UIS Theatre presents Sarah Ruhl’s "Dead Man’s Cell Phone" opening April 12

The Theatre Program at the University of Illinois Springfield will present Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” opening Friday, April 12.

Six performances will be presented in the Studio Theatre, on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS. All shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., except the Sunday performance (April 14), which will begin at 2 p.m. Show dates include Friday, Saturday, Sunday, April 12, 13, 14 and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, April 18, 19, 20.

According to the Samuel French Play Service, “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” is “a work about how we memorialize the dead–and how that remembering changes us–it is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.” The play begins with “an incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café, a stranger at the next table who has had enough, and a dead man–with a lot of loose ends.”

The play was written by MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. Among her most popular plays are “Eurydice,” “The Clean House,” and “In the Next Room.”

Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson, UIS associate professor and director of theatre, will direct the production with scenic design by guest artist scenic designer Bobbie Bonebrake.

Cast members include UIS students Katie Simpson, Sherri Mitchell, Claire Starling and Kov Magana, along with UIS staff member Mike Krcil and community member Sam Fogleman.

The production staff includes UIS students Jeff Nevins, Claire Larson, Denise Gibson, Kim Riddle, Chip Deiss, Alyssa Nino, Jack Hulvey and Jacara Brown. UIS staff members Sabrina Holmes, Jeff Sudduth, Janet Campbell and Nikkie Stefan are also part of the production staff along with community members Cassie Reiterman and Laura Allison Maruna.

Ticket prices are $14 for adults; $12 for senior citizens (65 or older with a picture I.D.); $10 for UIS Faculty/Staff; $8 for UIS students (and all other college-level students) with a valid, current i-card or college I.D. card; and $6 for 17 and under. Please note that service charges are not included in the prices above.

The UIS Theatre Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Visual and Performing Arts Building (VPA 127). Patrons may call the UIS Theatre Box Office at 217/206-PLAY (7529) or visit www.uis.edu/theatre to purchase tickets online or learn more information.