Something freaky is coming to The University of Memphis.
A carnival in the theatre department is set to hit the stage later this semester, but in the meantime, auditions for “Something Wicked This Way Comes” are going to be held Sept. 5-7 from 7-10 p.m.
Thirty years ago, Gloria Baxter, a U of M faculty member, adapted and directed this play, from a short story written by Ray Bradbury.
Bradbury’s tale is a gothic account of darkness and evil through a carnival that comes to the fictional small town of Green Town, IL and uses a carousel as bait to draw people into a eerie and frightening world.
Baxter’s adaptation of “Something Wicked This Way Comes” was put in production for the first time in 1969. Thirty years later, she is back to do it again. The play is co-produced by the Voices of South narrative theatre company, which is based in Memphis. All members of this group received their training at the U of M and now perform internationally.
Thirty enthusiastic and acrobatic performers are needed as characters in this play. Anyone with a carnival-like talent is encouraged to audition.
“This play is going to be very exciting,” said Alice Berry, publicist for the Theatre and Dance department. “It takes place in the entire theatre and is something truly different we are doing.”
