Purdue Theatre ‘23–24 season focuses on mythic stories
Purdue University Department of Theatre is excited to announce the 2023–2024 mainstage season with a focus on mythic storytelling.
Each of the selected titles in this year’s season features larger-than-life stories exploring social, cultural, personal, and historical myths that the characters are playing against or toward. The stories in all four productions follow strong, robustly-written women-identifying characters from a variety of times and places, part of our commitment to diverse perspectives and voices.
“I can’t express how excited I am for these shows!” says Rich Dionne, Chair of the Department. “The season selection committee–after collectively reading hundreds of plays–has offered up a season of works that are at turns compelling, thought-provoking, heart-warming, and challenging. Just as importantly, every production engages our students’ creative and technical growth in ways that challenge each of them, regardless of the role they play on stage or off. It is an honor to share with audiences the talent and growth all of our students will demonstrate through each production!”
Purdue Theatre is producing four shows this year:
El Mito, or The Myth of My Pain
by Andrew Rincón
“Michelle is on the cusp of graduating high school. Her family produce and perform in a local-access telenovela, popular around the Miami area. With the death of Michelle’s abuela comes grief—and something more: a sense that something is terribly, terribly, wrong. Michelle must face down demons her mother and abuela tried to leave behind when they immigrated from Colombia—because only she can save them.”
Contains sexual situations and strong language.
Faustus, That Damned Woman
by Chris Burch
“Can a bad deed lead to a good outcome? Can someone surpass the unintended consequences of their actions? And can the institutions of power and privilege that define our world be broken down by anything less than divine intervention? Johanna Faustus makes a bargain with the devil, promising to deliver her soul for the chance to make right her mother’s death. Her journey becomes so much more as she attempts to claim mastery of her own person and over time itself.”
Bright Star
“In the 1940s, Alice Murphy, successful editor of the Asheville Southern Journal, meets a promising young soldier and writer just returned from the war in Europe, whom she agrees to take under her wing. Meeting him awakens thoughts of the child she lost years ago as a young girl in rural Zebulon, North Carolina. Her journey to rediscover her past reveals truths long hidden and promises for a brighter future.”
Medea
by Euripides
“Medea, former princess and sorceress of Colchis and wife of Jason, finds her status threatened when Jason casts her aside for Glauke, a young princess of Corinth. Anxious about what she might do, King Creon of Corinth banishes Medea and her two sons from the city. Medea begs—for the sake of her songs—for one more day in the city. Her plea granted, she sets in motion a series of events that sate her passion for revenge over the wrongs done to her—but at what cost?”
Instructors and campus partners are encouraged to consider these performances in their course and event planning. Attending a Department of Theatre performance supports the arts at Purdue and the many Boilermaker students involved in their production. These productions are made possible in part through generous support from the College of Liberal Arts, the Latino Cultural Center, and the John Martinson Honors College.
For questions, suggestions about how to connect to classes, or group discounts, please contact:
Email: theatre@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-3074
Tickets for individual shows as well as season passes to all productions are available at all three campus box office locations, and online through the Purdue Box Office. To find more information on each show, check out our brochure.