The Department of Theatre and Drama and the Theatre Circle co-sponsor an ambitious series of pre-show talks, inviting scholars from across the university to speak about the plays we produce in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.

These informal lectures engage our audiences in a unique kind of dialogue. Sometimes the speaker brings to the podium a point of view about a play that is different from the one embodied in our production; often the discussion and the production end up supporting one another in an interesting and symbiotic manner. The series of talks present an excellent opportunity for theatre audiences to acquire a sense of the play, its history and how it may have been interpreted by other theatres in other times.

Pre-show talks are given on the Thursday before opening night at 5:30 P.M. in the Neal Marshall Grand Hall in the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center connected to the Lee Norvelle Center. Some invitees are in the process of accepting their invitations to speak, but at the time of this printing, the following speakers have agreed to discuss the plays in our season.

November 12, 2009 Neal Marshall Grand Hall– As You Like It- Joan Pong Linton, English

December 3, 2009 Neal Marshall Grand Hall- Parentheses of Blood- Femi Osofisan, Visiting Artist

February 25, 2010 Neal Marshall Grand Hall – Major Barbara- Stephen Watt, English

March 25, 2010 Neal Marshall Grand Hall– Take Me Out- Shane Vogel, English