MTSU Theatre presents ‘American Tall Tales’
“This show promises to take us on an incredible journey with the characters we all know and love,” said Jeff Gibson, assistant professor of speech and literature, regarding the upcoming production. “It will be visually exciting and full of intense energy and excitement.”
With our country’s favorite characters of folklore as its foundation, “American Tall Tales” will introduce audience members to rich American heritage using stories that grew out of the struggles of the working class.
“The original work,” Gibson added, “addresses the needs of young people while entertaining and educating them.”
The heritage-inspired play, which is now set to travel beyond the United States, was conceived and developed during the 2003 fall semester in a course taught by Dr. Jette Halladay, professor of speech and theatre.
Halladay said that students in her creative drama course researched tall tale characters and wrote an original script about those characters. The creative process will continue this spring with a week of performances of “American Tall Tales” on the MTSU stage for local school children and the community at large.
Moreover, she added, that process, so rooted in the American folklore, will ultimately take them around the world, thanks to the fact that the show has been invited to perform at youth theater festivals in Finland, Russia and Latvia in May 2004.
“The project provides a wonderful educational opportunity for the students, Halladay observed. “During the international tour, MTSU students will teach youth from various countries through workshops and performance. The students will be taught by theater professionals from the countries presented at the festivals. They will also have the chance to learn about the people and cultures of the countries being visited.”
Additionally, she noted, this project offers many “firsts” for the MTSU community.
“It will offer the first publication of a collaborative play from MTSU students and faculty. It will be the first international tour of an MTSU Theatre production and it will be the first U.S. production many of the foreign audiences will have seen. And, for many of our students, it will be their first time traveling abroad.”
Advanced tickets by the Feb. 27 and 28 evening performances may be purchased by calling the University Ticket Office at 615-898-2103 or by visiting the ticket office located at Floyd Stadium, Gate 1A, on the MTSU campus. Tickets will also be available at the door on performance dates.
Tickets are $8 general admission and $6 for MTSU employees and senior citizens. Admission for K-12 students is $4 per person and MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid MTSU ID. Proceeds from the tall tale performances will help support student travel for the international tour.
Limited space is available for those interested in reserving space for a school group at the morning matinees. For school group matinees, please call Gibson at 615-898-5816.