Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) announces WASP by Steve Martin and American Roulette by Tom McCormack, September 27 – October 7, 2018. Two one-act plays with an absurdist take on the American Dream, WASP and American Roulette are presented under the auspices of ND Theatre NOW, an annual slot in FTT’s mainstage season that features a production realized entirely by student artists.
First produced in 1994 and set in 1950s suburbia, Steve Martin’s darkly satirical WASP presents a white nuclear family that’s anything but idyllic. Dominated by a Creationist Dad who cheats on Mom and regales the children with tales from the golf course, the family muddles through the mundane absurdity of their white-bread existence. FTT senior Najmeddine Harrabi will direct.
In Tom McCormack’s American Roulette, first produced in 1969, a black man arrives for a job interview with a man and a woman – both white – whose highly unorthodox interviewing techniques escalate into a catastrophic climax. “We can't act like we live in a color blind country,” says FTT senior and American Roulette director Róisín Goebelbecker. “Access to the American Dream is still incredibly limited. I hope that American Roulette encourages audiences to examine their role in including or excluding ‘the other’ from the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“The ND Theatre NOW process has already proved to be valuable for my development as a director and an artist,” notes Harrabi. “I am getting not only the exposure but also the artistic say in all of the elements of a full collaborative theatre experience.”
SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 27 – Friday, September 28 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, October 3 – Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 30 and Sunday, October 7 at 2:30 pm
TICKETS
Student $7, Faculty/Staff/Senior (65+) $12, General $15. Additional discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Buy a subscription ($22 student - $33 faculty/staff/senior - $44 general) and save 25-35%. Subscription packages include one ticket to all four shows and have added benefits. Tickets may be purchased online at http://performingarts.nd.edu, by phone at 574-631-2800, or in person at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office. Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm.
PARKING: Free parking is available daily after 5:00 pm in the Stayer Center parking lot, just north of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Patrons may now receive free event parking at the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage by bringing your event tickets and parking ticket to the DPAC Ticket Office to receive a pre-paid parking voucher.
An accessible lot for disabled patrons is available immediately adjacent to the center; a valid hangtag or license plate is required. There is a ten-minute parking zone on the north drive of the center for ticket pick-up; during inclement weather you are welcome to drop off guests in this area and proceed to parking.
Note: The Notre Dame campus experiences increased traffic during home football game weekends. If you are planning to attend a performance during these weekends, we suggest allowing an extra 30 minutes to arrive and find parking.
Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre seeks to inspire intellectual inquiry and nurture creativity. We offer both a scholarly and a creative context for the general liberal arts student at Notre Dame as well as those students seeking intensive preparation for advanced study in these fields. The hands-on nature of our curriculum, coupled with a very high degree of student-faculty interaction, provides students with a singular educational opportunity at a university known for its teaching excellence. The FTT performance season is a direct outgrowth of the department’s academic program and an integral component of our students’ artistic development.
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