SUU Theatre Presents You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

Published: November 21, 2022 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 4 minutes

Charlie Brown's chevron shirt.

Southern Utah University’s Department of Theatre, Dance, & Arts Administration is excited to announce their production of the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, based on the beloved comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz. The show will run December 2, 3, 5, 8, & 9 at 7:30 p.m. with matinee performances on December 3 & 10 at 2:00 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

Peanuts has been an American favorite and classic since the comic strip’s 1950 debut, and in the intervening 72 years, its stories have been adapted in many ways, from the silver screen to the stage. SUU’s production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is directed by Dr. Scott C. Knowles, Associate Professor of Theatre History, and focuses on a central Peanuts theme: what it means to grow up.

Dr. Knowles notes, “What does it mean to fall in love? What does it mean to find success, or more commonly, what does it mean to fail? How do we fail, and how do we improve?” He continues, “All of these lessons provided by each Peanuts comic strip, connect us back to the idea of learning to be a person on this big, blue marble–the pitfalls, the triumphs, the challenges, the joys, and the devastating embarrassment alongside the true camaraderie and friendship.”Dr. Scott C. Knowles

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown follows beloved characters in a series of vignettes that illustrate these big questions. Lucy longs for Schroeder, Snoopy daydreams, Linus tries to knock his thumb-sucking habit, and Charlie Brown even fails to woo The Little Red-Headed Girl by saying the wrong thing. With book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gesner, additional dialogue by Michael Mayer, and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, these stories are punctuated with heartfelt and memorable songs that the whole family will enjoy. 

Following the evening show on December 9th, audiences will be able to participate in a live Ask Lucy seminar as Ashley Aquino, who plays Lucy, answers audience questions with the help of the rest of the cast. If you would like to ask Lucy a question, please visit https://go.suu.edu/AskLucy. Don’t worry, Lucy’s normal 5¢ psychiatric fee is waived.

You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown has been a popular show to put on in various settings from Off-Broadway and community theatre to high schools, but SUU’s production comes from a different perspective. “I have never seen this play produced, which is a sort of rare and strange accident,” says Dr. Knowles. “This means that our production comes from a place of novelty and excitement for new material. I’ve loved Peanuts my whole life and empathize so much with our young hero as he finds happiness in all the difficulties and trials that life sometimes brings. The show is hilarious, but it also has an important message of resilience through community and friendship that our production works to highlight.”

Audience members who wish to take part in this message of resilience through community and friendship are invited to donate canned goods and non-perishable food items that will go to benefit Iron County Care & Share. Those who donate will receive $2 off their ticket price. At the latter end of the show’s run, audiences will also have the opportunity to take in the beautiful sights of the Department of Theatre, Dance, & Arts Administration’s Ninth Annual Festival of Trees in the lobby of the Randall L. Jones Theatre and participate in the silent auction that will also benefit Iron County Care & Share. For more information about the Ninth Annual Festival of Trees, visit www.cedarfestivaloftrees.com or contact Brian Swanson at swanson@suu.edu or (435) 865-8674.

As the Peanuts would say, only a blockhead would miss SUU’s production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for alumni with card, and $7 for youth, and audience members are given $2 off per ticket with the donation of a canned good to support the Iron County Care & Share. SUU students, faculty, and staff can attend for free with a valid ID card. Tickets can be purchased at the Utah Shakespeare Festival Box Office up to an hour before each performance, over the phone at (435) 856-7878, or online by following the instructions at www.suu.edu/pva/ta/current-season.html.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com.

Festival of Trees village diorama

About the College of Performing and Visual Arts

The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, 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 over 900 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), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.


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