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.
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Metamorphoses
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman.
Performed February 22-24 and March 1-3, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Called by Time the “theater event of the year,” Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses brings Ovid’s tales to stunning visual life. Set in and around a large pool of water, Metamorphoses juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image to reflect the variety and persistence of narrative in the face of inevitable change. Nominated for three 2002 Tony Awards, including “Best Play,” Metamorphoses earned Zimmerman a Tony for “Best Direction of a Play.”
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Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Marry Poppins: The Broadway Musical.
Performed April 27-29 and May 4-6, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises, “Anything can happen if you let it.” A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film.
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Into the Woods
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Into the Woods. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by James Lapine.
Performed November 9-11, 16-18, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Into the Woods is a combined narrative of the stories and plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales.
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The Amish Project
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey.
Performed September 13-16, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.
In October of 2006, a gunman walked into an Amish schoolhouse…in this stunning tour-de-force, a single actress plays a host of characters in an Amish community devastated by that terrible tragedy. Jessica Dickey’s fictional exploration of the Nickel Mines Schoolhouse Shooting is a tale of redemption that forges a path of forgiveness and compassion in the aftermath of inexplicable violence. Featuring alum Morgan Morton(Turner ’16) and designed by all theatre alumni, this production is a unique experience for the Taylor community.
The Amish Project is a fictional re-telling of the events at an Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster County, Pa, when a gunman killed five girls and himself in October of 2006. The play explores the lives and interactions between different characters of the story and the theme of forgiveness.
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Why We Must Die So Young: The Story of the White Rose Martyrs
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Why We Must Die So Young: The Story of the White Rose Martyrs by William Gebby.
Performed February 23-25, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.
During the darkest days of WWII, a handful of German college students distributed thousands of anti-Nazi leaflets and worked toward unifying resistance across Germany. They called themselves the White Rose, and their faith drew them to engage in a fight that would cost them their lives. William Gebby’s brand new play celebrates the lives of these brave young people who would not and will not be silent. The TU Theatre students have worked with the playwright to workshop the play and present it for it’s first-ever performance.
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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.
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Cyrano de Bergerac
The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, based on the translation written by Anthony Burgess of the play written by Edmund Rostand.
Performed November 10-12, 17-19, 2017 at the Mitchell Theatre.
Dashing, proud, and romantic, Cyrano is one of the most memorable figures in theatre history. Known throughout Paris for his unmatched bravery and the charm of his verse, poet Cyrano de Bergerac has one problem—his enormous nose. During an age of gallant musketeers and extravagant lifestyles, this beautiful soul is damned by his marred appearance. Not one to give up, Cyrano joins forces with the handsome but slow-witted soldier, Christian, to woo Roxane, the woman they both love. With Christian’s looks and Cyrano’s soul they quickly win her heart, but can Cyrano watch his beloved marry someone else? Equally hilarious and tragic, Edmond Rostand's classic verse play is one of the most popular romances to ever grace the stage.
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Moments
Taylor's first-ever dance production is review of our musical history. It includes numbers from past shows, such as Oklahoma!, current works that have come out of dance classes, and previews of upcoming performances, such as The Pirates of Penzance and Mary Poppins. Don't miss this incredible night of storytelling through dance!
Performed October 6-7, 2017 at the Mitchell Theatre.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.