{"id":11397,"date":"2015-09-25T10:23:54","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T15:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=11397"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:08:04","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:08:04","slug":"seminar-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=11397","title":{"rendered":"PlayMakers presents hit Broadway comedy \u2018Seminar\u2019 starting Oct. 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PlayMakers-Seminar-Print\"<\/a>PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, continues its main-stage season with the scathingly funny comedy \u201cSeminar\u201d by Theresa Rebeck, Oct. 14-Nov. 1. Special events associated with the show begin Sept. 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeminar\u201d is a story of blood, sweat and tears in the writer\u2019s den. Four aspiring young writers ante up big bucks to learn from a legendary novelist, but their fiction and their egos will be unsparingly dissected before he\u2019s through. Ferociously fun and fast-paced with sparkling wordplay, \u201cSeminar\u201d takes no prisoners.<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Chronicle described the play as \u201cfuriously funny.\u201d USA Today called it \u201cconsistently clever and entertaining\u201d and The Hollywood Reporter said the \u201ctart comedy\u201d is \u201cwitty\u201d with \u201ca lip-smacking\u201d lead role in the character of Leonard.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/a>
Left to right: Schuyler Scott Mastain as Douglas, Allison Altman as Izzy, Ray Dooley as Leonard, Carey Cox as Kate and Myles Bullock as Martin in PlayMakers Repertory Company\u2019s production of \u201cSeminar.\u201d (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Longtime PlayMakers acting company member Ray Dooley will play Leonard, leading the no-holds-barred master class on power, sex and the nature of art. Dooley delighted audiences as Puck in last season\u2019s \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d and has appeared to acclaim as George in \u201cWho\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?\u201d and Salieri in \u201cAmadeus,\u201d among many other parts. His other \u201croles\u201d as professor in the department of dramatic art and head of the Professional Actor Training Program at UNC-Chapel Hill uniquely qualify him to play the mentor to young minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeminar\u201d was written by the prolific playwright, novelist and television veteran Theresa Rebeck. In addition to her work as writer\/producer for \u201cNYPD Blue\u201d and \u201cLaw & Order,\u201d she is known for creating NBC\u2019s \u201cSmash.\u201d The Hollywood Reporter said that \u201ctraining ground has given her a keen ear for snappy dialogue, and a firm hand at shaping character conflicts.\u201d The New York Times called Rebeck \u201ca canny craftswoman with a sensibility poised somewhere between that of Yasmina Reza<\/a> (queen of the quick, smart comedy) and Neil Simon<\/a> (the longest-reigning king of the New York-style one-liner).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ray<\/a>
Ray Dooley as Leonard in “Seminar.” (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Performances of \u201cSeminar\u201d will take place in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC\u2019s department of dramatic art on Country Club Rd. Show times will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays as well as Sunday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 31. Additionally, there will be a 2 p.m. performance on Sundays and on Saturday, Oct. 31. There are no performances Oct. 17 or Oct. 26.<\/p>\n

The production is directed by Helen Hayes Award-winner Michael Dove, artistic director of Forum Theatre in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n

In conjunction with \u201cSeminar,\u201d PlayMakers will host \u201cThe Vision Series-Directors in Conversation,\u201d a behind-the-scenes preview with Dove, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul Green Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Participants share coffee and hors d\u2019oeuvres provided by series sponsor Jujube Restaurant, learn about the vision for the show and get a sneak peek at the sets and costumes in progress. Reservations are appreciated. Call PlayMakers\u2019 box office at (919) 962-7529 to RSVP.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/a>
Left to right, Ray Dooley as Leonard and Myles Bullock as Martin in “Seminar.” (photo by Jon Gardiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other special events include:<\/p>\n