As part of its spring performance series, Theatre UNO will present a double feature written by Justin Maxwell, an associate professor in the Creative Writing Workshop program, and directed by MFA directing candidate R'Myni Watson.
The two, one-act productions—“Marie Antoinette's Head” and “Exhausted Paint: The Death of Van Gogh,”—will be performed for the first time in the Nims Theatre at the Performing Arts Center on UNO’s campus beginning March 11.
Audiences will witness the lives of two iconic historical figures play out through unconventional storytelling. Watson has created a theatrical experience, through her original blocking, that encourages audience and actors the freedom to explore art with no limitations.
“Marie Antoinette’s Head,” is a campy comedy in which the audience follows Marie Antoinette’s hairdresser, Leonardo, as he pursues Marie’s severed head across time and space. The play opens in the Palace of Versailles, just after the Queen’s execution. It includes a leap into 1994 to a California prison before reversing in time to the burning of Rome in the 1st century.
In “Exhausted Paint: The Death of Van Gogh,” the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh talks about his life, specifically his moments of failure. The show is built around ideas of disorientation and struggle and calls for the audience to immerse themselves in the life of this renowned artist.
Van Gogh uses a wheel with a series of objects to propel his story. Each object represents a moment from his life. The play has no set internal structure, only the introduction and conclusion are set. All of the scenes in between are performed in a random order, leaving the audience with a different experience for every show.
The shows will run from March 11 through March 19. General admission for all shows is $15 per person. UNO alumni and seniors can see performances for $10 per person. UNO faculty, staff and students with a valid I.D. will be admitted for free.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit UNO’s School of the Arts website.
