WELCOME!

The theatre rises from the dust and debris of years of construction and this season we celebrate the beauty of our new neighborhood. Welcome to University Theatre and the Department of Theatre and Drama—when you come to visit us, you will see we have a” new front porch.” We are a proud partner and happy resident of the East Campus Mall. We here in UT along with everyone in Theatre and Drama wish to thank all the wonderful souls that made this transformation happen.

To celebrate this revival we've packed a full years worth of entertainment in to one semester. We are proud to return to a partnership and creative team that brought excitement to both the air waves and our stage. With The War of the Worlds, UT and Theatre and Drama join with Wisconsin Public radio to produce a program that scared the socks off a nation in 1938. We celebrate the seventieth anniversary of this broadcast to kick off our season. Then our two MFA Directors tackle their thesis productions in October with Talish Barrow's The Love of the Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker and Sheri Williams Pannell's The Merry Widow, by Franz Lehar. Both productions will showcase the talents of these extraordinary graduate student directors. Mr. Barrow's production will be right here in our Hemsley Theatre while Ms. Williams Pannell's will be seen in Music Hall produced by University Opera.

Madison Repertory Theatre partners with us next to produce The Greeks by John Barton and Kenneth Cavender, adapted from works by Euripides and Homer and directed by Thomas Blair. This production will feature our MFA Actors, Designers and Technicians in the Rep's home, The Playhouse at the Overture Center for the Arts. This wonderful professional opportunity marks another successful partnership between our organizations to play a vital role in the training of new artists while making sure the theatre scene here in Madison remains robust.

There's so much more to come in the second part of this exciting season so make sure you get your tickets early. Please continue to support Friends of University Theatre, you really made a difference for our students and program last year with your generous financial gifts. Enjoy our new season programs and let me know how you feel about what you see on our stages!

Thank you again for helping to make University Theatre and the Department of Theatre and Drama a part of your lives.

VILAS HALL IS WHERE DRAMA HAPPENS!

All my best,

Tony Simotes