One look at the slate of upcoming theatrical performances here on the Hilltop will tell you that Georgetown’s various drama groups are acutely aware that 2008 is an election year. Echoing the political themes of several of last year’s productions, many of the offerings this fall are united by a common interest in issues of race, gender, community and justice.

Indeed, the 2008-2009 Program in Performing Arts season is titled “Worlds in Motion: Politics and Citizenship in Flux.” The coming months promise enlightening and timely entertainment from each of Georgetown’s several distinguished theater groups.

The most notable groups are probably the Program in Performing Arts’s theater and performance studies program and the Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society. The former is made up of students studying drama academically; they collaboratively produce plays as part of their academic requirements. These performances are usually held in the Gonda Theatre (across from the Old North building).

Mask & Bauble, founded in 1852, is known for being the “oldest continuously running college theater group in the United States,” according to the group’s Web site. The group produces five shows per year, which vary from musicals to dramas to comedies. (Last year, Mask & Bauble produced plays as diverse as Hamlet, Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy and Cabaret.)

The other two best-known groups are Nomadic Theatre, named for its tendency to perform in many different places around campus, and the Black Theatre Ensemble, which produces plays that celebrate and examine the black community.

So what performances can theatergoers look forward to this fall? From Oct. 8 to 12 at the Walsh Building Black Box Theatre, Nomadic Theatre will host The Clean House, Sarah Ruhl’s play about a married couple, their maid and their collective “issues.” As with all Nomadic productions, general admission is $9.

Then, from Oct. 16 to 25, the Program in Performing Arts and the Black Theatre Ensemble jointly present ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, described as “a poetic retelling of the Demeter myth set in the American South during the Civil War.” Reginald Douglas (COL’09), the first student ever to direct a theater and performance studies production, says he hopes to “make the audience think and engage with our expected notions of history, in regards to friendship, war, love and race.” Student tickets are $7 apiece.

From Oct. 23 to Nov. 1, Mask & Bauble will produce a reimagining of Reginald Rose’s classic Twelve Angry Men (probably better known for Sidney Lumet’s 1957 film adaptation), about the deliberations of a jury following a murder trial. This production will explore the nature of individual prejudice and perceptions of justice and will not feature the traditional all-male cast so perhaps a title change (Twelve Angry People?) will be in order.

Right around election time (Oct. 30 to Nov. 8), the Program in Performing Arts will chime in with The Race, a coproduction with the department of American studies. Directed by visiting professor Michael Rohd, The Race is described as a “civil theater process” designed to explore various themes pertinent to the upcoming presidential election.
Just three weeks after the conclusion of Twelve Angry Men, Mask & Bauble will unveil Raised in Captivity, which will run in Poulton Hall from Nov. 20 to 23. This quirky comedy is populated by the zany, neurotic characters so endemic to student theatre — one can expect various antics, hijinks and general hilarity to ensue.

Douglas, the ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi director, notes that, as exemplified by his upcoming production, “This year’s theater season is really focused on community, with all of the student theater groups working together and putting forth a spirit of inclusion, support and unity.” According to Douglas, many of this season’s performances seek not only to dwell on issues of community and social harmony for the entertainment of the audience, but also to encourage collaboration among the actors and crew as well. Clearly, our tireless drama groups will commence the fall 2008 season with the noblest of intentions.

Judging by the themes that link many of these productions together, you can expect a common dosage of critical self-reflection and timely humor when the curtain rises this fall.