Every year, students in the Department of Theatre eagerly await the announcement of the plays scheduled for the upcoming season, excited to hear about the opportunities coming their way. Continuing a tradition that began last year, the Season Announcement took place following the final dress rehearsal of our fourth show in the 2014-15 Theatre Season, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. The announcement was made by Professor Michael Nehring and Dr. Jocelyn L. Buckner. Met with wild fervor by over 100 theatre majors, the announcement incited excited shouts, roaring laughter, and even a few tears of joy. The Theatre Department is thrilled to announce a season that includes plays both classical and contemporary, gut-busting and heart-wrenching, new and familiar. We cannot wait to share our upcoming season with the Chapman community!

Department of Theatre 2015-16 Season

FALL SEMESTER

Rent :  Book and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Directed by distinguished Chapman alumnus Matthew McCray (Machinal, 2014), Rent took the Broadway world by storm, sharing the stories of impoverished New York City artists struggling to survive the HIV/AIDS crisis. Loosely based on Puccini’s La Bohême, Rent ’s enduring popularity is testament to its memorable characters, iconic music, and universal themes.

Eurydice  by Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Dr. Theresa Dudeck, Eurydice takes the classic myth of Orpheus and flips it around to examine the story through the eyes of his doomed bride, Eurydice. Ruhl’s modern take on the legend deliciously complicates the story while providing insight into the characters, offering a new view into the ways we view death, love, and our relationship with great myths.

SPRING SEMESTER

A Flea in Her Ear  by Georges Feydeau, translated by David Ives. Directed by Professor Tamiko Washington, this masterful French farce deals with jealousy, infidelity, and mistaken identity in a riotous manner. A delightful mix of humor and heart, A Flea in Her Ear promises high-spirited hi-jinks galore.

The Merchant of Venice  by William Shakespeare. Directed by Professor Thomas F. Bradac, this classic features such memorable characters as the moneylender Shylock and the aristocrat-cum-lawyer Portia. A complicated tale of tragedy, humor, and everything in between, this special production will be livecast around the world and will feature Professor Michael Nehring in the role of Shylock. Performances will be tied to International Shakespeare Day on April 23, 2016.