From left, Josiah Motok, Maya Abram and Cierra Dolata.
UTC Theatre Company in conjunction with the First Tennessee Foundation will present Tony Kushner’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Setzuan. The performance will be in UTC’s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre, in UTC’s Fine Arts Center. The show will run Nov. 18-22 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 22.
Review for The Good Person of Setzuan:
When three gods come to earth in search of a kind person, they discover only one good soul. In this contemporary parable with music, Bertolt Brecht explores the journey of a woman who can’t say no to her selfish neighbors. The gods reward the woman’s kindness, and she purchases a small store to make a living. After having trouble with her demanding neighbors, she develops an alter ego in order to cope with them. This highly theatrical production asks if it is possible to be good in a bad world.
“Every few years we like to throw in a Brecht show for our students,” says Department Head Steve Ray. “He is perhaps the most influential theatre innovator of the 20th century and so many aspects of how we do theatre today can be traced back to him.
“Good Person raises some important questions about how society operates, about what is important to us. Brecht was always hoping to change his audience and therefore change society. He wanted audience members to think about what they were seeing. Our audience will be confronted with interesting ideas, unusual staging and fun songs. There’s always hope that theatre can help change the way we live."
UTC Theatre Company’s The Good Person of Setzuan production features:
Cast: Maya Abram, Dalton Arbaugh, Austin Blackburn, Amber Brown, John Brown, P.J. Burchfield, Jack Conway, Cierra Dolata, Calvin Forrest, Sam Fort, Emily Greene, Grace Holtz, Mario Hoyle, Jacob Madden, Josiah Motok, John Nichols, Allison Offutt, Justice Payne, Anne Sharpe, Taylor Smith, Nick Sterling, Haley Talley and Madeleine Young.
Director: Gaye Jeffers
Assistant Director: Rebecca Rouse
Stage Manager: Erica Bastida
Assistant Stage Manager: Mason DeGroot
Scene Designer: Gaye Jeffers and Adam Miecielica
Costume Designer: Stephanie Henderson
Lighting Designer: Reid Austin
Technical Director: John R. Burgess
Sound Designer: Gregory F. Jackson
Photographer: Jaimie Davis
Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Center box office by phone at 425-4269 or in person. Tickets are also available to purchase at tickettracks.com. Tickets are $12 for General Admission and $10 for students and seniors.
From left, Josiah Motok, Maya Abram and Cierra Dolata.