The Department of Theatre and Dance will kick off its 2022-2023 season with the performance of “Androcles and the Lion,” a popular fable filled with comedy, empathy and friendship.
The show opens in the Bert C. Bach Theatre at the Martin Center for the Arts on Thursday, Oct. 20, and will run until Sunday, Oct. 23. The Thursday and Friday performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and the Saturday and Sunday performances will begin at 2 p.m.
J.T. Roberts, a junior studying theatre at ETSU, is cast to play the captain in the show. He shares that, despite traditionally being a kids’ show, its comedy and plot will appeal to audiences of all ages. Roberts describes “Androcles and the Lion” as an interesting, lighthearted comedy that will be fun for every audience.
Roberts also shares that the show will utilize the Italian performance method of “Commedia dell’ arte”, a technique that makes “Androcles and the Lion” entirely unique from the other shows scheduled for the upcoming Theatre and Dance season.
In “Commedia dell’ arte,” performers use different masks to play a wide variety of stock characters. According to Roberts, using this theatre form requires performers to increase emphasis and find alternative ways to express emotion.
“It’s a very different way of establishing yourself physically on stage,” Roberts said.
With opening night quickly approaching, Roberts hopes that audiences are not only able to enjoy the performance but also recognize how this acting method differs from what is traditionally seen on the Bert C. Bach stage.
Once the curtain closes on “Androcles and the Lion”, the Department of Theatre and Dance is just getting started with their season. Following “Androcles and the Lion” will be performances of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” from November 17-20, “Little Shop of Horrors” from March 31-April 2, and, finally, “Medea” from April 20- 23.
Roberts has high hopes for the upcoming season and remarks that the lineup features both lighthearted and serious shows, in hopes of appealing to all different types of audiences.
“We’re setting the tone that there’s something for everyone this season,” Roberts said.
Tickets for “Androcles and the Lion” are on sale now and can be purchased online through the Martin Center. Tickets are $15 for ETSU students, faculty and staff, $20 for the general public and $10 for children 12 and under.
For more information on the Department of Theatre and Dance and their upcoming productions, visit them online at etsu.edu/cas/theatre/.
