STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Theatre at Tarleton\u2019s \u201cBuffo: The Traditions and Performance Theories of the Western Comic Actor\u201d presented by guest lecturer Maestro Luciano Faccia di Mulo begins its six-performance run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center\u2019s Workshop Theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The play, written by Dan Stone, an Assistant Professor in the theater department, is a chaotic and absurd comedy that intertwines academic satire with slapstick humor. The central premise revolves around Dr. Penelope Pettigrew, a professor attempting to host a lecture on comic traditions featuring the absent Maestro Luciano Faccia di Mulo. The part is played by Kay Grimstadt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What unfolds is a farcical disaster as Pettigrew’s event spirals out of control due to a series of mishaps, culminating in a performance that\u2019s absurdly funny yet frustrating for the protagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The play blends multiple performance traditions, from vaudeville to ventriloquism, introducing exaggerated comic characters such as Shingles the Clown (Madison Freeman), Benny Ballyhoo (Caroline Bachofer) and Harpo Marx (Addy Brown). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The characters’ absurd and off-the-wall interactions create a whirlwind of confusion for the rigid, overly serious Pettigrew, who serves as the strait-laced foil. Her attempts to maintain decorum are consistently derailed by her unorthodox and unpredictable guest performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others in the cast include Emily Fox as Nova Riot, Gabe Ramos as Marty Melvin and Lord Percival Fancypants, and James Stack as DJ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt its heart, \u2018Buffo\u2019s\u2019 a meta-theatrical exploration of performance itself,\u201d said Stone. \u201cThe characters constantly break the fourth wall, making the audience complicit in the unraveling of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlthough I wrote \u2018Buffo,\u2019 students were given free rein to improvise during rehearsals while developing the work. This gives the play their own stamp on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 6, with weekend matinees slated for 2 p.m. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for the general public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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