Yeats Classic Staged at UB, March 26
February 27, 2015
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Spotlight UB—the University of Baltimore's live performance series—will present a dramatized staged reading of the classic William Butler Yeats play, Purgatory, entirely performed and directed by UB community members, on Thursday, March 26. The event is free and open to the public.
Arts and Theater Manager Kimberley Lynne will direct the performance, which stars Associate Professor Steve Matanle and Events Services Coordinator Michael Zemarel. This short and existential work will receive two performances on March 26, at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m., both in the Wright Theater in UB's Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave. The performances will coincide with Lynne's Irish Culture class and Matanle's English Literature class. The production continues Spotlight UB's mission of bringing arts programming to the community by connecting academic curricula with the artistic pursuits of UB faculty, staff, and students.
Yeats is considered one of the foremost literary figures in Irish and British literature. Growing up in County Sligo, he drew much of his inspiration for his poetry, fiction and dramatic works from local stories and landmarks. While pursuing his own artistic efforts, Yeats supported himself by publishing anthologies of Irish folklore and poetry. As a man of the Victorian era, a time when spiritualism was popular, the widespread interest in the supernatural intersected with the Celtic flavor of Yeats's own mythic expertise. His wife, Georgie, began to exhibit the ability to channel "spirits from beyond the veil" through the technique known as automatic writing. Her claim of communication with these voices inspired Yeats and helped him conceive of his own vision of Purgatory, and to write the play.
The free performance will be followed by a talk-back with the performers, who will work with the audience to deconstruct this short but incredibly rich play.
For more information about Spotlight UB, visit www.ubalt.edu/spotlightub or send an email to spotlightub@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.