2009-2010 Theatre Season

	Escape from Happiness by George F. Walker Directed by Walter Elder Performance Dates October 16-17 & 22-24, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. October 18 & 25, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, October 12 at 1:00 p.m. (Early season subscriber reservations begin Monday, October 5, 2009.) Ticket Prices: $12 adults; $10 seniors/non UWL students; $4 UWL students. Escape from Happiness is a gritty, wild comedy that takes place in the kitchen of an old, slightly rundown house in a not-so-classy section of a large city. It's home to Nora, a good-natured, slow-moving, fairly batty middle-aged woman; her daughter Gail, who is tough, sensible, and a little high-strung; Gail's husband Junior, an affable but rather dim fellow. Also living here is Tom, who is dying of some unspecified disease; Tom is, according to Nora, a stranger who looks exactly like (and coincidentally has the same name as) her husband, who deserted the family ten years ago after trying to burn down the house.

	Frozen by Bryony Lavery Directed by Beth Cherne Performance Dates November 11-14, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. November 15, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Frederick Theatre, Morris Hall Ticket Prices: $12 adults; $10 seniors/non UWL students; $4 UWL students. Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, November 2 at 1:00 p.m. *Please Note: Frozen* is not included in the season ticket package. One evening ten-year-old Rhona goes missing. Her mother, Nancy, retreats into a state of frozen hope. Agnetha, an American academic, comes to England to research a thesis: "Serial Killing—A Forgivable Act?" Then there's Ralph, a loner who's looking for some distraction. Drawn together by horrific circumstances, these three embark on a long, dark journey which finally curves upward into the light. Angry, humane and compassionate, FROZEN is an extraordinary play that entwines the lives of a murderer, the mother of one of his victims and his psychologist to explore our capacity for forgiveness, remorse and change after an act that would seem to rule them out entirely.

	A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Adapted by Barbara Field Directed by Mary Leonard Performance Dates December 4-5 & 10-11, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. December 6 & 12-13, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, November 30 at 1:00 p.m. (Early season subscriber reservations begin Thursday, November 19, 2009.) Ticket Prices: $14 adults; $12 seniors/non UWL students; $5 UWL students. A Holiday Classic! On Christmas Eve Ebenezer Scrooge learns his stinginess and uncaring attitude towards others could doom him to walk the earth after death wearing a heavy chain of his own creation. But a restless night of visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge memories he's forgotten and his likely future should he continue his cantankerous ways.

	Into the Woods Book by James Lapine Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Walter Elder Performance Dates February 26-27 & March 4-6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. February 28 & March 7, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, February 22 at 1:00 p.m. (Early season subscriber reservations begin Monday, February 15, 2010.) Ticket Prices: $14 adults; $12 seniors/non UWL students; $5 UWL students. An ambivalent Cinderella? A blood-thirsty Little Red Ridinghood? A Prince Charming with a roving eye? A Witch...who raps? They're all among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's fractured fairy tale. When a Baker and his Wife learn they've been cursed with childlessness by the Witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell, swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk). Everyone's wish is granted at the end of Act One, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later, with disastrous results. What begins a lively irreverent fantasy in the style of “The Princess Bride” becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories we tell our children.

	Spring Dance Concert Featuring UW-L's Kinesis Dance Group Performance Dates March 25 & 26, 2010 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door only. General seating. (Early season subscriber reservations begin Monday, March 22, 2010.) Ticket Prices: $12 adults; $10 seniors/non UWL students; $4 UWL students.

	Miss Nelson Is Missing (A Children's Show) by Harry Allard & James Marshall Directed Madeleine Major Performance Dates Saturday, April 10, 2010 11:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. Frederick Theatre, Morris Hall Ticket Prices: $4 per person Tickets are available at the door only. General seating. **Please Note: Miss Nelson Is Missing is not included in the season ticket package. A witty and wacky musical adaptation of this hilarious and mysterious favorite! The students in room 207 are known for misbehaving. They just don’t seem capable of following the rules and being respectful to their kind and gentle teacher, Miss Nelson. One morning Miss Nelson is mysteriously missing from school and the students have a moment of satisfaction--thinking that they have succeeded in driving her away. Their celebration turns quickly to dread when the substitute, the mean and scary Miss Viola Swamp, descends upon the classroom. Soon the children are inundated with homework in a military-style classroom and even have their story-time taken away! Ultimately, the students realize how terribly they miss Miss Nelson and decide to take matters into their own hands. Elementary School Teacher's Study Guide

	Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl Directed by Mary Leonard Performance Dates April 23-24 & April 29-May 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. April 25 & May 2, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. (Early season subscriber reservations begin Monday, April 12, 2010.) Ticket Prices: $12 adults; $10 seniors/non UWL students; $4 UWL students. In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl re-imagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

	SummerStage 2010 Rent by Jonathan Larson Performance Dates July 1-3 & 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. July 11 at 2:00 p.m. Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts Ticket Prices: $16 adults; $14 seniors/non UWL students; $9 UWL students. Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, June 28 at 1:00 p.m. Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème. It follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel; Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. *Please Note: Rent* is not included in the season ticket package.