Jason Compton about Left of Left Center's upcoming production of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.

******

If Foxconn comes to Wisconsin, Jobs must as well.

Mike Daisey had a love affair with technology and a deep admiration for Steve Jobs, one of the most important influencers of this or any age. Then he visited the plant in Shenzhen, China where the iPhone was made. And everything changed.

It’s the story of Apple, Foxconn, iPhones, cyberspace, and the dark implications of our connected age. The agony, and the ecstasy, of Steve Jobs and much more.

Directed by Jake Penner. Produced by Left of Left Center on the Bartell Theatre Evjue stage.

Thurs, Aug 31 – 7:30pm
Fri, Sept 1 – 7:30pm
Sat, Sept 2 – 3:00pm
Sat, Sept 2 – 7:30pm

Tickets available now. $20 general admission, $15 student/senior/service.

Adapted from the monologue by Mike Daisey.

http://leftofleftcenter.com/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy-of-steve-jobs-august-31-september-2/

Suzan and Buzz dusted off their fancy duds and attended the annual Bartie Awards so they could chat with some of the winners.

• Ariel LeBron (Best Choreographer co-winner; "The Nance")
• Michelle Dayton (Best Prop Design; "Steel Magnolias")
• Zak Stowe (Best Lighting Design - Evjue; "Die, Mommie, Die")
• Edric Johnson (Best Actor in a Short; Barbara in "Crafty," Wrong for the Part)
• Scott Albert Bennett (Best Lead Actor in a Comedy; Angela in "Die, Mommie, Die")
• Whitney Derendinger (Best Supporting Actor in a Drama; Caleb in "The Whipping Man")
• Tosumba Welch (Best Lead Actor in a Drama; Simon in "The Whipping Man")
• Bonnie Balke (Producer of "August: Osage County," Best Production of the Season)
• David Pausch (Director of "August: Osage County")
• Gretchen Wheat (Sarah Whelan Award recipient)
• Stacey Garbarski (Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy; Edith in "Die, Mommie, Die")

Suzan and Buzz chat with actor/producer Meghan Randolph and actor Erin McConnell about MTM's upcoming production of the rock musical "Lizzie".

Lizzie

By Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt

Directed by Dana Pellebon

On a sweltering summer morning in 1892, in a small New England city, a prominent business man and his wife were brutally axed to death in their home. Their daughter Lizzie Borden was the prime suspect. Lizzie’s trial was a coast-to-coast media sensation, and her story has become an American legend. This musical version of Lizzie’s story is four women fronting a six -piece rock band, set to a blistering rock score and exploring themes of betrayal, rage, sex, and murder. Learn more at www.lizziethemusical.com

Produced by Music Theatre of Madison at U.W. Wisconsin Union Play Circle, 800 Langdon Street, Madison

Performances: August 17-26, 2017

Performance Times: 
August 17 (preview), August 18, August 19, August 24, August 25, and August 26 at 7:30pm each night
August 25th at 10:30pm

Ticket Prices: $28 general admission, $20 students; late night show $20 general admission, $18 students. 

http://madstage.com/Shows/lizzie170109.html

Suzan and Buzz chat with director Emily Morrison Weeks and actor Tia Tanzer about KRASS Theater's upcoming production of "Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce."

Kathie Rasmussen Women’s Theatre (Krass) is delighted to announce the cast for Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Emily Morrison Weeks. Eight performances including reduced price nights and three matinees, August 11-19. Talkbacks after some shows. Bartell Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St., Madison, WI 53703

TILLY – Shirley Nwangwa

FRANK – Francisco Torres

FRANCES – Tia Tanzer

JOAN – Suzan Kurry

LORENZO – Joshua Woolfolk

JULIA – Tracy Smith

Photo credit: Jonathan Raymond Popp

About the play

The Melancholy Play is a comedy about a serious subject, clinical Depression. Amid her melancholy, Tilly seeks love and every stranger she meets falls in love with her. One day, inexplicably, Tilly becomes happy, and wreaks havoc on the lives of her paramours.

