University of Virginia Library

STAGE

Weiss Enthusiastic About Va. Players' Season

By STEVE WELLS

To the new student interested in
theatre, the words "Virginia
Players" will soon take on a special
significance. As the University's
drama group, the Players are
responsible for one half of the
theatrical activity in Charlottesville,
a city that is often referred to as a
cultural wasteland.

Yet the Players have a lot
working in their favor. First and
foremost, they are the by-product
of the University's Department of
Speech and Drama, which is
perhaps the fastest growing
department in the college. With
steadily expanding faculty, course
offerings, and student enthusiasm,
plus a projected new Fine Arts
Center to be constructed on Carr's
Hill hopefully by mid-1973, the
future looks promising for drama at
the University.

The man who deserves much of
the credit for improving the plight
of theatre here is David Weiss, who
is entering his eighteenth year with
the department and his sixth as its
Chairman. At 43, Weiss exudes a
quiet confidence both in himself

and his work, which gives him a
rather dominating presence. He has
the distinguished look of a
gentleman, and his gray hair and
tall, slim stature suggest that he
would make an ideal Don Quixote
if anyone were casting "Man of La
Mancha." And like the Don, Weiss
takes a sincere interest in the
people he deals with, always finding
time for casual conferences with
students and friends.

After receiving overwhelming
critical and audience acclaim for his
direction of "Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern Are Dead" last year,
Weiss has stepped aside and
declined to direct a Virginia Players
production this reason, leaving all
the directorial reins in the hands of
his fellow faculty members and
students. He is, however, designing
the sets for the first of the Players'
six productions, Cole Porter's "Kiss
Me Kate," which will be directed
by fourth year drama major Peter
Webb in one of the Players' rare
attempts at musicals.

Tryouts for "Kiss Me Kate" will
be held on September 19, 20, and
21, at 7:30 p.m. in Minor Hall, for
actors, singers, dancers, and
technical workers. Anyone

interested in a singing part should
come prepared to sing one verse of
a musical comedy song of his own
choosing. According to Weiss, there
will be an Open House following
the tryouts on the 19th, to which
all are invited. "Kiss Me Kate" is
scheduled to open on October 25 in
Minor Hall's Little Theatre.

The other productions the
Players have scheduled for the fall
semester are Edward Albee's
Pulitzer Prize winning play, "A
Delicate Balance," which Arthur
Greene will direct toward a
November 15 opening, and
Friedrich Durrenmatt's "Romulus
the Great," which will premiere on
December 6 under a director as yet
unchosen.

The second semester will see
Shakespeare's "Measure For
Measure" open on or about March
8, with Robert McLaughlin, last
year's popular newcomer to the
drama staff, handling the directorial
duties. Then on March 20,
Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" will
bow, with George Black, this year's
addition to the drama faculty, at
the helm. The season will wind up
on May 1 with an original play,
perhaps but not necessarily by the
University's Shubert Fellow in
Playwrighting, who this year is
Ellen Mease.

Weiss, is excited about what the
schedule of plays has to offer, and
explains, "We've tried to pick a
varied season that will challenge the
students to be more interested in
doing plays, and at the same time
provide the audience with a variety
of theatregoing."

Weiss seems apologetic about
having to raise ticket prices this
year, but states that rising costs
have made it necessary to do so. All
performances will $2.00, with
season tickets priced at $10.00
available soon. Students, however,
may purchase tickets to Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday
performances for $1.50.

One of the changes which is
most encouraging is that each play
(with the possible exception of
"Measure For Measure") will have
an eight performance run, Monday
through Sunday evenings with a
Saturday matinee. An afternoon
performance, Weiss claims, has been
in demand for a long time.

In addition to the six major
productions, the Players will also
present several workshop
productions during the year. These
are usually one-acters, some of
them originals, which are given a
single performance and are directed
almost exclusively by students.
Admission to workshops is free for
students and faculty of the
University.

Weiss is just as frank about the
Players' past failures as he is about
their successes. He knows that last
season had its share of
disappointments, and, most
importantly, he knows the reasons
for this. But he also knows that, in
the theatre, you can't look back.
It's a new season, there's some
bright young talent in his
department, and hopefully more
entering the University this week.
As Don Quixote would view it,
there is every reason for optimism.

And on October 25, we'll get
our first indication of whether the
giants Weiss sees ahead this year are
really giants — or just windmills.