Come on down to 'Avenue Q'

The Bloomsburg University Players will present the comedic musical Avenue Q at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 and 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg.

Staged with large puppets (a la Sesame Street), Avenue Q is a laugh-out-loud, Tony Award-winning musical about a group of 20-somethings seeking their purpose in life in the big city. Avenue Q is the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet sexpert), Lucy the Slut (need we say more), and other colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life.

Admission is free with BU ID, $12 for adults and $8 for seniors. Advanced tickets are available at the Haas Box Office at 570-389-4340. For more information about the BU Players, visit buplayers.org.

PLEASE NOTE: Mature content not suitable for children.*

Love is Hard

The Bloomsburg University Players open their fall season with Jack and Jill by Jane Martin.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 30 and 31, and Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7 and 8, as well as 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, in the Theatre Lab, located behind the University Store. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students and free for BU students with a student ID.


 “Many plays explore the search for the perfect mate, Jack and Jill looks at what happens after that person is found,” said Bruce Candlish, associate professor of music, theatre and dance. “It playfully portrays the hard work of love.”

Senior Lauren Shover from Camp Hill directs and designed the set and sound; junior Sydney Hare, Sunbury, and sophomore Emily Miller, Mercer, designed costumes and junior Rebecca Kestel, Abington, designed lights.

The cast features senior Ben Deivert, Northumberland; junior Rachel DelVecchio, Bethlehem; senior Gabriella Russo, Effort; senior Philip Czekner, Harleysville; junior Jaryn Wilcox, Canton; and junior Dan Clark, Abington. Junior Courtney Costello, Pittston Township, is the stage manager.

BU Players previously staged Martin’s Anton in Show Business and this latest production features some of the same offbeat humor says Candlish.

Tickets for Jack and Jill are available at the Performing Arts Box Office in the lobby of the Haas Center for the Arts or at the door before each performance.

BU Players to stage LaBute's 'The Shape of Things'

The Bloomsburg University Players will present Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things Wednesday through Sunday, April 18 to 22. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Alvina Krause Theatre, Centre Street, Bloomsburg.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students and free for BU students with an ID.

How far would you go for love? For art? What concessions would you make? What price would you pay? The Shape of Things explores these questions in the story of an aggressive artist and a shy university student. The production is staged by the international award-winning director, John Clancy.


Friday Night is Faculty-Staff Night. You and your guest admitted free at the door. No advance purchase. Please bring your BU ID.

Theatre: 'Burial at Thebes' draws on Noh experience

The Burial at Thebes, a collaborative show featuring the Bloomsburg University Players and  Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble artists opens Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Alvina Krause Theatre, Center Street, Bloomsburg.

Written by Irish poet Seamus Heaney, “The Burial at Thebes” is a modern retelling of the legend of Antigone. This updated version focuses on a conflict between the daughter of the late King Oedipus and her father’s successor. The new king believes Antigone’s recently deceased brother was a traitor and refuses to honor his death, but Antigone defends her brother’s position as a brave warrior.

Showtimes are Wednesday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 13. Performances on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will begin at 7:30 p.m., and the show on Sunday will start at 3 p.m. All performances will be held at the Alvina Krause Theatre, located at 226 Center Street in downtown Bloomsburg. Advance tickets are available at the Haas Center Box Office, which can be reached at (570) 389-4409. 

BU students involved in the production are:

•  Cast - Adriana Maritato, Ashley Montijo, Chris Tobias, Phil Czekner, Eddie Buck, Chelsea Lucas, Lauren Shover, Jaryn Wilcox, Ben Deivert, Dan Clark , Natasha Willis, Robert Pellechio, Gabriella Russo, Holli Trivelpiece, Sydney Hare, Courtney Costello, Brittany Harris, Donovan Krebs and Chanel Kantz. 
•  Crew - Rebecca Kestel, Sean (Dave) Kim, Adam Wilson, Jack Ward , Anthony Roslevich, Emily Miller, Megan Young, Mary Reinsburrow, Penelope Andrews, Rebecca Kestel, Sonya Anderson, Maya Anderson, Mary Heffner, Amaris Nieves, Nicky Patton, Adam Wilson, Ashley Montijo, Erin Posenna, Tasha Jenkin, Emily Miller and Chelsea Lucas. 
•  Also makeup designer Lauren Abbruzzese, lighting designer Joshua Curran, costume designer Megan Combs, property designer Rachel DelVecchio, assistant director Kaitlyn Ide and stage manager Liz Nugent. Additionally, visiting assistant professor of theatre David Dannenfelser is director for the performance and Karen Anselm, professor of theatre, worked on costume design.

