Musical Adaptation of James Joyce's Classic Story "The Dead" Examines Life, Identity and Mortality

Emmy-Winning UM Faculty Member Scot Reese Directs Production Oct. 16-24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:Andrew Zender, azender@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151

September 30 – College Park, Md. – The UM Department of Theatre opens its 2009-2010 season with a presentation of the Richard Nelson-Shaun Davey Broadway musical “James Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” The production, based upon James Joyce's short story of the same name, will run at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Ina and Jack Kay Theatre Friday – Saturday, Oct. 16 – Oct. 24, 2009 (showtimes listed below).

Directed by Emmy-winning Department of Theatre faculty member Scot Reese, “The Dead” brings to life the final story in Joyce’s short story collection Dubliners, which relates the tale of Irishman Gabriel Conroy as he nostalgically explores the meaning of his life and identity at a holiday party hosted by his two aunts. Described as the “rich evocation of a single consciousness” by drama critic Christopher Isherwood, “The Dead” channels the overall theme of mortality as Conroy realizes that the lives of the people at the party, including his own, are fading fast.

Providing a unique local connection with Joyce’s native Ireland is UM Department of Theatre student Valerie Jonkoff, who plays the role of Aunt Julia in the production. Ms. Jonkoff recently had the opportunity to study in Ireland over the summer, and her time there included a workshop with actress Anjelica Huston, who starred in the 1987 film version of “The Dead.”

Director Scot Reese describes “The Dead” as one of Joyce's best-known and most beloved stories and says that when he learned it had been adapted for stage as a musical – one of his specialties – it was irresistible. “We had to do it,” he says. “And since so many students in college study this work,” he adds, “it's going to be wonderful to see student reaction as well as the reaction of professors who teach it.”

The cast includes Andrew Blau as Gabriel Conroy; Tracy Haupt as Garbiel’s wife Gretta; Alyson Tucker Parker as Aunt Kate Morkan; Valerie Jonkoff as Aunt Julia Morkan; and Sherry Benedek as Mary Jane Morkan.

Showtimes of “James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’” include:
- Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18 at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m.

To learn more about “The Dead,” please visit the Engagement Page on the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s website at http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/engage09/e09-thedead.

Tickets are $26 for the general public and $9 for full-time students with I.D. Tickets are available by visiting www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787). The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is located at the intersection of University Boulevard (Route 193) and Stadium Drive in College Park, on the campus of the University of Maryland. A parking garage is located across the street from the Center.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Additional support is generously provided by a grant from the Leading College and University Presenters Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and by a generous grant from The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.