The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which debuts Nov. 6 at Neely Auditorium at Vanderbilt University, explores the destructive relationship between a cantankerous, domineering mother and her lonely, troubled daughter as they endlessly repeat a bitter daily battle of wits and wills. When a local bachelor offers the daughter a chance for romantic happiness, a series of shocking and irrevocable events ensues.
Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh wrote this award-winning contemporary play in just eight days, combining scathing dark comedy with heartbreaking tragedy. Successfully produced in Ireland, London and New York, McDonagh’s play captivates and disturbs audiences.
The play features four roles, and director Jon Hallquist opted to experiment with double-casting each role and then changing up the pairings.
“This choice has allowed me to rehearse the various scenes with a different combination of players. Being able to switch pairings has contributed to the actors’ flexibility and reality because lines and movement are never exactly the same when performing with a new and different actor doing the same scene,” said Hallquist, associate professor of theatre at Vanderbilt. “This new way of working is an exciting new addition to our rehearsal process that we decided to carry out through the performances as well. Each of the six performances will have a different combination of actors. Because there will be six different casts, we fully expect to create six different performances of the same show.”
The Beauty Queen of Leenane will be performed at 8 p.m. Nov. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8. Admission is $10 for the general public, $7 for graduate and professional students and free for undergraduates with Vanderbilt identification. Tickets may be reserved by calling (615) 322-2404. This show contains mature language and subject matter.
For more information about the 2009-2010 Vanderbilt Theatre Season, visit http://vanderbilt.edu/theatre/currentseason.
Media contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS
missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu