The Taylor Theatre Playbills collection features programs from Taylor’s stage productions, including Taylor Theatre, musicals, playback theatre, and Taylor’s Touring Company. Some operas are also included.
-
Clybourne Park
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris.
Performed September 28-30, October 1, 2017 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a razor-sharp satire about the politics of race. In 1959, Russ and Bev are moving to the suburbs after the tragic death of their son. Inadvertently, they’ve sold their house to the neighborhood’s first black family. Fifty years later, the roles are reversed when a young white couple buys the lot. In both instances a community showdown takes place, pitting race against real estate with the home as the battle ground.
-
The Matchmaker
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder.
Performed April 28-30 and May 5-7, 2017 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Before the world fell in love with "Hello, Dolly!", Thornton Wilder’s uproarious play "The Matchmaker" introduced Ms. Dolly Gallagher Levi: a cunning, crafty, and thoroughly modern woman who knows a good catch when she sees one. When the wealthy Horace Vandergelder hires matchmaker Ms. Levi to find him a wife, Dolly doesn't need to look far to find his perfect mate. While Dolly is “arranging things” for Mr. Vandergelder, the young, hopeless romantics of Yonkers reap the rewards of Dolly’s generosity.
-
When the Rain Stops Falling
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of When the Rain Stops Falling by Thornton Andrew Bovell.
Performed February 24-26, March 3-5, 2017.
It’s 2039. A fish falls from the sky and lands at Gabriel’s feet. Where did it come from? Gabriel’s estranged son decides to visit for dinner. What does he want? To know about his past? Gabriel barely knows his own past. From 1959 to 2039, from London to Australia, When the Rain Stops Falling follows the fragmented history and mystery of Gabriel’s family and the falling fish.
-
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Oklahoma!. Books and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rogers.
Performed on November 11-13, 18-20, 2016 at the Mitchell Theatre.
The high-spirited rivalry between the farmers and cowmen of the Western Indian Territory provides the colorful, turn-of-the-century backdrop for Curley and Laurey’s love story. But with these headstrong romantics holding the reins, the road to love is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a dusty road. Despite many hardships, their rocky romance leads to a new life beginning in a brand new state. Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules that musical theatre still follows today.
According to director Tracy Manning, “Oklahoma! is more than a love story. It was produced just after the US entered WWII... it’s part of America’s story. Our production considers what this story means for us today: How do we address issues of ownership, gender, and family in America? Do we share the same dreams? By looking at our past, we might find common ground.”
-
Antigone
Taylor Theatre presents Sophocles’ timeless tragedy “Antigone,” translated and directed by Joe Ricke.
Performed September 29-October 2, 2016 at the Mitchell Theatre.
In this story, the bold yet cursed princess Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, chooses to confront her unmovable uncle/king about his decision to dishonor her brother by refusing his burial. Her choice to defy him shocks the entire city of Thebes. Ultimately, all concerned, including the audience, are forced to wrestle with the relationship of divine law to human laws.
This striking production, translated and directed by Joe Ricke, explores this universal question in the ancient context of Sophocles’ emotional, ritualistic masterpiece. “People in ancient Athens didn’t go to the theatre to see everyday life,” Ricke explains, “They went to be unsettled, disoriented, and deeply moved.” This production seeks to achieve the same.
-
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Taylor Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Performed April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2016 at the Mitchell Theatre. Mischief meets merriment in this fresh re-imagining of Shakespeare's most popular romantic comedy.
In just one night, four magical stories are cleverly woven together: the marriage of the Athenian duke to the Amazon queen; the battle of the king and queen of the fairies; the follies of four lovers in a forest; and the hilarious antics of amateur actors staging a play. Enter a vibrant world where fairies fly overhead, a donkey bursts into song, and love potion makes your perspective turn on a dime. This production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is an immersive theatrical experience suitable for theatergoers nine to 90—one you don't want to miss!
-
Rabbit Hole
Taylor Theatre presents Rabbit Hole by David-Lindsay-Abaire.
Performed February 19-21, 26-28, 2016 at the Mitchell Theatre.
As improbably funny as it is heartbreaking, this story of a family in crisis won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Becca and Howie had the perfect life—a great marriage, a beautiful house, and a lovely son. But after a tragic accident, the couple faces the challenges of surviving great loss and making a life with the family that remains.
-
Working
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2016 performance of Working by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso.
Working is a musical about the jobs of various people and their thoughts about their work.
-
The Marriage of Figaro
Taylor Theatre presents an original translation of Mozart's comic-opera, "The Marriage of Figaro."
Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" whisks us through the events of one crazy day as Figaro, the Lord's valet, tries to wed Susanna, the Lady's maid, before their philandering master can get to her first. Filled with Mozart's glorious music, The Marriage of Figaro is widely regarded to be one of the greatest comic operas ever written. Our production will see its plot of intrigue, mistaken identities, and unexpected revelations unravel in early 20th Century England in which the servants who live downstairs are perfectly capable of thwarting their masters who live upstairs at every turn.
In this production of "The Marriage of Figaro," director Tracy Manning has adapted the recitative into dialogue.
