Theater Stages Plays by Faculty Member

Professor Thomas Riccio, who will be directing a full-length drama at UT Dallas this fall, has had his hands full this summer with the off-campus debut of two plays he wrote.

So There and Orange Oranges are the first two installments in Riccio’s Simulations series, which explores life in Dallas. The plays were staged at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas as part of the 10th annual Festival of Independent Theatres.

Both were produced by the Project X: TheatreDanceMusicFilm organization.

“Dallas and the surrounding region of North Texas is a remarkable, dynamic, and unique place which deserves exploration and celebration,” said Riccio, a professor of Performance & Aesthetic Studies in the School of Arts and Humanities. “The Simulations series is both a reaction and homage to where and how we live.”

Simulations is a performance series of 24 docudramas with each fragment taking place during another hour of one 24-hour period.

Orange Oranges centers on a couple’s visit to a puzzled psychiatrist.

So There examined how contemporary teenage girls define themselves by the products they buy. Their humorous conversation, which made frequent use of the word “like,” got an added measure of authenticity from the casting of three teen-age girls from the area.

Starting Nov. 13, Riccio also will be producing a stage adaptation of the classic silent expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UT Dallas, visit ah.utdallas.edu or call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787).

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