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(University of Texas theatres, Winship Drama Bldg. (WIN), near 23rd St. and San Jacinto, Austin)
presents
Staged Reading of Mother Hicks by Suzan Zeder
February 9 at 2:30 p.m. at the B. Iden Payne Theatre
Audience members are invited to a reading of Mother Hicks, the first play of Suzan Zeder’s cherished Ware trilogy. Set against the stark backdrop of the Great Depression in Ware, Illinois, Mother Hicks introduces the audience to three outsiders: a deaf young man, Tuc; a foundling child, known only as Girl and a mysterious recluse, Mother Hicks, who the townspeople suspect of being a witch.
Staged Reading of The Taste of Sunrise by Suzan Zeder
February 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the B. Iden Payne Theatre
Set in the roaring twenties, The Taste of Sunrise tells of the night Tuc, the beloved leading character from Mother Hicks, loses his hearing. Follow him through his experiences at the School for the Deaf and his return to his hometown of Ware, Illinois.
* These abbreviated readings are free and open to the public.
Completing the Trilogy: Suzan Zeder's "The Edge of Peace"
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents the world premiere of Suzan Zeder’s The Edge of Peace, February 1 – 10 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre (click for additional information at www.AustinLiveTheatre.com). Set in the last days of World War II, a young soldier from a small Illinois town has been declared missing in action. Buddy, the soldier’s little brother, refuses to believe what seems inevitable. Told through the visual poetry of sign language, the town's deaf postman shares the story of one community struggling to make sense of a world at war.
For playwright and UT professor Suzan Zeder, The Edge of Peace is about home and the challenges of leaving home, coming home, and staying home when the danger and adventure of the world is far away. Her cast of compelling characters, including “Tuc,” played by Chicago-based deaf actor Robert Schleifer, and “Nell Hicks,” played by veteran actress and UT professor Franchelle Dorn, takes the audience on a touching journey of loss, hope, and healing.
Zeder has been recognized nationally and internationally as one of the nation’s leading playwrights for audiences of all ages. Her plays have been performed in all fifty states, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Australia, Germany, Israel, Ireland, and New Zealand. She is the three-time winner of the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance of Theatre and Education.
The final play of Zeder’s acclaimed trilogy (Mother Hicks, The Taste of Sunrise), The Edge of Peace is produced in partnership with nationally acclaimed Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT). Director Linda Hartzell (artistic director of SCT) describes Zeder’s masterpiece as a “a drama, mystery and adventure rolled into one. Audiences will fall in love with these characters and their stories. The play really demonstrates the interdependence of community members during times of crisis.”
ASL interpreted performances of The Edge of Peace are on February 3 at 2:00 p.m. and February 9 at 8:00 p.m. To arrange seating for an ASL interpreted performance, patrons should contact the Department of Theatre and Dance in advance at 512-232-5301.
Learn more the play and buy your tickets today!
(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)
Anouncing The Filaments: Sparked by Suzan Zeder
December 07, 2012
by Isaac Gomez, PR and Marketing Chair, 2013 Festival, and Cassidy Browning, Engaging Research
The Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-Op March 25 - 29 at the University of Texas in Austin is proud to announce the creation of a new series within the Festival: The Filaments: Sparked by Suzan Zeder. The Filaments is an expansion on the Reading Room from the 2011 Festival – which offered a space for three project submissions to hold staged readings.
Our Committee-at-Large recommended projects for this series during Festival selection and then voted to select six projects for the 2013 Filament series.
The exciting lineup includes:
Cancun
Project Lead: Raymundo Delgadillo
Cancun is a multimedia performance addressing American stereotypes of Mexico and the lack of knowledge about American involvement in the Mexican drug war.
Creative Skin
Project Lead: Courtney Mazeika
Creative Skin provides an inside look at creative processes that choreographers navigate while focusing on the blazing flashes of inspiration, the struggles of insecurity, and the willingness to expose one’s vulnerabilities. Using dance, text, media, and music this project guides the audience through an accumulative performance that exposes a choreographer’s journey.
Danseur Drama
Project Lead: Mark-Anthony Zuniga
Danseur Drama is the story about 28 year-old Kavin who is convinced by friends to try ballet to help him get over his ex-boyfriend. Unexpectedly, ballet will ultimately test friendships, define family, and promote healing. The format is a play, but each scene will demonstrate a ballet term, which also represents the underlying theme.
Believe You Me: Interpreting Media
Project Lead: Daniel Berkowitz
How do you see yourself? Believe You Me is an interactive installation which explores the relationship between humans and media through the use of video, live performance and an alien invasion. We invite you to log off, cancel your subscriptions and come as you are.
Safe
Project Lead: Kenny Chilton
What does safety really mean? The actors explore safety versus security through the citizens of the Safehouse.
War Games
Project Leads: Meg Greene and Lindsay Hearn
War Games is a play for family audiences that explores the story of Jonah, a young boy whose father is deployed in Afghanistan. Jonah and his family work to navigate the harsh emotional realities of war and discover a language that they can all understand.
ABOUT SUZAN ZEDAR
by Kirk Lynn, Producer
Suzan Zeder is the wild heart and true spirit behind every Cohen New Works Festival to date at the University of Texas. Suzan has carried the Festival through several growing pains toward the mature beast it is today. [ . . .] Zeder is one of the nation’s leading playwrights of plays for young and family audiences. Her work has been seen in all fifty states and has been produced and published in Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Japan, Israel, and Switzerland. Step On A Crack, Wiley And The Hairy Man, In A Room Somewhere, and The Death And Life Of Sherlock Holmes are regularly performed by professional and university theatres throughout the country. Doors and Mother Hicks were produced at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which also co-commissioned Do Not Go Gentle.
Suzan Zeder is a four-time winner of the Distinguished Play Award given by the American Alliance of Theatre and Education. She is also a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at The University of Texas and The College of Fellows of the American Theatre in Washington, D.C. Suzan Zeder is the first holder of an endowed chair in Theatre For Youth/Playwriting at the University of Texas.