-
The Arab-Israeli Cookbook
"The Arab-Israeli Cookbook" is a verbatim play written by British playwright Robin Soans. The script was created as a result of a collaboration with two directors, one Arab and one Jewish. The three of them went to Israel and interviewed a wide variety of people including farmers, fishermen, photographers, students, the young, the old, the orthodox, the unorthodox, those who were pessimistic and those who were hopeful. Soans used the interviewees' own words to tell their stories—to give voice to those caught up in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The composite picture that emerges in their stories demonstrates that regardless of labels and politics, ordinary people are more alike than different.
-
I Love a Piano
Taylor University Theatre presents its spring musical, "I Love A Piano", a celebration of the iconic compositions and lyrics of Irving Berlin.
-
A Piece of My Heart
Taylor University Theatre presents Shirley Lauro's "A Piece of My Heart". This powerful play explores the true stories of six women in the Vietnam War: five nurses and a country western singer booked to entertain the troops.
-
Tartuffe
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2014 performance of Tartuffe by Molière.
Taylor University's Theatre department proudly presents, "Tartuffe", a pinnacle of classical comedy. Written by renowned French playwright Molière in 1664, "Tartuffe" follows a hypocrite's attempts to sabotage the domestic happiness of an unsuspecting family.
-
Playback Theatre
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2014 performance of Playback Theatre.
Interactive and spontaneous, Playback Theatre bases its material on the stories of the community. During a performance, audience members respond to questions from the conductor and share their stories, then watch as the company immediately “plays back” their words as a theatrical moment.
Playback is an opportunity for stories to be heard and acknowledged in a meaningful way. In every occasion, central to our theatre experience is our faith in Jesus Christ and applying the truth of Scripture to the reality of the everyday stories presented throughout the evening.
-
Wit
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2014 performance of Wit by Margaret Edson.
Wit (or W;t) takes place over the final hours of Dr. Vivian Bearing, a university English professor, who is dying of Ovarian cancer. The course of the play is her reflecting on her life through the intricacies of the English language, particularly focusing on the wit found in the poetry of John Donne.
In this program the Jason Francis Memorial Scholarship Fund is announced.
-
The Miracle Worker
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2014 performance of The Miracle Worker by William Gibson.
The Miracle Worker is based on the autobiography of Helen Keller.
This show was in memory of Dr. Oliver Hubbard, former professor and director of Taylor Theatre. The performance was directed and designed to be as close to the previous performance of The Miracle Worker Dr. Oliver Hubbard directed in 2002. The performance on May 3 was part of a full day dedicated to honoring his work and service. (See the playbill of "The Servant of Two Masters" for the schedule.)
-
The Servant of Two Masters
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2014 performance of The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, translated by Jeffry Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi.
The Servant of Two Masters is a comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni written in 1746. It follows the story of Beatrice and her comical servant, Truffaldino. Beatrice goes disguised as her dead brother to find her lover, Florindo, plotting to acquire money from her brother’s betrothed to help her run away with her lover. Meanwhile Truffaldino secretly takes on an additional service to Florindo, and must do his best to serve his two masters without either one knowing he is serving the other.
-
The Cherry Orchard
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2014 performance of The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov.
The play follows an aristocratic Russian landowner who returns to her family estate (which includes a large and well-known cherry orchard) just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage.
-
Kiss Me, Kate
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2013 performance of Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter and Samuel and Bella Spewack.
Kiss Me, Kate follows the story of divorcees Fred and Lilli and their onstage/offstage drama as they rehearse and perform a musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
-
Though the Earth Give Way
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2013 performance of Though the Earth Give Way by William Gebby, commissioned and presented by the Taylor Theatre Touring Company.
Though the Earth Give Way is a reimagined telling of the story of King Hezikiah and his resistance of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.. The story is found in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 18-20 and Psalm 46.
-
Freud's Last Session
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2013 performance of Freud’s Last Session by Mark St. Germain.
Freud’s Last Session focuses on psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud who has invited Oxford professor C. S. Lewis to his London home. The two men enter debate about the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life – only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.
The play was suggested by the best selling book The Question of God by Armand M. Nicholi, Jr..
-
The Curious Savage
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2013 performance of The Curious Savage by John Patrick.
The Curious Savage is the story of Ethel P. Savage, an elderly lady whose husband has died and left her approximately ten million dollars. When she sets up a memorial fund for average people to pursue their dreams, her three stepchildren commit her to a sanatorium and try to discover where she has hidden the fortune. As the search for the fortune plays out the question becomes who is really crazy, the residents of the sanatorium or Ethel’s stepchildren.
-
Godspell
The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2013 performance of Godspell by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak.
Gospell is a musical telling the parables and life of Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew.
-
Romeo & Juliet
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2012 performance of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy about two young lovers from feuding families and how their relationship and deaths reconcile their families.
-
But Not Destroyed: The Story of Calvin Fairbank
The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2012 performance of But Not Destroyed: The Story of Calvin Fairbank by William Gebby.
But Not Destroyed tells the story of Calvin Fairbank who was among forty-four persons imprisoned in the Kentucky State Penitentiary for the crime of helping African-Americans escape from slavery.
Performed by the Taylor Touring Company.