Liverpool University Drama Society

Upcoming Productions:

In Autumn term, LUDS will be performing the following productions:

Speed The Plow

PERFORMANCE DATES; NOVEMBER 11TH - 13TH
The entertainment business is as cutthroat as Wall Street and even more volatile. Charlie Fox has always followed loyally in the shadow of his slightly more successful friend, Bob Gould who has just been promoted. The playing field seems to level out however when Charlie comes to Gould with Tinsel Town’s hottest actor wanting to act in a script Charlie brought to him. The opportunity for Charlie to rise up the ladder and become a co-producer on a sure-fire success has come to fruition but he needs Gould’s help to pass it by the studio execs. All seems to be going well for the pair until a schoolboy bet ends with Gould’s new secretary at his apartment that same night. Karen, a 20-something, ambitious but modest and attractive new secretary seems to have fallen in love with a play Gould would never have thought have producing before she brought it to his full attention. Poor old Bobby can only pitch one of these potential films to his boss. Gould now finds himself torn between the loyalties to his friend and his ambition to do something more meaningful with his life and make that film that could actually change peoples’ lives.

Festen

PERFORMANCE DATES; NOVEMBER 19TH - 21ST
Helge is sixty. It is a time of celebration. A time for the family to gather and smooth over the cracks left by the suicide of Linda, twin sister to Christian. As Helge’s eldest son, Christian will raise the first toast. Confined within the family house, the guests are rocked by the revelations that pierce and destroy the veneer of middle class respectability. Festen is a dark and subversive masterpiece, allowing the audience to sit in upon the calculated destruction of a wealthy family. It tackles issues of paedophilia, incest and racism – using each of these themes to both shock and question the audience, keeping them guessing as to just how many skeletons are locked in the family closet. The overwhelming ignorance of the party guests is the real joy of this play however, as they refuse to let anything ruin the day until the very final revelation, providing a dark and subversive undertone of black humor throughout the play. With powerful speeches and incredibly scripted set pieces the audience will be kept constantly entertained. The piece provides excellent opportunities for both actors with strongly emotive dialogue, and set/costume construction.

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf

PERFORMANCE DATES; NOVEMBER 25TH - 27TH
The play is set on the campus of a small, New England university. It opens with the main characters, George and Martha coming home from a party at her father's house. The two of them clearly care deeply for each other, but events have turned their marriage into a nasty battle between two disenchanted, cynical enemies. Even though the pair arrives home at two o'clock in the morning, they are expecting guests: the new math professor and his wife.
Of course, as it turns out, this new, young professor, Nick, actually works in the biology department. He and his wife, Honey, walk into a brutal social situation. In the first act, "Fun and Games," Martha and George try to fight and humiliate each other in new, inventive ways. As they peel away each other's pretenses and self-respect, George and Martha use Honey and Nick as pawns, transforming their guests into an audience to witness humiliation, into levers for creating jealousy, and into a means for expressing their own sides of their mutual story. In the second act, "Walpurgisnacht," these games get even nastier. The evening turns into a nightmare. George and Martha even attack Honey and Nick, attempting to force them to reveal their dirty secrets and true selves. Finally, in the last act, "The Exorcism," everyone's secrets have been revealed and purged. Honey and Nick go home, leaving Martha and George to try to rebuild their shattered marriage.

Romeo & Juliet

PERFORMANCE DATES; DECEMBER 16TH - 18TH
The houses of Montague and Capulet are sworn enemies. When Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, fall in love they do not know whom each other is. They marry in secret, while the feud rages. When Romeo's friend Mercutio is killed by Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, Romeo in turn kills Tybalt. He is banished from Verona, while Juliet's family plan to marry her to someone else. Friar Lawrence hatches a plan to reunite the lovers, but messages are crossed and they are driven to their deaths instead.

Past Productions:

2007-2008:
First Term:
-'Claxons, Trumpets and Raspberries' - JEB
-'A Midsummer Nights Dream' - the Stanley Theatre
-'Crime and Punishment' - JEB
-'The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus' - the Stanley Theatre

Second Term:
-'Asylum Monologues' in collaboration with STAR - Mandela Bar
-'How Love Is Spelt' - JEB
-'The Picture Of Dorian Gray' - Stanley Theatre
-'Blasted' - JEB
-'Wind In The Willows' - Stanley Theatre
-'Port' - JEB

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2008
-'Moonlight' - C soco

2006-2007:
First Term:
-Closer, The Stanley Theatre
-Under Milk Wood, The Stanley Theatre

Second Term:
-The Shape of Things, James E. Brown Suite
-Animal Farm, The Stanley Theatre
-Shakers, James E. Brown Suite
-Measure for Measure, The Stanley Theatre

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007:
- Threads, C3 Venue

2005-06:
First Term:
-The Taming of the Shew, The Stanley Theatre
-Private Lives, The Stanley Theatre

Second Term:
-The Importance of Being Earnest, The Stanley Theatre
-A Flea in Her Ear, The Stanley Theatre

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2006:
-Black Comedy, Greenside Venue
-The Real Inspector Hound, Greenside Venue

2004-2005:
First Term:
-The Government Inspector, The Stanley Theatre
-The Butterfly Kiss, The Masque Theatre

Second Term:
-Abigail's Party, The Stanley Theatre
-In the Company of Sinners, The Stanley Theatre