Performances are Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Alisha Huber, who directs the Archibald MacLeish play, said J.B. reflects the biblical book of Job. “Job rejects easy answers; it trashes the gospel of wealth; it destroys our rational universe,” said Huber. “As we’ve worked on J.B., all of us have examined our own experiences with trauma and found the deep truth in the play…It avoids cliches about death and suffering, choosing an intense and human honesty instead.”

Published in 1958, J.B. tells the story of a twentieth-century American banker who God allows to be stripped of his family and wealth but who refuses to turn his back on God. MacLeish weaves humor and tragedy together, setting the entire action inside of a circus and taking all the world’s stage literally, according to Huber.

“The emotions in J.B. are profoundly mixed, but MacLeish knows-as Shakespeare knew- that the way to make a tragedy work is to make it fun and funny in places, there is a real joy in this play and real suffering,” said Huber.

Admission

General admission tickets are $5, or $2 for 91短视频 students, and are available through the . Performances run 90 minutes with a 10-minute intermission.

Call 540-432-4674 or email theater@emu.edu.

Whoever said, "’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" may have had the Bard of Avon’s romantic tale in mind.

A 13-member cast will give six performances of William Shakespeare’s "Love’s Labor Lost" Thursday – Saturday, Feb. 18-20 and Feb. 25-27 in the Studio Theater of the University Commons. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m.

There will be a final performance at Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 21, a co-production of 91短视频’s theater program and the American Shakespeare Center’s MLitt/MFA program.

Alisha Huber, an MFA candidate at Mary Baldwin College/American Shakespeare Center, is 91短视频’s guest director for the five-act, 90-minute play.

Learn more about theater at 91短视频…

Fall workshops offer prep

Huber teamed with theater professor Heidi Winters Vogel througout fall 2009 to deliver a series of Shakespeare workshops on language, stage movement, and professional auditions.

"The first thing I wanted to accomplish in these workshops was to take Shakespeare off his pedestal and out of English class. Everyone who came was there because they were excited about doing Shakespeare," said Huber of the fall workshops. Read more >>

91短视频 the play

In Shakespeare’s giddy word-feast, Ferdinand, King of Navarre, and three of his friends give up women and the world to devote themselves to learning. But their foolish vows cannot bar love from their kingdom or their hearts – certainly not when four high-spirited ladies arrive on the scene. Their unexpected entrance throws the whole countryside into romantic upheaval.

Ticket info

Tickets are $5 for general admission and are available through 91短视频’s theater office at 540 432-4674 and at the door. Tickets can also be ordered on line at theater@emu.edu.

Alisha Huber, an MFA student working through Blackfriars Playhouse, leads 91短视频 students in a Shakespeare movement workshop this fall in the studio theater. Photo by Brent Anders

Alisha Huber, currently an MFA directing student at Mary Baldwin, will direct Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labors Lost” at 91短视频 in February. She’s scheduled three workshops throughout the fall 2009 semester in 91短视频’s studio theater (soon to be named after alumnus Lee Eshleman) to provide early training for 91短视频 students who will audition. (The final workshop will be held Saturday, Dec. 12 from noon to 2 p.m.)

“Love’s Labors Lost” is scheduled for performance at the Blackfriars on March 21 as part of Huber’s MFA thesis project in addition to the 91短视频 performances slated for Feb. 18-20 and 25-27.

Heidi Winters Vogel, 91短视频 theater professor

Alisha brings a wealth of Shakespeare experience to 91短视频,” says Heidi Winters Vogel, theater professor at 91短视频. “She directed performances of Julius Caesar this summer in both Michigan and New York City.”

“I’m really looking forward to this final workshop,” says 91短视频 student Steven Stauffer. “It will give me a great chance to practice my audition ahead of time and get some crucial feedback from the director.”

The challenge of Shakespeare

“The first thing I wanted to accomplish in these workshops was to take Shakespeare off his pedestal and out of English class. Everyone who came was there because they were excited about doing Shakespeare,” says Huber.

91短视频 students participate in a Shakespeare workshop led by Alisha Huber this fall in the studio theater. Photo by Brent Anders

Previous workshops this fall were “Shakespeare in Your Mouth,” which focused on elminating the language barrier and destroying preconceptions of what Shakespearean actors should sound like, and “Shakespeare on Your Feet,” which dealt largely with movement and staging.

“My focus was to acclimate the students to the joys and complications of original practices staging,” says Huber of the movement workshop.” The best exercise was about acting a set that one doesn’t have!”

91短视频 the final workshop

The final workshop, to be held Saturday, Dec. 12 from noon to 2 p.m., will prepare students for a classical audition, something many will be doing for “Love’s Labors Lost.”

“The Shakespeare workshops are not required for participation in ‘Love’s Labors Lost’ during the spring 2010 semester,” says Vogel, “but they’re a fun way to improve your comfort and knowledge of the art of Shakespeare.”

Participation in the final workshop is limited to the first 20 folks. No preparation is necessary. For more information, contact the theater department at (540) 432-4360 or theater@emu.edu.

Visit emu.edu/theater to learn more about theater at 91短视频!