Classic, innovative, raucous mix coming to the stage

Brandeis Theater Company kicks off its fall season Oct. 18

The Brandeis Theater Company will stage three productions this fall of material ranging from the classic to the raucous to the innovative.

The first, Canadian playwright George F. Walker’s “Escape From Happiness,” is a dark comedy revolving around the dysfunctional Quinn family, which battles drugs, violence and police corruption. Doug Lockwood, a founding member of the Actors’ Shakespeare Project and a Boston Conservatory acting teacher, will direct.

The production will be presented in the Laurie Theater Oct. 18 to 21 at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20; $15 for the Brandeis community and seniors; $5 for students.

“A King of Infinite Space – Hamlet in a Nutshell,” is based on the Shakespeare play, but audiences may or may not see a direct link. Under the direction of Associate Theater Arts Professor Marya Lowry and with guest artist Kate Kohler Armory, M.F.A. students will create an original theater experience derived from “Hamlet.” The idea, according to Lowry, is to help students develop their skills for devising new work. Music, movement, martial arts, sound and song will be incorporated as the actors uncover new perspectives on the play and its characters.

Free and open to the public, performances will be held in the Merrick Theater Nov. 16 to 18, at 8 p.m., and with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

The season concludes with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” This depression-era masterpiece – an autobiographical classic about the power of memory, the allure of illusion and the fragility of love – will be molded by the actors’ into their own voices. Paula Plum, a leading Boston actress for decades, will direct the production.

Performances will be held in the Merrick Theater Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. weekend matinees. Tickets are $10; $5 for the Brandeis community, seniors and students.

The student-produced Undergraduate Theater Collective will also present seven shows this season, beginning with the Freeplay Theatre Cooperative’s take on Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” on Oct. 11 to 13. For more information and a full schedule, visit the Collective's website.

For tickets, visit Brandeis Tickets or call (781) 736-3400.