University of Virginia Library

The Newly Revised Ben Jonson

Terming it "the wildest and
kinkiest thing anyone has done
around here in years," director
George Black announced the
opening of the Virginia Players
first production of the year,
Ben Jonson's "Volpone".

"Jonson was second in his
time only to Shakespeare,"
says Mr. Black, "and 'Volpone'
was his most famous play."

"We are doing a very
unusual production in the
sense that we are not
approaching it as a period play.
Rather, we are treating it as if
we had just come upon it, as if
it were a new play," he added.

"The production," Mr.
Black said, "takes into
account that we are performing
it in 1972 and we are using
everything that we have in the
production. It is a modern
production but not in modern
dress."

Mr. Black concluded that
the best way to describe the
production would be
"improvisatory and open
minded, not the 'Volpone' most
people know and love."

"Volpone" is the University's
first official entry into the
American College Theater
Festival, which is sponsored by
the Smithsonian Institute and
the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. The festival is
produced by the American
Theater Association.

This production and others
from colleges around the
United States will be viewed by
members of the American
Theater Association and judged
on its general excellence. If
good enough, it will be viewed
again in regional competition
and hopefully selected as one
of the ten college productions

to participate in a two week
festival at the Kennedy Center
for Performing Arts.

Leading actors in the play
will be C. Edward Steele, David
Cupp, Mark Hattan, Bill
Castro, Jim Jontz, David
Dashiell and Diana Durham.

The production will run
from Oct. 23-29, with 8:30
performances in Minor Hall
each night and a matinee on
Sunday. Admission is $2.50
and a special student admission
of $1.50 will be offered the
first three nights of the
performances.

The box office will be open
from 2-5 p.m. this week and
will be open from 2-8:30 p.m.
on performance days. The box
office number is
924-3051.