GW News Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew Lindsay

April 7, 2003 (202) 994-1423; mlindsay@gwu.edu

GILBERT & SULLIVANS RUDDIGORE TO CAST A SPELL ON WASHINGTON

APRIL 23-27

Comic Musical Presented by GWs Department of Theatre & Dance and Department of Music

EVENT: Ruddigore, a comic musical in two acts by W.S. Gilbert & Arthur

Sullivan, is a joint production of The George Washington University

Department of Theatre & Dance and Department of Music. Leslie

Jacobsen, professor of theatre, is the director of Ruddigore, with music

direction by Matthew Mehaffey, assistant professor of music, and

choreography by Mary Buckley, assistant professor of dance. The musical

will feature a 13-piece orchestra.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. (Preview)

Thursday, April 24 Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 27, at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: The George Washington University

Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, Marvin Center

800 21^st Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

(Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station, Blue and Orange lines)

COST: $5 Preview rate for April 23 performance only

$8 GW Students; $10 General Admission

Tickets available at all Ticketmaster outlets, call (202) 432-SEAT (7328).

GWs Ticketmaster is located on the ground floor of the Marvin Center.

BACKGROUND:

Ruddigore is set in the Cornish villiage of Rederring and satirizes gothic horror stories. None of the village girls stand a chance of marriage because all the village lads love Rose Maybud, but are too shy to court her. Robin Oakapple also loves Rose, but when he becomes the wicked Baronet of Ruddigore, he must commit one major crime a day or die in agony. The ghosts of his ancestors step from their picture frames to confront him for not conscientiously carrying out this duty.

Ruddigore or the Witchs Curse opened on January 22, 1887, at the Savoy Theatre in London. The production ran for 288 performances. The work of Gilbert & Sullivan has shown a popularity and longevity bested only by that of Shakespeare. Their new style of performance revolutionized theatre in the late 1800s.

Leslie Jacobson, chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance at GW, joined the faculty in 1977. As a freelance director, she has worked at Olney Theatre, The Center Company and Theatre J in the D.C. area, as well as regional theatres in Colorado, Boston, Atlanta and Pennsylvania. She also is the artistic director of Horizons Theatre, now in its 26th year and the longest running womens theatre in the United States. Matthew Mehaffey, director of choral activities at GW, conducts the University Singers and the Chamber Choir. He has musically directed many shows including: Annie Get Your Gun, On the Twentieth Century, Of Thee I Sing, A Little Night Music, West Side Story, Me and My Girl, Call me Madam and Pirates of Penzance.

For more information, visit the Department of Theatre & Dance at www.gwu.edu/~theatre.

For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

-GW-