Summeround Theatre productions important learning opportunity for students
June 21, 2012
UW-Whitewater's Summeround Theatre productions, "Almost, Maine" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," are providing theater and dance students with unique professional acting experience.
Students are learning to adjust to a condensed production schedule and performing in the Hicklin Studio Theatre, which is a more intimate stage than the Barnett stage used in academic season productions. Both elements help students develop the skills necessary for their future careers.
"The Hicklin Studio is just the right size," said associate professor Charles "Skip" Grover. "It allows for closer contact between audience members and the actors, which creates a stronger feeling of intimacy."
"It is also good experience for the actors as they have to act with their whole bodies. It can be a wonderful challenge," Grover said.
Being in a Summeround production "has been a great experience for me," said Rasell Holt, a sophomore theater performance major at UW-Whitewater. "It has been a lot of fun and has given me an idea of what it takes to act," he said.
In "Almost, Maine" the actors play more than one character.
"Being able to play multiple characters makes you push yourself and see your range. It's also a chance to experience different characters," Holt said.
"Being in a Summeround production has been the most challenging show I've been in and I've learned a lot from it," said Samantha Zaddack, sophomore theater performance major. "I have never worked so much before but the whole thing has been a huge learning experience. People can connect with every story in the productions because they're about regular couples and more like reality," Zaddack said.
Both charming and witty shows, "Almost, Maine" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" will take audiences on a whimsical journey through the uncertainty and spontaneity of love as the subjects of dating, mating, and marriage are explored.
"Almost, Maine," written by John Cariani and directed by Charles Grover, runs from June 26-30. "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," written by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts and directed by Jim Butchart, runs July 17-22. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and at 2 p.m. for the Sunday, July 22 musical performance. Tickets are available at the Greenhill Center Box Office Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. or by phone at 262-472-2222.
Tickets may also be purchased the night of the performance, beginning one hour prior to curtain as availability allows. Tickets are available online at http://tickets.uww.edu as well. Single tickets for each production are $12 for the general public, $10 for those over 65, $7.50 for those under 18, and $4.50 for students with a valid UW-Whitewater ID.
If you have a disability and desire accommodations, please contact Sarah Altermatt at 262-472-5943 as soon as possible.
For more information about the Theatre/Dance Department visit their website at http://www.uww.edu/cac/theatre/ or find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UWWTheatreDance