Skip to Main Content

News from the Department of Theatre

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE PRESENTS NEIL SIMON’S

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS

Written by Linda Bell

The Auburn University Department of Theatre proudly presents Brighton Beach Memoirs, Neil Simon’s 1983 award-winning play about a Brooklyn family and its comic struggle to hold itself together during the worst year of the Great Depression. It’s 1937, and the world of young Eugene Morris Jerome--budding writer and would-be baseball player—seems to be coming apart at the seams. Pop’s boss goes bankrupt, brother Stan loses his job after sticking up for a co-worker, and his Aunt Blanche wants to date the drunken neighbor who’s been known to spend the night in a doorway across the street.

Part one of what has become known as Simon’s Eugene Trilogy, Brighton Beach –along with Biloxi Blues (1985) and Broadway Bound (1986)—is a semi-autobiographical work reflecting Simon’s childhood in the ethnic enclave of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and later his experience as a young draftee and fledgling comedy writer.

Winner of three Tonys and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Brighton Beach is a tribute to the power of family bonds in the midst of crisis. Scott Phillips, Associate Professor of Theatre and director of the AU production, thinks the situation facing the Jerome family may resonate with an audience in the midst of an economic crisis of its own. “We may not be in the Great Depression,” says Phillips, “more like the Great Recession—but the Jerome family’s problems are not unlike what many families are facing today.”

When Brighton Beach premiered in the 1980s—with a young Matthew Broderick in the role of Eugene--it represented a departure from the style of early Simon plays such as Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965). “Simon’s early work is very joke oriented,” Phillips explains, “which is what you might expect from a playwright who cut his professional teeth working as a sketch comedy writer in the early days of television. But the humor in Brighton Beach derives much more from the richness of the characters than from set-ups and punch lines.”

Many critics have agreed, including Time Magazine’s T.E. Kalem, who wrote that the Jerome family “meets challenges with such enormous spirit, dignity and vigor that life—at once humorous and poignant—is something to celebrate.” Walter Kerr called it Simon’s “most serious play,” but was quick to point out that “we are invited to watch its resentments grow and its angers flare through the eyes of a canny adolescent who has already learned how to translate trouble into high humor. It's an ingenious device and, given Mr. Simon's own special equipment, no doubt a wise and honest one."

Which is probably why, as AU Theatre prepares to open Brighton Beach on November 13, the show is once again being revived on Broadway. In fact, the Broadway production began previews on October 2, just as AU’s production went into rehearsal, proving that Simon’s iconic status and popular appeal—from mid-town Manhattan to the Plains—is as strong as ever.

Valet parking is not available for all performances. Please call 334-844-6624

You can also buy your tickets online through the AU Outreach Program Office

http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/opo/

 

AU THEATRE

Visa and MasterCard accepted.

Make check or money order to:

Auburn University Theatre

Send to:

Auburn University Theatre

211 Telfair B. Peet Theatre

Auburn University, Auburn 36849-5422

 

Box Office Hours:

Closed Monday

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday

Open one hour before each performance weekends and all performances.

 

Admission:

Free to AU students with valid ID

General Public $15

Faculty/Staff/Senior Citizens $10

Students (grade and high school) - $10

Group rates available. Make appointment with Box Office Manager, 334-844-4154

 

CLA Dean's Office Moving to Tichenor

The CLA Student Services Center (this includes all Advisor and Administrative offices) is moving to 321 Tichenor Hall. We hope to be open for advising in our new offices on Aug. 26. We will be closed on the afternoon of Aug. 21 and all day Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 in order to make the move. Please keep checking your email for updates--as with all moves, there may be some last minute changes to the schedule.

The Department of Communication and Journalism will also be moving back to Tichenor. Please look for more information from the Department.

Theatre Presentation: Still Life with Iris

Auburn University Theatre presents

STILL LIFE WITH IRIS

by  Steven Dietz

Join young Iris as she journeys from the joyous world of Nocturno to
picture-perfect Great Island, where she discovers Mozart and Annabel
Lee but loses her family, only to embark on many adventures in her
quest to return home. Steven Dietz's play stars adventurous children,
kind-hearted adults, unhappy discards, and people blinded by their
obsession with perfection. In a world in which self-interested adults
are frequently encouraged to turn a blind eye to cruelty, Iris and
her young cohorts show the value of compassion, adventure, family,
and friendship.

  • June 26 Opening night performance at 7:00 PM - FRIDAY
  • June 27 matinee performance at 2:30 PM and evening performance at 7:00 PM -SATURDAY
  • June 28 matinee performance at 2:30PM -SUNDAY

 

For more information, contact:
Auburn University Department of Theatre
Phone: (334) 844-4748
 E-mail: theatre@auburn.edu

Auburn University, Alabama 36849-5422
The Telfair Peet Theatre Building is located at the: Corner of Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive

 

CLA Civic Engagement YouTube Contest Guidelines

Civic Engagement YouTube Contest

Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at Auburn University is eligible to submit a video. Only one video may be entered per person or group.

?

$500 will be awarded to the creator(s) of the video selected as the first place winner. The creator(s) of the second and third place videos will receive $250 and $150, respectively. Prize money is sponsored by Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts.
The three winning videos will also be showcased on the CLA website.

To submit a video, upload your video on YouTube and then email its url to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "CLA YouTube Contest" in the subject line of your email, and include in the body of the email the names of the person, persons, or group submitting the video. The College of Liberal Arts will make your video available for viewing on the contest website. You will receive confirmation email from the College of Liberal Arts indicating that your video entry has been received.

In the event that you are unfamiliar with how to upload a video to YouTube, directions are available at http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57931.

Videos need to be between one and five minutes in length.

The deadline for submitting videos is March 27, 2009. Videos received after the deadline cannot be considered.

Between April 1 and April 5, students are invited to vote for their favorite contest video by sending an email to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "Vote CLA YouTube" in the subject line of your email and indicate the title of the favorite video in the email's body. Only one vote per person will be tallied.

Videos will be judged by members of the College of Liberal Art's Civic Engagement Planning Committee. Videos will be judged based on the five criteria outlined below:

  • Relevance to the contest theme
  • Extent to which the video provokes productive reflection, discussion, debate, and/or critique regarding civic responsibility as a feature of learning and living at Auburn University
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Number of student votes

Contest winners will be notified via email on April 10, 2009.

View the Video Entries

Questions about this page
Last updated November 22, 2009