The Wind in the Willows
Thank you for your continued, invaluable support to the Strayer-Wood Theatre. Every year, we strive to bring to the Cedar Valley quality theatre experiences that are challenging, innovative, educational and entertaining for our audiences and our students.
The process of choosing shows for our main stage season begins in earnest each fall as directors, designers and students bring scripts they are interested in pursuing to the table for discussion. A wide variety of factors are considered as we read perhaps dozens of scripts before choosing a season. It is rarely an easy decision to choose four shows that best fit the needs, desires and resources of our department for the following year, but it is always an exciting one.
Last spring, we were very excited to offer a favorite of children’s literature, The Wind in the Willows, at the Strayer-Wood as part of our 2009-10 season. Richard Glockner, the director, found a beautifully written adaptation by Alan Bennett of the story for the stage, full of magic and wonder, suitable for the whole family. However, further research into available resources and recent economic developments have precipitated the re-examination of our ability to successfully produce this particular script while preserving the wonderment and excitement for everyone involved. After much discussion, we have decided to postpone our production of The Wind in the Willows to a future time so as to allow for the appropriate resources to be put in place to mount a truly stunning production for our audiences.
However, we are pleased to announce that we will be bringing another classic story to the Strayer-Wood stage, the story of Dracula. Before Twilight, True Blood and Interview with a Vampire, there was Dracula, the quintessential legendary creature of the night. Introduced to the world by Bram Stoker more than 100 year ago, the infamous vampire has been the subject of over 200 novels, films and plays. The Strayer-Wood Theatre will produce Ted Tiller’s adaptation, Count Dracula, a witty script full of mystery, suspense and spectacle.
If you have tickets to The Wind in the Willows and have not yet been contacted by the Strayer-Wood Theatre box office staff, please call us at 319-273-6381 or email strayer-wood@uni.edu. We hope that you are as excited about seeing Count Dracula as we are about producing it. However, if you do not wish to attend a performance, we are willing to offer credit toward the purchase of tickets for the 2010-11 season or a refund for the price of the Willows tickets.