The Noh Training Project, the only intensive Noh training program outside of Japan, brings together members of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and students at BU. Elizabeth Dowd, producing director of the project, acted as a consultant for the production and is responsible for much of the choreography in the show.

BU Players' "Proof" rescheduled

The Bloomsburg University Players performance of "Proof" by David Auburn in has been rescheduled. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 to 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Theatre Lab at 7:30 p.m. Kaitlyn Ide, a BU senior from Nescopeck, directs.

The drama focuses on the daughter of a recently deceased renowned mathematician and her struggles with genius and mental illness. The play has been adapted into a film starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis.

Tickets are free to BU students with an ID, $6 for adults, and $4 for students and seniors. Advance tickets are available at the Haas Center Box Office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesday until 7 p.m.

More information about theatre and dance at BU.

Play on madness? BU Players to stage 'Proof'

The Bloomsburg University Players will stage "Proof" by David Auburn in September. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10 in the Theatre Lab at the rear of the University Store Building.

The drama focuses on the daughter of a recently deceased renowned mathematician and her struggles with genius and mental illness. The play has been adapted into a film starring Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Hope Davis.

Tickets are free to BU students with an ID, $6 for adults, and $4 for students and seniors. Advance tickets are available at the Haas Center Box Office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesday until 7 p.m.

More information about theatre and dance at BU.

BU Players plan 2011-2012 season

Here's what's on stage with the Bloomsburg University Players in 2011-2012.

Proof by David Auburn: August 31 ­to September 2, Theatre Lab (rear of the University Store Building; Sept. 9-10, location TBA.

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, Proof tells the story of a twenty-five ­year-old college drop-out who cared for her college-professor father, looking at the fine line between genius and madness. Limited Seating. Advance Ticket Purchase Recommended.

The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney: Nov. 9-13, Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St., Downtown Bloomsburg.

A new version of the timeless Greek story of Antigone, the heroic young woman who placed her life on the line against the state to express her loyalty to family and the gods.

Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl: Feb. 22-26, Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center
St., Downtown Bloomsburg.

What's it like to be an answering service for a dead man? MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Sarah Ruhl, asks that question in a play that delivers a fresh and humorous look at the times we live in (Variety). This performance subject to change based on availability of rights.

The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute: April 15-22, Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center
St., Downtown Bloomsburg

Challenging our deepest ideas about love and art, Neil LaBute explores seductive and dangerous territory in the love affair between an aggressive artist and an insecure student.

All performances: Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.
Tickets Adults $6; Seniors and non-BU Students $4; BU Students and Community Card Holders Free.
Tickets available at the Haas Center for the Arts Box Office or at the door on performance days.

BU Players to present "Anton in Show Business"

The Bloomsburg University Players are presenting Anton in Show Business Wednesday, April 13, through Sunday, April 17, at Alvina Krause Theatre on Center Street in downtown Bloomsburg.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens.
Advance tickets are on sale at the Haas Center box office on BU's campus Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays until 7 p.m. Remaining tickets can be purchased at Alvina Krause an hour before showtime.

Written by Jane Martin, “Anton in Show Business” is a comedy based on three actresses who have been cast in an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov’s play, “The Three Sisters.” The play looks at what it takes to produce classical theatre in a modern world and the madcap antics that ensue.

According to Ethan Krupp, assistant professor of music, theatre and dance, “The show is best described as an open love letter to theatre. It holds true to the notion that comic writers aren't frivolous; they just see the world through a funny lens. Theatre is a vehicle for emotion and comments on the human condition, and this play has it in spades. This play shows the lasting beauty and power of theatre in a world of sound bites, viral videos and 142-character updates on social media sites.”

The production is directed by Ingrid DeSanctis, assistant professor of music, theatre and dance.  The cast includes nine student actors: Jenny Hensley, Deanna Kremer, Candyce Musinski, Natasha Willis, Greg Hoagland, Richard Nazzarro, Keara Derr, Destiny Deater and Courtney Costello.