Linfield College students will combine palm readers, engagements and murder for a comedic performance of West Moon Street.
The Linfield Theatre will present four shows March 15-18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Theatre in Ford Hall at Linfield.
Elizabeth Rothan, a 1985 Linfield graduate, will direct the play. West Moon Street is based on a short story by Oscar Wilde, Lord Savile’s Crime. Linfield students will perform an adaptation of the story by Rob Urbinati, a playwright and director who resides in New York City.
Urbinati visited Linfield Feb. 23-26, during which time he gave a college-wide presentation on his work with “Immigrant Voices,” a program that develops new plays for Queens Theatre where he directs. He also led a workshop on playwriting and visited with classes in creative writing and theatre to discuss his experiences as a working professional.
“To have the playwright’s perspective on set is rare,” said Rothan. “To have his critique and have him guide us during the process is really something special.”
Rothan received a master of fine arts in acting from Rutgers University and has performed professionally in New York and regional theatres throughout the United States. In addition to Linfield, she also teaches at Chemeketa Community College and the National Theatre Institute in New London, Connecticut.
“It’s an honor to work with a playwright I know and to be able to come back to where my theatre career got started,” said Rothan. “The Theater Program has grown so much over the years, it’s incredibly different.
“From this play, my hope is the community will get a better understanding of a period piece, of what a comedy of manners looks like and a better sense for humor foreign from our own,” said Rothan.
The play begins with Lord Arthur deliriously happy, newly down from Oxford and engaged to be married when a mysterious palm reader predicts that he will commit a murder. A proper English gentleman, Arthur believes it is his duty to get this killing over with before he marries. But his education has not provided him with the required skills, and a hilarious series of mishaps ensue as he sets about finding his victim.
“In this play the characters are not just caricatures but characters you can relate to,” said Rothan. “They are real people put into extraordinary situations with real purpose.”
Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, March 8. Tickets are $9 for full price; $7 for seniors (62+) and Linfield faculty and staff; and $5 for students; with a $2 discount on all tickets on opening night. Seating is reserved. Tickets will be available on the web at www.linfield.edu/arts-and-culture.html, by phone, or at the Marshall Theatre Box Office. Located just inside the lobby of Ford Hall, the box office is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m., and until 7:30 p.m. on performance days.
To reach Ford Hall from Highway 99W, turn east on Keck Drive at the McMinnville Market Center in south McMinnville. Turn right on Lever Street and right again on Ford Drive. Ford Hall is located at the west end of the parking lot. Visit http://www.linfield.edu/admission/visit/preparing-for-your-visit/campusmap.html for a map (Ford Hall is number 58B on the map).
The Marshall Theatre is fully accessible. Contact the box office directly if you require accessible seating. Assisted listening devices are available at each performance. For more information, call 503-883-2292.
