December 11-14, 2002

Little Theater
Directions to location

Central Ticket Service
General Admission:
$5 public
$3 senior citizens
$3 faculty/staff/alumni
$3 all students

All Tickets are $2 more at the door.

24-hour ticket reservation line:
(440) 775-8169.

Located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St. between the Oberlin Inn and the Allen Art Museum.

Open 12 to 5 pm,
Monday - Friday.

Media contact:
Alice Iseminger
(440) 775-8171

Oberlin College
Theater and Dance Program
67 North Main Street
Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1191

OBERLIN, OH—In a world premiere performance, Channing Joseph's ('03) Clowns brings electronic music, hip-hop beats, audience interaction, and a twisted circus theme to the Little Theater at Oberlin College. Performances are Wednesday through Friday, December 11-13, at 8:00p.m., with a matinee on Saturday, December 14, at 2:00p.m. This show contains mature material that may not be suitable for all ages. Clowns is sponsored by the Oberlin College Theater and Dance Program (www.oberlin.edu/thedance).

Synopsis

Clowns is a minimalist, multimedia play about the perils of love and the hypocrisy of modern times. Based around the activities of the lonely performers in a seedy nightclub "somewhere at the crossroads between Hades and the dream world," the story is revealed through a series of heart-wrenching musical monologues. The outrageous characters — from the ten-foot-tall maniacal drag queen Tsunami Explosion to the confrontational clown Bobob to the bitter minstrel Chicken Man — challenge and entice their audience, pulling the outside world into the surreal rings of the circus.

Collaborators

This premiere features a cast and production staff of Oberlin College students. Playwright Joseph directs and also plays the role of Tsunami Explosion. Allison Moon '03 plays the circus ringleader, Smith, as well as Professor Uberbitch. The role of Bobob is performed by Brian Kenny '05; Alec Scott '05 plays Chicken Man; and Ruth Mercer '03 plays the dual role of Father Howell (a priestess of war) and the bombastic President of the United Snakes of AmeriKKKa. The show's designers include Amber McMillan '04 (costumes), Caleb Baker '06 and Jeffrey Porter '06 (lighting), and Thomas Shortliffe '04 (poster, in collaboration with Joseph). The show is stage managed by Christina McNamee '03.

CHANNING JOSEPH (Playwright, Director, Tsunami Explosion) is a senior theater and philosophy major from Slidell, LA (thirty minutes north of New Orleans). His newest hobby is filling every available moment of time cavorting with his muses. Consequently, he considers himself an artist in the broadest sense, making his visual art breakthrough with "Adventures in Time-(less-ness): An Art Dream-scape Environment" in 2001, and now displaying recent works in the Oberlin online art gallery. Evidence can also be found that he has been writing for campus publications such as The Oberlin Review, Around the Square and The Alumni Magazine. Oberlin theater credits include The African Company Presents Richard III (James Hewlett), Buried Child (Dodge), Hair (Cooper), Equus (Chorus), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lysander).

UPCOMING LITTLE THEATER PRODUCTIONS THE MAN OUTSIDE, by Wolfgang Borchert 8:00 pm Thursday-Sunday, January 30, 31, February 1 & 2; Little Theater; Honors Candidate - Staab, Director.

NEW ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL 8:00 pm, Friday-Sunday, March 6-9; 2pm, Sunday, March 9; Little Theater Matthew Wright, Director.

MISS L AT THE LUCID CAFE, by Seth Stewart, Honors Candidate 8:00 pm Thursday-Sunday, April 3-6; 2:00 pm, Sunday, April 6; Little Theater; IPM Project - Seth Stewart, Director.

THE BLACK MONK, by Anton Chekhov 8:00 pm Thursday-Sunday, May 7-10; 2:00 pm, Sunday, May 10; Little Theater; Honors Candidates - Taylor Greeson and Nina Morrison, Creators.

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