Goppert Theatre 2015-2016 season brochure Avila University The Nerd By Larry Shue Comedy giant, Larry Shue serves up a hilarious farce in which our hapless hero, Willum Cubbert reunites with a fellow Vietnam vet who once saved his life but now seems all too ready to wreck it. More house-pest than guest, Rick Steadman is a socially inept “nerd” whose foot-in-mouth buffoonery and birthday-party blundering pushes the otherwise docile Willum into violent visions of vengeance. If “manners maketh man,” you’ll see no such decorum in this incredibly witty and endlessly funny charmer from one of Broadway’s playwriting masters. To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee In this treasured, coming-of-age tale from the immortal Harper Lee, we see a harsh and unrelenting world of privilege and prejudice through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in the sultry, racially charged American South simmering in the Great Depression. Her carefree childhood darkens rapidly as she witnesses her widowed father, Atticus, defend Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, in a trial shadowed by his looming death sentence. Many have praised Lee’s masterpiece for the challenges it brings to the ever timely discourse of doing what is right, no matter how high the cost. Night of the Living Dead Stephen Gregory Smith, Writer, Lyricist, and Composer Matt Conner, Lyricist Based on the groundbreaking, controversial film of the same name unleashed in 1968 by the legendary George Romero, this stage adaptation delivers all the thrills and chills you should expect from a horde of the undead. When a Venus probe returns to Earth while imbued with a strange radiation that revives the dead into an army of unholy, flesh-eating zombies, seven people find themselves trapped in an abandoned farmhouse. As they begin to turn on each other in their fight to stay alive, the real terror unfolds. Don’t close your eyes for long, because you won’t want to miss a minute of this horror classic! Monty Python’s Spamalot Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle Music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle Sure, it’s a musical that’s been “lovingly ripped off” from the adored comedy film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and that’s exactly why this riotous romp through Camelot is one you’ll want to take! Saddle up with King Arthur and his servant Patsy on their quest for the Holy Grail, and cheer them on as they recruit fellow knights, encounter flatulent Frenchmen, thwart killer rabbits, and more! Critically acclaimed Spamalot is filled with so much singing and dancing silliness that you’ll “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” no matter what comes your way!

Goppert Theatre 2014-2015 season brochure Avila University The Complete History of America (abridged) By Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor When more than 600 years of history is crammed into 6,000 seconds of breathless slapstick and satire, you have to expect quite a few shortcuts and sharp turns to get there! Cultural chaos and patriotic pandemonium erupt to hilarious heights in this lively romp through our nation’s celebrated and sometimes sordid past. The Great American Melting Pot runneth over with plenty of playful pokes and jaunty jabs at the “us” of the USA! Indeed, a country that knows how to laugh at itself is a happy one – wrinkles, warts and all! Join us for our season premiere and get ready for a raucous ride that would knock even Paul Revere out of his saddle! Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare An epic tale of pride and war, faith and betrayal, loyalty to family blood and to the romantic joy coursing within one’s own heart, these are the hallmarks of Shakespeare in one of his most revered plays, still captivating audiences around the world. No two names call to mind the swirling tides of love’s triumph and tragedy more profoundly than the immortal Romeo and Juliet. Parting may indeed be such sweet sorrow for these two bittersweet lovers, but theirs is a passion that shines in defiance of death itself. Silence By Moira Buffini Though shadowed by fears of the world’s end and the rage of a vengeful English king, Silence takes us on a laughably touching journey across medieval England with an unlikely troupe of companions inspired by actual historical figures. Ymma, a French princess, travels to meet Silence, a Viking prince to whom she has been arranged to marry but learns is but a child. The two forge a lasting bond, however, as they flee to protect their lives and a secret that, if revealed, would change the course of history. Buffini’s Silence challenges traditional expectations of gender, religion, poverty and politics, yet they’re presented with such well-crafted humor and sympathy that one could only be left refreshingly inspired long afterward. Man of La Mancha Book by Dale Wasserman; Lyrics by Joe Darion; Music by Mitch Leigh Dare to “dream the impossible dream” in this Tony Award-winning play-within-a play set during the Spanish Inquisition that has enchanted hearts for decades! Based on Cervantes’ 17th Century masterpiece, I, Don Quixote, we follow our would-be knight on his quest for virtue, justice and true love, until he ultimately stands against his greatest adversary—his own mind. Be drawn into this lyrical landscape where hope, laughter and romance unite into a thrilling tale like no other!