WCU NEWS - WESTERN OPENS THEATRE SEASON WITH "BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS"

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WESTERN OPENS THEATRE SEASON
WITH “BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS”

Image: Kate, played by Jill Burfete, comforts her overworked husband Jack, played by Spencer Saunders, while their son Eugene, played by Anthony Giordano, reminds them that it has been a year since he has had new sneakers.
“Kate,” played by Jill Burfete, comforts her overworked husband “Jack,” played by Spencer Saunders, while their son “Eugene,” played by Anthony Giordano, reminds them that it has been a year since he has had new sneakers in Western Carolina University's production of “Brighton Beach Memoirs.”

The University Players of Western Carolina University present the Tony Award-winning play “Brighton Beach Memoirs” by Neil Simon as the 2006-2007 theatre season opens Wednesday, Sept. 27.

The play runs through Sunday, Oct. 1, in Hoey Auditorium on the campus at Western.

The story focuses on Eugene Jerome, a young Jewish teenager, who brings this coming-of-age comedy to life. The play centers on Eugene's experiences with internal struggles, such as dealing with his family and searching for his identity.

“We picked the play to open up our theater season because it's possibly Neil Simon's best work. It's a wonderful, semi-autobiographical story about a boy growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., during the late 1930s. It's funny, it's heart-warming and it's delightfully nostalgic,” said the play's director, Stephen Michael Ayers, associate professor of communication, theatre and dance at Western. “The play was selected for all of these reasons, plus the fact that I love it.”

Anthony Giordano plays the role of Eugene and Nick Belli takes on the role of Stanley, who is Eugene's older brother and idol. The cast includes Spencer Saunders, Jill Burfete, Ashly Goodwin, Anna Latanyshyn and Jennifer Walsh.

Show times for all evening performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, through Saturday, Sept. 30, and 2 p.m. for a matinee on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and WCU faculty and staff, and $5 for students.

Season tickets are still available. They cost $45 for adults, $30 for senior citizens and WCU faculty and staff, and $15 for students. Memberships to the Patron Club, which provides financial support to the University Players for various projects throughout the year, are available for the Actor ($250), Director ($500) and Producer ($1,000) levels. Members receive multiple season tickets along with other benefits, and contributions are tax deductible.

Other upcoming plays this year are “Children of a Lesser God,” “The Music Man” and “All in the Timing.”

To purchase tickets, visit the Fine and Performing Arts Center box office, call (828)-227-2479, check out http://wcutheatre.ticketsxchange.com online, or buy them at the door.

Maintained by the WCU Office of Public Relations
Last modified: Monday, September 18, 2006
Copyright 2006 by Western Carolina University

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