This December, for one night only, the Duke University Theater Studies department presents a developmental workshop of the groundbreaking Kurt Weill-Alan Jay Lerner musical Love Life directed by New York-based director and actor Victoria Clark (Light in the Piazza). More than thirty undergraduates have been working intensively on the show in a class with Clark, an artist-in-residence at Duke, and Professor Bradley Rogers as part of Duke Theater Studies’ musical theater program. The resulting workshop production will be presented in the new Rubenstein Arts Center’s Von Der Heyden Studio Theatre on December 7th at 7:00pm.
A pioneer of the concept musical, Love Life explores the effect of modernization and industrialization on the American family over a period of 150 years. A vaudeville in two parts, the unusual structure of the show alternates scenes chronicling the Cooper family’s progression through successive periods of American history with musical numbers that comment, often sardonically, on the main story.
As an actor, Victoria Clark has co-starred in twelve Broadway shows, and countless off-Broadway and regional productions. She received the 2005 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her portrayal of Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, and received three additional Tony nominations for her work in Sister Act, Cinderella, and Gigi. Before Clark embarked on her acting career, her passion for stage directing led her to the graduate musical theater writing program at New York University, where she worked with composers and writers shaping new works. She has taught in numerous universities and conservatories world-wide including Yale University, Juilliard, and Pace University, where she directed The Light in the Piazza.
Duke’s Musical Theater program, part of the Theater Studies department overseen by Bradley Rogers, integrates academic and artistic training in a liberal arts context. The program features a wide range of courses in musical theater performance, composition, direction, and history. In addition to coursework, the program has produced workshops of Aeneid (composed by Duncan Sheik) and Love Life, interviews with prominent industry professionals, lectures by distinguished scholars, and master classes with numerous Broadway stars.
Love Life is being presented through special arrangement with the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., and the Alan Jay Lerner Testamentary Trust, and is made possible by support from the office of the Vice-Provost for the Arts of Duke University.
Although there are currently no seats available, for a free advance ticket, please visit the Duke University Box Office website (tickets.duke.edu). More tickets may be released at a later date.
Photo credit: Robert Zimmerman
Theater Studies