The 2021-2022 Mainstage Season Series at William Woods University (WWU) returns this week with the third production of the academic year, the absurdist comedy “The Bald Soprano.” This week’s stage play, which features action and dialogue that seem to serve no real purpose in the classic absurdist tradition, will begin with the opening performance on Thursday, February 24, at Dulany Auditorium on the WWU campus.
After a full academic year in 2020-2021 of stage productions with limited audiences due to health guidelines associated with COVID-19, attendance to this year’s stage plays is now once again open to all members of the general public as well as the WWU campus community. All attendees are asked to wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status.
Written by Eugene Ionesco, “The Bald Soprano” is known in theatre history as the seminal absurdist anti-play. The play outlines the meaning of absurdism, as absurdists define the universe as irrational and meaningless while the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe. In the production, the main characters, a traditional couple in London known as the Smiths, invite another couple, the Martins, over for a visit. They are joined later by the Smith’s maid, Mary, and the local fire chief, who is also Mary’s lover. The two families engage in meaningless banter, telling stories and relating non-sensical poems, before the play devolves into a series of complete non-sequiturs with no resemblance to normal conversation.
Performances for The Bald Soprano, for which parental guidance is suggested, will take place February 24 – 26 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee showing on Saturday, February 26 at 2 p.m., all in Dulany Auditorium. Tickets for the production ($8) must be purchased using a credit or debit card at https://www.showtix4u.com. Attendees must have their purchased ticket pulled up on their phone for admittance into the theatre. All seating is now in a general admission format. The final production for the 2021-2022 academic year will be “The Trojan Women,” April 21-23, 2022.
