Student plays run gamut from Miller to Shakespeare

Stage productions opening on college and university campuses this week range from Shakespearean and Greek classics to contemporary works by Arthur Miller and Beth Henley.

TWELFTH NIGHT, Shakespeare's comedy about twins separated at birth by a shipwreck who discover each other years later, but not without zany love triangles and mistaken identities, is being staged by Brigham Young University's Young Company.

Shakespearean expert Christopher Clark, a doctoral candidate at BYU and assistant professor of theater at Utah Valley State College, is directing the comedy and is playing Sebastian (a role shares with Ben Phelan).

The production is geared toward younger audiences with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday-Friday of this week and Oct. 3-7 the following week, all in BYU's Nelke Theatre in the Harris Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $5 for selected performances, $10 for adults on other nights and $6 (weeknights) and $7 (weekends) for those with a valid BYU or student activity card (422-7664).

ALL MY SONS, Arthur Miller's 1947 drama about a small-town manufacturer whose defective airplane parts cause the deaths of 21 combat pilots during World War II — maybe even his own son — will play Thursday through Oct. 7 in the Caine Lyric Theatre, 28 W. Center, Logan.

The Utah State University production is being directed by Kevin Doyle. It's about an American dream that turns into a nightmare.

Performances are Thursday-Saturday this week and Wednesday-Saturday the following week, all at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $6 to $9 (435-797-1500). USU students are admitted free with a valid activity card, but tickets are still required.

BLACK BOY, actor Charles Holt's staged reading of his own adaptation of Richard Wright's autobiographical novel, will be presented on Monday, 1 p.m., in the Hayes Christensen Theatre of the University of Utah's Marriott Center for Dance.

The free performance is part of the Social Justice Lecture Series, sponsored by the College of Social Work.

Taken verbatim from Wright's 1944 novel dramatizing the author's upbringing in the Jim Crow South, it addresses issues of race, faith, family, civil rights and violence. Following the one-hour performance, there will be an open discussion on the issues spotlighted.

GREEK DRAMA, showcasing works by Euripedes and Aristophanes, are featured on two Wasatch Front campuses this week.