Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) announces CYRANO, a swashbuckling love story with a modern musical twist, in the Philbin Studio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, February 17-27.
Adapted by FTT professor Matt Hawkins from Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, CYRANO features music and lyrics by recent Notre Dame graduate Veronica Mansour ’21. The adaptation pares down Rostand’s five-act, 40+ character play into two streamlined acts with the feel of a contemporary, piano-driven pop musical. The title character is now a woman; several other roles originally written as male are also reimagined as women.
“We’ve all heard the term ‘Renaissance man,’” says Hawkins. “In our modern adaptation, Cyrano is a Renaissance woman – she’s a philosopher who writes poetry, swordfights, sings, dances – she does it all. But what she wants most is the love of her best friend, Roxane.”
Hawkins, FTT’s director of musical theatre, also serves as the production’s director and fight choreographer. Hawkins and Mansour previously collaborated on the Department’s production of An Old Family Recipe, a musical film with book, lyrics, and music by Mansour, developed in Hawkins’ New Works Lab course and filmed during the spring semester 2021. Mansour is currently pursuing an MFA in musical theatre writing at New York University.
Hawkins and Mansour will join members of the cast as well as Notre Dame faculty members Dr. La Donna Forsgren (FTT, Gender Studies), Dr. Olivier Morel (FTT, Romance Languages) and Dr. Alison Rice (Romance Languages, Gender Studies) for a talkback with the audience following the Friday, February 18 performance.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Thursday, February 17 – Saturday, February 19 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, February 24 – Saturday, February 26 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 20 and Sunday, February 27 at 2:30 pm
TICKETS
Student $7, Faculty/Staff/Senior (65+) $12, General $15. Discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more.
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.
HEALTH AND SAFETY: Please note that masks are required at all times for vaccinated and unvaccinated guests, including children, staff, and volunteers, while in DPAC and its venues. There are no exceptions. Masks must completely cover your nose, mouth, and chin.
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.
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.
Follow FTT on Twitter @NDFTT. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NDFTT.