HOUSTON — (Jan. 30, 2024) — Rice Theatre’s “Art” will debut Feb. 16-18 in a translation from French by Christopher Hampton that tells the story of what happens when Serge buys an expensive painting, and the reactions of his two closest friends, Marc and Yvan, to his purchase.
What begins as a discussion about the quality of the painting Serge has purchased quickly devolves into petty jabs and personal attacks as the three men border on ending their friendships. This comedic show set in Paris focuses on the meaning of art and friendship in a battle of wits and words.
Following last year’s successful senior capstone project, the cast, director and much of the design/production team are made up of theatre seniors. In their own words:
“Taking part in a show that allows us the freedom to explore and apply what we’ve learned over the past four years is genuinely exciting. It’s truly special to participate in a show where a majority of our seniors are involved, considering we’ve shared experiences in various productions and classes over the years. Now we have the opportunity to blend all those experiences into one remarkable performance. While it remains an opportunity for ongoing learning and refinement of our acting, design and production skills, it also promises to be an incredibly enjoyable show that we are eagerly anticipating sharing with audiences. ‘Art’ is beautifully relatable, honest and thought-provoking, creating a truly wonderful final performance with Rice Theatre for all of us seniors.”
“Art” will be directed by Parker Blumentritt, a senior at Rice majoring in English and visual and dramatic arts with a concentration in theatre. Before directing “Art,” she directed “Fun Home” for Wiess Tabletop Theatre. She has also stage managed for Rice Theatre’s “The Mousetrap” and Rice Players’ “Boeing Boeing.”
Tickets are pay-what-you-can for all attendants. Performances are at 8 p.m. Feb. 16-17 and 2 p.m. Feb. 18.
For more information on the performances, visit theatre.rice.edu. For a Rice University map and parking information, visit rice.edu/parking.
Related links:
Rice Theatre: https://theatre.rice.edu/
Visitor parking information: parking.rice.edu/parking-facilities-and-rates
This news release can be found online at news.rice.edu.
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Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 4,574 undergraduates and 3,982 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction, No. 2 for best-run colleges and No. 12 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.