Tickets $20 bartelltheatre.org or 608-661-9696

Performances Bartell Theatre, Evjue Stage

Friday: August 11, 8pm

Saturday: August 12, 2pm [matinee]

Sunday: August 13, 4pm [matinee] (with Talkback)

Wednesday, August 16, 8pm (with Talkback) $10

Thursday August 17, 8pm (with Talkback) $15

Friday, August 18, 8pm (with Talkback)

Saturday, August 19, 4pm [matinee]

Saturday, August 19, 8pm

http://krasstheatre.com/melancholy-play-official-press-release/

This week, MadStage Podcast co-host Suzan Kurry flips from interviewer to interviewee as Buzz talks with her, along with director John Jajewski and playwright Brendon Smith, about their play "From Awkward Spaces."

From Awkward Spaces: The Story of the Bartell & The Journey to Permanence

By Brendon Smith & Suzan Kurry

Directed by John Jajewski

An original play about the Bartell Theatre’s history. Six local theatre groups, who have been producing plays in whatever space they can find, unite to create a permanent home. Being led by a retiree who likes a challenge, they quickly learn there’s more drama in building a stage than performing on it.

This is a fundraiser to help celebrate the Bartell's 20th Anniversary season.

Produced by Madison Theatre Guild at Bartell Theater's Drury Stage, 113 E. Mifflin St. , Madison

Performances: August 17-19, 2017

Performance Times: 
Only 4 performances, August 17, 18, & 19 (two shows on closing day). 

http://madstage.com/Shows/awkwardspaces170620.html

Buzz Kemper chats with board president and technical director John Penisten about the contributions of the Bartell to local theater.

Suzan and Buzz chat with Director David Lawver and Music Director Duane Draper about Oregon Straw Hat Players' production of "Sondheim On Sondheim."

Sondheim on Sondheim

By Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Directed by David Lawver; Duane Draper, Music Director

An intimate musical revue on the life and artistry of Stephen Sondheim. The show weaves together dozens of Sondheim's greatest and most beloved songs with exclusive interview footage of Sondheim himself. A beautiful portrait of the man and his music.

Produced by Oregon Straw Hat Players at venues in Oregon to be announced soon,

Performances: August 4-12, 2017

Ticket Prices: Adults $17; Seniors (65 and older) $15; Youth (HS and younger) $12

Call 608-835-9126 for reservations or more information.

http://madstage.com/Shows/sondheimonso170319.html

Buzz Kemper chats with W. Earle Smith about Madison Ballet's 2017-18 season.

Suzan and Buzz talk with Upstart Crows Productions' Hannah Neis and Ruthanne Fiore about their upcoming production of The Burial at Thebes.

Burial at Thebes

By Seamus Heaney

Directed by Hannah Nies

In this outstanding new translation, commissioned by Ireland's renowned Abbey Theatre to commemorate its centenary, Seamus Heaney exposes the darkness and the humanity in Sophocles' masterpiece, and inks it with his own modern and masterly touch.

Sophocles' play, first staged in the fifth century B.C., stands as a timely exploration of the conflict between those who affirm the individual's human rights and those who must protect the state's security. During the War of the Seven Against Thebes, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, learns that her brothers have killed each other, having been forced onto opposing sides of the battle. When Creon, king of Thebes, grants burial of one but not the "treacherous" other, Antigone defies his order, believing it her duty to bury all of her close kin. Enraged, Creon condemns her to death, and his soldiers wall her up in a tomb. While Creon eventually agrees to Antigone's release, it is too late: She takes her own life, initiating a tragic repetition of events in her family's history. (www.samuelfrench.com/p/20841/the-burial-at-thebes-a-version-of-sophocles-antigone)

Produced by Upstart Crows Productions, Inc. at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, 1501 Gilbert Road, Madison, WI 53711

Performances: July 27-29, 2017

Performance Times: 
July 27, 28, and 29
7:00pm

Ticket Prices: Donations taken at the door. Suggested donation $15 per person

Call 608-827-9482 for reservations or more information.

http://madstage.com/Shows/burialattheb170411.html