Speech & Debate Brings Emotion and Comedy to SUU
Published: February 21, 2019 | Read Time: 3 minutes
SUU’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance will present Speech & Debate on February 27 and March 1, 2, 7, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. and March 9, 2019 at 2 p.m. in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for alumni with card, and $5 for youth. SUU faculty, staff, and students can get in free with a valid ID card. Tickets can be purchased at the America First Event Center Box Office, at the door the night of the performance, or online at www.suu.edu/pva. Please be advised that this production contains mature content and strong language.
Megan Bishop, a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts Classical Acting major, shares, “This is a poignant show with incredibly relevant, taboo, and emotionally heavy subject matter. It’s also by far one of the most hilarious plays I’ve ever read. Finding the balance between these two has certainly been a hurdle, but I think we’ve found the sweet spot! When people ask how rehearsals are going, I usually tell them they end in tears - sometimes from laughter, sometimes from sympathy and pain. There are some pretty extreme highs and lows, and it took time to find both.”
Speech & Debate, written by Stephen Karam, is based around three high school students who are each involved in a scandalous situation involving men of power who hide their homosexual tendencies.
Bishop goes on to say, “People can all relate to something from Speech & Debate and its delightful characters. We understand Howie’s insecurities and desire to keep under the radar. We feel for Solomon and his struggle to express himself and accept who he is. We laugh along with Diwata and her ability to speak her mind and keep things light. We all have an adult in our lives (like my characters the teacher and the reporter Jan Clark) that would rather leave things unsaid. In a conservative community, we all need to learn more about the world around us and the people in it. When we understand, we sympathize. And when we sympathize, we can make the world a better place to live in.”
Feel the battle of emotion as you experience Speech & Debate. For more information about the Theatre Arts program at SUU, please visit www.suu.edu/pva/ta.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 26 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM) degrees in art, design, dance, music and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring nearly 700 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Tags: College of Performing and Visual Arts
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