The University of Florida (UF) School of Theatre + Dance is pleased to present The Drowsy Chaperone, a Tony Award-winning musical comedy with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and direction and musical staging by Professor Tony Mata. The show runs Oct. 16-25, 2015 in the Constans Theatre located in the Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion on UF’s campus. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. October 16-17 and October 20-24, and at 2 p.m. October 18 and October 25. Tickets are $13 for UF students, $15 for UF faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $18 for the general public.
The Drowsy Chaperone takes place in the apartment of a shut-in Broadway afficionado where an old recording of the fictional 1920s musical classic, The Drowsy Chaperone, comes to life through the imagination of its listener and brings the whole audience along for the ride. This play pays tribute—and pokes more than a little fun—at the liveliness and spectacle of the early twentieth-century American musical genre, featuring stock characters, comedy gags and a plot that ties up a little too neatly, but that leaves the audience doubled over and perhaps a little less “blue” than when they arrived.
“The Drowsy Chaperone celebrates the musical form and is so unashamedly irreverant at the same time that people just fall in love with it,” says Mata. “The musical is a very specific art form and, at the same time, pokes fun at all the devices that we use in musicals to make these well-oiled machines that people love without even knowing that they have this formula.”
Mata has directed past School of Theatre + Dance productions as Sweeney Todd, Guys and Dolls and Chicago, and is being honored in October at the Library of Congress for his documentary film, Theatre of Rice and Beans, a retrospective look at New York Latino theatre.
The Drowsy Chaperone first premiered at The Rivoli in Toronto in 1998 and debuted on Broadway in 2006. The musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, as well as seven Drama Desk Awards. It has had major productions in Los Angeles, the West End and Canada. The show went on to do a North American tour, as well as successful runs in Japan, Australia and Brazil.
“The experience is all about…finding refuge from a bad old world in a good old musical…It’s not just about spinning a record, it’s about how art can transform your sense of the universe.” – Kenneth Jones, Playbill.com
Tickets for the UF production are $18 for the general public, $15 for UF faculty/staff and seniors, and $13 for students. Season and group prices are also available. Tickets are available through the University Box Office located at Gate 1 of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, by calling 352-392-1653 or at ticketmaster.com. The University Box Office is open Tuesdays through Fridays 12-5:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased at the Constans Theatre Box Office starting 45 minutes prior to the performance.
The Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion is located at 687 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611. On-campus parking is available at the Reitz Union garage and the Museum Road parking lot. Guests are strongly encouraged to pick up tickets early, as shows run the risk of being sold out.
About the School of Theatre + Dance
The School of Theatre + Dance is one of the University of Florida College of the Arts’ institutionally-accredited schools. Undergraduate students can pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting, dance, musical theatre, theatre production—including costume design, lighting design and scenic design—or a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance studies or general theatre. Minors are also offered in dance and theatre as well as certificates in arts in medicine and dance in healthcare. Student organizations, showcase programs and other intensives provide students with invaluable professional experiences. UF is home to three School of Theatre + Dance performance venues, including the Constans Theatre, Black Box Theatre and G-6 Studio. To learn more about the School of Theatre + Dance, including upcoming performance dates and ticket information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance.
About the College of the Arts
The College of the Arts is one of the 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The College of the Arts offers baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its three institutionally-accredited schools — the School of Art + Art History, School of Music and School of Theatre + Dance. The college is home to the Center for Arts in Medicine, Center for Arts and Public Policy, Center for World Arts, Digital Worlds Institute, University Galleries and the New World School of the Arts in Miami. More than 100 faculty members and approximately than 1,200 students work together daily to engage, inspire and create. The college hosts more than 300 performances, exhibitions and events each year. Faculty and students also exhibit and perform at other local, national and international venues. To learn more, visit www.arts.ufl.edu.
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Media Contact
Leah Spellman, APR, Public Relations and Marketing Manager
University of Florida College of the Arts
Office: 352.273.1489 | Cell: 904.419.3346
lspellman@arts.ufl.edu
