Noel Coward comedy comes to CSUS

Scene from Hay fever Cultural diversity hits the stage running when Noel Coward's "Hay Fever," opens at California State University, Sacramento, at 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11. The cast and crew - even the guest director - have come to the University from a variety of locations across the globe to be thrown together into one comedic plot.

The tongue-in-cheek British comedy is set in Victorian London and pokes fun at the etiquette of the so-called "high society" of the period. Playwright Noel Coward perfectly captures the irony of the Bliss family, exploring the subtle nuances of a failing marriage and the disparity between teenage female and male moral standards - all in one hilarious weekend when each member of the dysfunctional family brings a special guest to a getaway in the country.

Guest director Michael Greenwald is a professor at Texas A & M University and has taught theater around the world including London, China and Italy. Greenwald has also coauthored a book with Roberto Pomo, head of the CSUS theatre and dance program, entitled The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theatre: A Global Perspective.

The rest of the cast and crew come from Utah, Chicago, Texas, Virginia, California and London. In the role of the ultra-grand dame of the Bliss family, Judith, is Jennifer Kirkham who is a student at Brigham Young University and is making her stage debut. The father, David, is played by William Powers, a retired surgeon from Chicago. Powers is pursuing his lifelong dream of being an actor and is a current theatre arts student at CSUS.

The play runs through Oct. 21 in the Playwright's Theatre. Sunday performances are at 2 p.m., all other performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7 - 12 and are available at the CSUS Ticket Office at (916) 278-4323.

#####

For further information send E-Mail to infodesk@csus.edu or contact
Public Affairs (916) 278-6156.

Index of Stories

Return to CSUS Home Page