For the last production of the spring semester, the University of Memphis Theatre and Dance Department will perform A History of the American Film April 11-13 and 16-19 on The U of M Main Stage in the Theatre and Communication building.
Written by Harvard and Yale School of Drama playwright Christopher Durang in 1978, the Tony nominated musical takes the audience through the history of film in America, ranging from silent films during the 1920’s through modern day American movies.
As the play progresses, the audience will discover how American films have evolved from black and white movies to Technicolor along with exploring different film genres and Hollywood stereotypes.
According to Melissa Foulger, the director of A History of the American Film, the play not only discusses the progression of American filmmaking, but also contains a deeper social theme.
“The show itself has a lot of different layers to it,” Foulger said. “On the top layer, it follows the history of American films. Underneath, what the play looks at is American history and how America evolved from 1900 to how we became a world superpower and how it is illustrated through the movies we made in America.”
“You can see a lot of yourself in the show as an American. You’ll either like what you see or you’ll really hate what you see.”
Although the play represents many different genres of film, according to Foulger, movies such as Forrest Gump, Citizen Cane, The Exorcist and Casablanca make an appearance on stage. Also, Foulger said many of the play’s lines come straight from the movies, but does not follow the movie scene directly.
“This play is especially for film buffs,” actor Samantha Butler said. “They will get a big kick out of it.”
According to Foulger, the cast and crew worked under tight time restraints, as the crew only had a month to complete the project.
“During spring break, we worked double rehearsals,” Foulger said. “We also had to learn the music and really get into watching the movies. There are some movies everyone had to see to have a common language about what makes each movie special.”
“We all really had to pull together,” Butler said on how the crew managed to perform under strict time restraints. “We really had to be tight as a team and had to do it quickly.”
Although the play was originally written in 1978, Foulger said she remains faithful to the original script adding a little of her own personality to the play.
A History of the American Film will open Thursday night at 8 p.m. and run until April 19. Tickets are free to all U of M students with a valid student I.D. and can be reserved by calling (901) 678-2576.
