The Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University will open its 2022-23 season with “Androcles and the Lion,” a show for the entire family, Oct. 20-23.
Performances will be presented in the Bert C. Bach Theatre at the Martin Center for the Arts Thursday and Friday, Oct. 20-21, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22-23, at 2 p.m. The Oct. 22 matinee will be a sensory-friendly performance.
“Androcles and the Lion” is written by Aurand Harris and features music by Glenn Mack. It is a stage adaptation of the popular folktale about the unlikely friendship between a human and a wild beast.
This story about the strength of empathy and friendship will be staged in the tradition of “Commedia dell’ arte,” an Italian theater form which uses a wide portfolio of stock characters that can be applied to many different roles within a script.
The entire “Androcles” cast will be comprised of students from the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance, including Rebekah Williams, Levi Jones, Ethan Harbin, J.T. Roberts, Cora Marinich, Tatijhana Campbell, Flynn Anderson and Olivia Zimanek.
ETSU faculty member Ante Ursić will direct “Androcles.” His creative team includes Savannah Spangler as stage manager, Lorrie Anderson as assistant director, Melissa Shafer as lighting designer, Jess Richardson as costume designer, Beth Skinner as costume director, Bobby Funk as fight choreographer, Zach Olsen as technical director and Jonathon Taylor as scenic designer.
“Androcles and the Lion” is produced by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company in Woodstock, Illinois, and is suitable for elementary- and middle –school-age children.
Tickets are $15 for ETSU students, faculty and staff; $20 for the general public; and $10 for children 12 and under. For tickets, visit etsu.edu/cas/theatre or call (423) 439-2787.