APSU Area of Theatre and Dance opens season with "Bedroom Farce"

            CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Susannah and Trevor are having a bit of trouble. They aren’t getting along, arguing in front of friends at a party, and Trevor doesn’t help things when he kisses his ex-girlfriend, Jan.

            CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Susannah and Trevor are having a bit of trouble. They aren’t getting along, arguing in front of friends at a party, and Trevor doesn’t help things when he kisses his ex-girlfriend, Jan.

            Their fight is what sets off the zany action in Alan Ayckbourn’s famous 1975 comedy “Bedroom Farce.” At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, the play will open the Austin Peay State University Area of Theatre and Dance’s 2013-14 season when it premieres in the Trahern Theater. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2-5, and 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.

            “Ayckbourn, he’s kind of like our Neil Simon,” Darren Michael, APSU associate professor of theatre and the play’s director, said. “He’s very popular. He writes comedies. This one is slapstick. It’s silly. There’s no kind of hard themes. It’s really fun and clean and good for the family.”          

            Auditions for the show were held in late August, and Michael was impressed by the large number of students seeking parts. Many of those students had just arrived at APSU.

            “Of the eight roles, six of them are people who have never been on our stage before,” he said. “And they’re freshmen. They’re incredibly talented and young. “

            The cast includes APSU students Benny Jones, Megan DeWald, Stephen-Lee “Jeyne” Gray, Briana C. Finley, Remington Sloan, Lauren Proctor, Scotty Phillips and Abigail Elmore.

            For more information, contact the APSU Area of Theatre and Dance at 221-6767. To purchase tickets online, visit www.austinpeaytickets.com.