“Stop Kiss” starts season

The 2005-2006 GC&SU theatre season kicks off September 28 with the premiere of “Stop Kiss,” which will run until October 1.

“Stop Kiss,” by Diana Son, is a story about two young women in present-day New York whose tentative first kiss provokes a brutal act of violence.

“It’s a beautiful story about two people who learn to care for each other,” said Kathleen McGeever, head of the theater department.

McGeever hopes its controversial subject matter will open the minds of the GC&SU community.

“In this world, we are so quick to close our minds and not talk about things,” McGeever said. “We want people to open their minds and think. That, to me, is what a liberal arts education is all about.”

To encourage discussion, the department is surrounding the opening of “Stop Kiss” with events ranging from symposiums on women’s health issues and hate crimes to talk-backs after each performance.

“I think it’s really good that we’re doing this show,” said “Stop Kiss” properties master Brian Jones, a junior theater major.

The show scheduled after “Stop Kiss” is “Travesties,” a darkly comic piece by Tom Stoppard. Often described as the most unlikely group of people to appear in the same play, “Travesties” contains characters such as Irish novelist James Joyce, revolutionary Lenin and founder of the Dada movement Tristan Tzara. The end result is a mixture of historical fact with literary fiction and half-truths.

The next show is “The Spitfire Grill. ” This musical is the story of Percy, a woman who is released into the small town of Gilead after serving time in prison for manslaughter.

“It’s a story of redemption,” McGeever said. “It’s uplifting. But you have to go through some trial and tribulation to get there.”

It is also a story told by song.

“The music is fabulous,” McGeever said. “You can hum along with it.”

Rounding out the season is “The Return to Morality,” a political satire that will be completely run by students. McGeever describes it as “funny and poignant.”

The theater department will also feature guest artists Doug Berry and Shishir Kurup. In addition to performances, the guests will conduct workshops, receptions and talk-backs.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 16 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry