“You’re sitting so close to the stage that every row seems like the first. So close that the actors’ pre-show butterflies flitter right past you. As the lights dim, your heart does a skip, and then you’re whisked from the darkness into the very bloodstream of the play. By the end of it all, you’ve gotten so close to this very different, real world that you actually lived in it. And you realize that having seen all this intimate newness, you’ve seen a new part of yourself as well. Welcome to Soul at Play ?”

— From the preview program of Madison Repertory Theatre

“Soul at Play” is the theme of the Madison Repertory Theater’s 2002-2003 season, and it embodies the imagination and theatrical magic that the Rep’s actors and directors have been giving audiences for years. The Rep, currently the only professional theater company in the Madison area, guarantees to make this scene a reality this season. The Madison Repertory Theatre’s image and outlook, with the help of its student ambassadors and its new artistic director, Richard Corley, is as promising as ever.

The Rep seems to keep increasing its success with two already successful productions this season. The summer’s run of Roger Bean’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” directed by Bean himself, was a musical extravaganza of the ’50s and ’60s. And the fall opener, “Proof,” the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by David Auburn and directed by Anne-Marie Cammarato, was a complete success, drawing large crowds and great reviews. The remainder of the lineup is sure to keep up.

Next this season is “Blithe Spirit,” a show that had an incredible run in London at the time of its debut and was written by a “master of high-class British wit,” Noel Coward. Rep stage actor Diane Robinson, makes her Rep directorial debut with this production, which takes place during the Second World War in London. Charles Condomine, a high-society British novelist, holds a séance to research for a new book. The eccentric spiritual advisor he hires summons the ghost of his wife, and the comic occurrences that follow lead his current wife to believe Charles has gone mad. Cat fights and chaos ensue as these two women, one living and one dead, duke it out for their husband.

This fast, witty and sharp comedy was written originally as a contribution to the war effort in World War II and marks the role of comedy in times of political unrest. Blithe Spirit opens Oct. 25, just in time for Halloween, and runs through Nov. 17.

Winter is warmed with the revival of the Rep’s rendition of the cult musical favorite “Guys on Ice,” performed again this year at the UW Mitchell Theatre. This is the story of two ice fishers, Lloyd and Marvin, and their experiences with life, love and the girl that got away, as they sing about fishing, beer and the Packers. According to public relations manager Heather Stickeler, “This show is very Wisconsin-y, very charming and filled with sing-along songs and audience involvement. You won’t believe that you would tear up to an ice fisher’s ballad about his fish. But you will!”

This show performed to sell-out crowds all last season, and this season should be no different. Get your tickets for this lovable comedy, and get them soon. “Guys on Ice” opens Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 29.

Coming home from winter break will give rise to yet another cutting-edge drama, “Lobby Hero,” written by hot new playwright Kenneth Lonergan, who has also written screenplays for the films “You Can Count On Me” and the upcoming “Gangs of New York,” with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Rep’s production, directed by C. Michael Wright, tells the story of a lovable loser lobby attendant in Manhattan who gets caught up in a moral dilemma among people in his building. The choices he makes will define his life.

This play has sharp and contemporary dialogue, something the playwright takes seriously; he has been called “one of the most distinctive and intriguing young voices in America.” Lobby Hero runs Jan. 3-26.

Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project bring a moving and hopeful theater experience to the stage in “The Laramie Project.” Directed here by J.R. Sullivan, “The Laramie Project” is the theatrical collage of real interviews and experiences surrounding the community shattered by the fatal beating of 21-year-old gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

This play is not about death but rather how a community recovered after the incredible mass-media frenzy that surrounded the murder. Powerful and encouraging, compassionate and hopeful, this play “contains no scenes, only moments in time,” according to Stickeler. “The Laramie Project” runs March 7-30, with community outreach in the works.
The Madison Repertory Theatre’s new artistic director, Richard Corley, will direct the undecided last show of the season. According to Stickeler, “The final show will be a sneak peak of what is to come in the next seasons and will tie everything that happened this season together at the end.” This show, still to be announced, will run April 11 through May 4.
With this incredible lineup and new plans to intrigue UW students to come to shows, including half-price student tickets at the box office, the Madison Repertory Theatre hopes for a successful season with its “Soul at Play.” Make your way to the Isthmus Theatre at the Madison Civic Center, and take in these great events. Tickets are on sale now, with a valid student ID. Enjoy the shows!