UNIVERSITY NEWS - OCTOBER 2003

MEDIA CONTACT: Stacia Smith
561-297-2971 or ssmith@fau.edu

Photos available.

FAU's Theatre Presentation of "Ubu Roi" Takes Satirical Look at Greed and Tyranny

BOCA RATON, FL (Sept. 24, 2003) - The new School of the Arts in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University presents Alfred Jarry's play "Ubu Roi," a parody of greed and materialism from Friday, October 3 through Sunday, October 12. The play takes place in the Studio One Theatre on FAU's Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. Shows run October 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. and October 5 and 12 at 2 p.m. Individual tickets may be purchased for $15, with group discounts available. FAU faculty and staff may purchase a ticket for $10 with ID and FAU students may receive tickets for free with ID.

"Ubu Roi," which was written in the late 19th century, is the farcical tale of Pére Ubu, an officer serving the king of Poland, who is egged on by his wife to murder the royal family. He then becomes the king of Poland and establishes a reign of terror before being defeated by the Tsar of Russia and forced into exile in France.

The play created a scandal when it was first performed in Paris in 1896. The presentation of the grotesque figure of Ubu, the play's foul language and off-color humor offended many of the patrons. For today's audience, the humor created by Alfred Jarry in "Ubu Roi" is still relevant.

"One of our primary goals with this production is to have fun," said Richard Gamble, professor of theatre and director of "Ubu Roi." "We want to create a fascinating and interesting enough example of theatre art to entice FAU students and the community to come participate in our adventure."
- more -

Ubu Roi
Page 2 . . .

Since the play is dedicated to the issues of materialism, greed and human waste, all production elements were drawn from and, as much as possible, limited to garbage or throw away objects of no value. Musical instruments, sound, lighting devices and equipment were constructed by the cast during the rehearsal process.

This performance is presented by the School of the Arts' Department of Theatre in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters at Florida Atlantic University.

Tickets are available by calling 561-297-3737, or at the theatre two hours prior to performance. For more information about the play, call 561-297-3810. For more information on other School of the Arts events, call Arts Update at 561-297-2977 or visit www.fau.edu/artsupdate.
- FAU -