Released: February 13, 2012
Lincoln, Neb. - The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film University Theatre season continues with "The Three Musketeers" by Ken Ludwig from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, February 23-25, 29 and March 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Howell Theatre, first floor of the Temple Building, 12th and R streets.
- Individual tickets for performances are $16, $14 faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $10 students with ID.
- Season Passes are $50, $40 faculty/staff and senior citizens and are redeemable for four admissions.
- Reservations for performances are strongly recommended.
- Tickets and passes are available at:
- Carsonschool.unl.edu
- Lied Center Ticket Office (301 N. 12, M-F 11:00-5:30)
- One hour prior to the performance in the Howell Theatre Lobby
- By telephone at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231
Ludwig's adaptation was commissioned by the Bristol Old Vic in England and had its world premiere on December 6, 2006, receiving enthusiastic reviews. It is based on the enduring swashbuckler by Alexandre Dumas. Dumas writes of valor, disloyalty, narrow escapes and above all, honor. It is 1625, and d'Artagnan, a young Frenchman sets off for Paris in search of adventure. With him is his sister, Sabine, the quintessential tomboy, who is to attend a convent school in Paris. Instead, she poses as d'Artagnan's servant, a young boy, and soon becomes entwined in d'Artagnan's escapades.
Soon after reaching Paris, d'Artagnan chances to meet the greatest heroes of the day, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the famous musketeers. After stumbling into each of them and challenging them to duels, d'Artagnan joins with the musketeers to defend the honor of the Queen of France. This puts him into direct conflict with the most dangerous man in Europe, Cardinal Richelieu, and his henchman, Rochefort. An even greater adversary is the notorious Countess de Winter, known as Milady, who will stop at nothing to revenge herself on d'Artagnan and Sabine for their officious behavior. Little does she know that Sabine will ultimately save the day.
Ian Borden, director of the production said, "Doing 'The Three Musketeers' is a perfect marriage of play and theatre program, because the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film is the only university in the country with three Certified Teachers of Stage Combat as part of its faculty. That makes us rare indeed. Many of our students are branching into careers depicting stage violence or doing stunts for movies and television. We also host the annual Lincoln Assassination Stage Combat Workshop [in March], which brings in additional instructors and students from across the country."
One of those instructors is Fight Master David Boushey, who founded SAFD, the Society of American Fight Directors, an "internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safety and fostering excellence in the art of stage combat." SAFD has sanctioned The Lincoln Assassination.
Borden continued, "'The Three Musketeers' is, of course, filled with fighting, but stage combat is incredibly important to all aspects of theatre. The base of every drama is some form of conflict, and violence is conflict in its purest form. We often forget that stage violence is more than sword fighting, but plays are filled with lots of smaller moments of violence. Knowing how to fall, punch, get kicked or pull hair is incredibly important in keeping the actors safe. Too often we hear of incidents on stage where somebody was injured doing something as simple as a slap, only to discover that the actors hadn't been trained and a specialist in stage combat hadn't been brought in to do the choreography. What these incidents highlight is that stage combat is a necessary aspect of theatrical craft, and when executed correctly, violence becomes art!"
UNL cast members are all undergraduates. They include:- Jordan Deffenbaugh - D'Artagnan
- The three musketeers: Calen Calero - Athos, Ryan Rabstejnek - Porthos, and Nick Wolf - Aramis
- Hunter Larrison - Cardinal Richelieu
- Jen Hickey - Sabine
- Catherine Dvorak - Milady
- Other cast members include Will Bennett, Dominic Ciafalo, Bryan Howard, Kristian Anderson, Shade Ingraham, Thomas Boyle, Cale Yates, Billy Jones, Patrick Stayer, Lauren Huston, Kayla Klammer, Reagan Lopez, Meghan Modrovsky, Christina Leonard, and Madison Smith
The production is designed by Brandi Kawamoto (scenic), Beth Skinner (costumes), Clay VanWinkle (lighting) all graduate students, and Richard McDermott (sound) an undergraduate. The production features live music led by Vincent T. Learned and is stage managed by undergraduate Sara Beaman.
University Theatre is sponsored by the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and funded, in part, by the Johnny Carson Film and Broadcast Fund.