MACON — Mercer University Theatre will perform four plays during the 2010-2011 academic year. The works including “Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline” this month, “The Importance of Being Ernst” in November, “Six Characters in Search of an Author” in February and “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” in April. All performances take place at the Backdoor Theater, located at the back of Willingham Hall on the University’s Macon campus. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by calling (478) 301-2974.
The season opens with George F. Walker’s play “Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline.” The play features gypsies, tyrants and thieves brought to dazzling life in this swashbuckling, philosophical romp through the dark side. “Zastrozzi:” is a thrilling black comedy with a mission. The ageless debate of good versus evil, sex versus love and power versus piety are all covered at a galloping pace in this gothic spectacle of one man’s search for truth. The show is recommended for a mature audience. Performances run Aug. 26, 27 and 31 at 7 p.m., Aug. 29 at 2 p.m., Sept. 1 – 4 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 5 at 2 p.m.
In November, the troupe will perform Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a sharp-edged comedy that is considered Wilde’s most popular play. The satire is filled with witty dialogue, physical comedy and moments of comic and sentimental drama. Show times are Nov. 5-6 and Nov. 9-13 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 7 and 14 at 2 p.m.
In the spring semester, Mercer Theatre will perform Luigi Pirandello’s most popular play, “Six Characters in Search of an Author.” In the play, audiences are confronted with the unexpected arrival of six fictional play characters that have been abandoned by their author. They interrupt and invade the rehearsal of another play and demand that the author not only finish their story, but in a way that they would like it to be told. The play asks probing questions about the nature of reality versus illusion, truth versus artifice and the workings of the creative process. Performances are Feb. 17-19 and 22-26 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 20 and 27 at 2 p.m.
Closing the season is the longest-running Off-Broadway musical, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” The play exposes everything people secretly thought about dating, mating, and romance but were afraid to admit. This hit musical will take the audience on a joyride through the jungle of the modern-day suburban mating game. Performances are April 1-9 and April 12-17 at 7 p.m. and April 10 and 18 at 2 p.m.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,000 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah and at three regional academic centers across the state. Mercer is affiliated with two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. The University operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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