Theatre at Grand Valley brings "Sex and the Supernatural" to stage

Justin Mackey as Lou, and Maggie Bickerstaff as Alice, rehearse a scene from Grand Valley�'s production of �Sex and the Supernatural.�
Justin Mackey as Lou, and Maggie Bickerstaff as Alice, rehearse a scene from Grand Valley's production of Sex and the Supernatural.

Six new short plays by North American authors will be performed in, “Sex and the Supernatural,” the season finale at Grand Valley State University. A wide variety of romantic relationships play out against the backdrops of the Garden of Eden, cemeteries and zombies, magic and New Agers and fortune tellers.

Theatre at Grand Valley presents ‘Sex and the Supernatural’
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
Performances at 7:30 p.m. March 28-29 and April 1-4
Matinee performances at 2 p.m. March 30 and April 5


Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, faculty, staff, and alumni, and $6 for all students and groups of 10 or more. Call the GVSU Louis Armstrong Theatre box office at (616) 331-2300.

Each of the plays are a brief 10-15-minute performance, with the entire show lasting about 90 minutes. Director Roger Ellis, professor of theater, has published more than a dozen books that focus on theater scenes for performance. For the past three years he has researched contemporary plays dealing with spirituality and supernatural experience, including nearly 40 play excerpts published in his most recent book, Scenes and Monologues of Spiritual Experience From the Best Contemporary Plays.

Ellis said the six different plays in the stage performance, intended for mature audiences, provide a light but serious focus on romance and sexuality within a spiritual context. For example, “What She Found There,” follows the familiar character of Alice in Wonderland as she steps through the looking glass and becomes trapped in the 21st century, where she discovers men.

“What interests me in all these plays is the fact that so many contemporary writers are bringing religion and the supernatural into their work for contemporary audiences,” said Ellis. “It is part of a long-standing artistic tradition in many cultures that began with the ancient Greek dramas and continues today.”

For more information visit www.gvsu.edu/theatre.


 

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