PlayMakers’ ‘Angels in America’ a ‘must-see’

PlayMakers Repertory Company’s “Angels in America” premiered last week at Paul Green Theatre. Staff writer Colin Warren-Hicks gave part one, “Millenium Approaches,” 3 and a half stars, and part two, “Perestroika,” four and a half stars. FEB 8

PlayMakers' "Fences" is poignant, memorable

The power of PlayMakers Repertory Company’s production of August Wilson’s “Fences” is its biting realism. Director Seret Scott’s cast portrays a socially segregated 1950s Pittsburgh, where living between paydays wears away at old dreams and diminishes the promise of a hopeful future. NOV 2

Security guard shares skill with University

Fred Moore is a popular man on the UNC campus, but few know his last name. Moore has been a security guard for many of the University’s athletic facilities, but has gained a reputation as an amateur cartoonist. OCT 29

Thomas Wolfe prize to go to Southern author Lee Smith

Today, Lee Smith’s relationship with Wolfe comes full circle as she accepts the 2010 Thomas Wolfe Prize. Smith was selected for her plentiful contributions to contemporary literature, members of the creative writing program said. OCT 8

Theater review: 'As You Like It'

In this play, a classic Shakespearean comedy of banished brothers, forlorn lovers and mistaken identity, the plot waits off in the wings as characters engage in complex battles of verbal wit. SEP 28

Playmakers Repertory Company’s As You Like It reviewed as pleasing despite a slow start

SEP 27

PlayMaker's presentation of "As You Like It" experiments with setting and music

One of Shakespeare’s comedies, “As You Like It” is about love. Couples are paired, warring brothers make amends and melancholy shepherds find smiles. But PlayMakers Repertory Company is aiming to investigate themes aside from lovesick hearts. SEP 23

Theatre Review: Happy Days

PlayMakers Repertory Company opens its season in the middle of nowhere. Though the character Winnie — played by company regular Julie Fishell — often let fly the joyous declaration that “it is going to be a happy day,” but the opening night audience did not concur. SEP 10

Theatre Review: 'Mi Vida Loca'

Deep Dish Theater Company has opened their 10th anniversary season with tequila and painkillers. “Mi Vida Loca,” written by prominent television writer Eric Overmyer and directed by Paul Frellick, is a family drama centered around one patriarch’s struggle to detox from a 20-year opiate addiction. Overmyer’s script has the audience laughing at life’s sad moments and caring for his characters’ alcohol-soaked flaws. SEP 8

UNC alum and professor stages original play

Actor, director and writer Mike Wiley is a one-man staging, singing and dancing tour de force. SEP 2

UNC grads return to stage

European gallivanting. AUG 23

PlayMakers' new season includes first musical in a decade

For its 35th anniversary season, PlayMakers Repertory Company has laid out an artistically ambitious challenge, including its first musical in more than a decade. “The season serves as a new point of programming,” said Jeffrey Meanza, the company’s director of education and outreach. AUG 23

Outdoor drama institute to go East

Each summer, cannons sound, swords clash and actors spout rapturous monologues as North Carolina outdoor theaters host more than 153,000 spectators annually. The trend of American outdoor theater originated in North Carolina, where renowned UNC alumnus Paul Green wrote “The Lost Colony” — the nation’s oldest outdoor drama — in 1937. JUL 21

Playmakers Theatre to reopen

After lying dormant for four years awaiting interior renovations, Historic Playmakers Theatre is filled with drills and sawdust. Carolina Performing Arts is working to make the National Historic Landmark usable by mid- to late-fall 2010. AUG 23

Raleigh recognizes 6 for arts achievements

Six North Carolina artists, each representing a unique discipline, have been chosen to receive Raleigh’s highest arts honor for their contributions to the Triangle. The City of Raleigh Arts Commission announced the winners of its 2010 Medal of Arts on Thursday: costume designer William Ivey Long, arts administrator Banks C. JUL 14

UNC poll shows support for higher cigarette tax

North Carolinians want more taxes. At least on cigarettes. At 45 cents to the pack, the State of North Carolina has one of the lowest tax rates on cigarettes in the country. However, a poll conducted by UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health has shown that nearly 50 percent of those surveyed back raising the state’s cigarette tax to the national average of $1.34 per pack. Of the 700 randomly surveyed N.C. JUL 8

Theatre Review: ...a young lady from Rwanda

Playmakers Repertory Company squeezes exploding emotion and brutal life experiences into a compact production of “I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me By a Young Lady From Rwanda.”

A strong Rwandan refugee and blundering British writer’s bleak and polar opposite worlds clash and ultimately are uplifted by friendship and a mutual passion for writing.

In this love story without kissing, actors Joy Jones and Garth Petal portray the characters of Juliette and Simon with palpable chemistry.
MAR 25

New York Times best-selling author Lee Smith shares stories, laughter from book

Correction, 7:15 p.m. March 24: Due to reporting errors, this story misquoted author Lee Smith. The quote has been removed from the story. The story also incorrectly said that Smith's older stories had not been featured in her previously published collections. Some of the works were included in previously published collections. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.

Theatre Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

PlayMakers Repertory Company struck the proper matches to ignite Oscar Wilde’s wit ablaze in its production of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

The jovial acting, which left the audience charmed, was lovely, but the production’s set was beautiful.

Without a sprinkle of dust, the innards of a Victorian townhouse were littered with highbrow detail. A surplus of polished wood, unruffled cushions, caged birds and tasseled carpets produced a burgundy-tinted, exquisite image.

UNC professor’s play makes it Off-Broadway

Make it on Tobacco Road and you can make it anywhere.

UNC communication studies professor Paul Ferguson and his “Good Ol’ Girls” finally have a taste of those blinding Manhattan lights.
MAR 4

"Parchman Hour" packs a punch, tackles difficult topics

The Department of Dramatic Art, presenting local playwright Mike Wiley’s new play, “The Parchman Hour,” brings a powerful thought sometimes flawed message to the Paul Green Theatre this weekend.

"Playing for Time" a lengthy, laborious effort

The Department for Dramatic Art’s first play of the season, an unusual adaptation of Arthur Miller’s “Playing for Time,” leaves much to be desired.