URBANA, Ohio (April 10, 2008) — After decades of learning to think outside the box, audiences will be invited to think inside the box by the Urbana University Players presenting four one-act plays about boxes April 18-20.
The production also will be the debut of a recently transformed black box theater in the Hub, a former snack bar on the west side of the Urbana University campus. The series of one-act plays offer both a funny and mysterious chance to perceive boxes.
There is no charge for admission and seating is on a first come, first served basis for the performances. Curtain times are at 8 p.m. April 18 and 19 (Friday-Saturday) and the 2 p.m. Sunday, April 20. The house will open 30 minutes before curtain times.
"The Big Black Box" by Cleve Haubold tells the tale of Ashley Arnold, portrayed by Torri Blanchard, and pits her opposite a mischievous box, portrayed by Eric W. Miller. The play offers a blend of humor with a touch of darkness as Ashley contemplates what she stands to lose by looking inside the box.
"The Noodle Doodle Box" revolves around two clowns, played by Carly Joseph and Annie Shaw, who live inside a pair of boxes. They like to play tricks on each other until one day a drum major (Josh Cain) tricks both of them. The one-act, written by the German playwright Paul Marr and translated by Anita and Alex Page, is full of humor.
Edward Albee's "The Sandbox" is a more serious play containing elements of absurdist wit. As a married couple, played by Noel Amend and Josh Cain, contemplate how to care for her aged mother (Katie Sutherly), they make an unusual journey to the beach where they encounter a mysterious young man (Ben Miller) who holds the answer to one of life’s questions.
"The Dumb Waiter," by English playwright Harold Pinter, features humorous dialogue between two hit-men, portrayed by Bryan Burrell and Ryan Hunt, waiting for their next set of instructions in a basement kitchen of a restaurant. The tension mounts after the assassins discover a dumb waiter, a box in the wall designed to transport food between floors, which instead delivers messages from a mysterious source.
Theater professor Margaret Piatt is directing the four plays.
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