Productions and Events

Mar. 3-12, 2023 "The Imaginary Invalid"

Laughter is the best medicine and this high-octane comedy pops with color and witty verbal and physical energy. Centered on a hypochondriac obsessed with managing his imagined ailments, "The Imaginary Invalid" is an adaptation by Oded Gross and Tracy Young of French playwright Moliere's play spoofing the medical establishment. Full of groan-worthy puns and full of heart, "The Imaginary Invalid" includes a parade of characters who dance and sing and will have you laughing in your seats. For audiences 12 years old and up. Directed by David Lee-Painter. Starring Craig A. Miller.

• 7:30 p.m. Mar. 3, 4, 10, 11
• 2:00 p.m. Mar. 5, 12
• Hartung Theater, 625 Stadium Drive, Moscow
• Free for U of I students
• $8 to $20 general admission
• Tickets available now at https://www.uitickets.com/

March 24-26, 2023, "First Bite New Play Series"

Our spring showcase for emerging U of I Master of Fine Arts playwrights, with a free staged Zoom reading of a new work. Each performance is followed by a question and answer session with the playwright to help in the refinement of the play.

"The Spirits of Sylvia Beach" by Jennifer Chaney

Authors gather for tea, literary debate and fanciful parlor games in a whimsical, beachside hotel. Some happen to be ghosts. With upheaval on the menu, a seance is the only answer to directly contact the spirits and ask them to move on. What is to become of Lady Jane Austen, free-thinking Virginia Woolf, modernist Gertrude Stein, the queen of mystery Agatha Christie and the dark, bleeding heart of Mr. Poe? And who is the new mysterious author in their future?

"Dallas, Russia" by Alex Drinnen

In 1979, on the outskirts of the industrial Russian city, Volgograd, a tiny theatre troupe is preparing for their first rehearsal with a mysterious, reclusive guest director... a staged performance of the American TV show, "Dallas."

In 2017, a group of American BFA theatre students take a workshop on the same hallowed ground and come face-toface with the land's history.

And in 1991, two men meet to discuss the past and the uncertain future.

Told out of order and out of context, "Dallas, Russia" takes audiences on a journey across time into the mind of a tiny theatre troupe, the lives they impact, and asks the question: what matters in the end?

Apr. 28-May 7, 2023 "Measure for Measure."

By William Shakespeare. Directed by MFA alumna Kate Powers. A dark, tragicomedy of corruption, family dysfunction and the abuse of power. Considered one of Shakespeare's problem plays for its complex and ambiguous tone.

• 7:30 p.m. Apr. 28, 29, May 5, 6
• 2:00 p.m. Apr. 30, May 7
• Hartung Theater, 625 Stadium Drive, Moscow
• Free for U of I students
• $8 to $20 general admission

Greenroom Chats

These virtual meetings bring experienced theatre professionals from around the world to our students via Zoom for revealing conversations about creativity and success in the real world. Previous presenters have included award-winning playwrights, performers, casting directors, puppet masters, company executives and others sharing their stories and wisdom. All Greenroom Chats begin at 1 p.m., Pacific Standard Time unless otherwise noted. If you would like to join us for a particular presentation, please request the Zoom link from the Department of Theatre Arts at theatre@uidaho.edu.

Previous guest artists:

• Dominic Antonio D'Andrea
• Ashley Lauren Rogers
• Martine Kei Green-Rogers
• Davinia Shorter
• Jennifer Goodlander, Ph.D.
• Andres X. Lopez, Ph.D.
• Lyndsay Burch, Kisha Jarrett, Nicole Watson and Emilia Sargent
• Idris Goodwin, playwright
• Lavina Jadhwani, director
• Amy Rose Marsh, Concord Theatricals (formerly Samuel French)
• Juan Cabello and Geralldy Najera, directors, performers
• AnaSofia Villanueva, producer, director, writer, activist
• Aurin Squire, playwright
• Native Playwriting Panel: Carolyn Dunn, Ty Defoe, Randy Reinholz, DeLanna Studi.
• Prison Performing Arts: Dario Pena, Robbie Pollock, Kathleen Powers-Kusio
• Chelsea Hackett, executive director of SPEAK
• LatinX Playwriting Panel: Virginia Grise, Guillermo Reyes, Damaso Rodriguez, Elaine Romero, Caridad Svich.