Brigham Young University's Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents William Inge's "Bus Stop" featuring six graduating seniors in the acting program. Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays, Nov. 5-20.
Preview nights are Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 3-4. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. in the Margetts Theatre with a matinee performance on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $12 with $3 off with student ID. For tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 378-4322 or visit performances.byu.edu.
"Bus Stop" explores different facets of loneliness after a bus and its passengers get stranded in a severe snowstorm at a diner in Kansas. The play centers on two characters: Cherie, the nightclub singer with a checkered past, and Bo, the cowboy from Montana who is trying to get Cherie to marry him.
"Most of the characters in the play seek to fill the very human need for companionship through various forms of sin," said Tim Threlfall, director of "Bus Stop." "Fortunately, [Bo and Cherie] discover a deeper, more honest and unselfish form of love. They seem to mature in a way the other stranded travelers, as well as the proprietresses of the restaurant, have failed to do."
"Beneath the bubbling humor and restless action of 'Bus Stop' lies a potent message of hope: unconditional love based on unselfishness is the only way to satisfy the hunger for companionship and understanding," Threlfall said.
"Bus Stop" played on Broadway for 13 months and was one of the longest-running, nonmusicals of the decade. Inge has written several award-winning plays. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay "Splendor in the Grass" and a Pulitzer Prize for "Picnic."
Faculty in the acting program carefully selected "Bus Stop" for the senior project production because its script best addressed the specific training needs of the graduating seniors performing in the play.
Students in the bachelor of fine arts acting program must perform in a senior project production. Often, these students are cast in roles for which they might not consider themselves best suited, or in roles that present specific acting challenges.
The senior BFA acting students in "Bus Stop" include Ashley Ogzewalla as Elma, Amanda Schutz as Grace, Lauren Richmond as Cherie, Clay Bunker as Dr. Lyman, Cort Kirksey as Bo and Logan Miller as Virgil.
Other members of the cast include Kevin Goertzen as Will the sheriff and Adam Daveline as Carl the bus driver.
The production team includes Pie Forsgren and Kristin Fitzpatrick as dramaturges, Katie Renville as production stage manager, Adam Baillio as scenic designer, Kristen Shirts as costume designer, Josh Gubler as lighting designer, Sam Schwendiman as sound designer and Chareen Hardy as makeup and hair designer.
For more information, contact Tim Threlfall at (801) 422-8133.
Writer: Rebekah Hanson
