The Seton Hill University Theatre Program recently announced its 2009-2010 performance schedule. This season, the Seton Hill Theatre Program will present “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine from October 30-November 7, 2009; “EleMental R/Evolution: The World in Motion-An Original Dance Theatre Creation” from December 2-6, 2009; “Red Herring” by Michael Hollinger from February 26 -March 6, 2010; and “Macbeth,” by William Shakespeare, from April 30-May 8, 2010.

Venue Information: All Seton Hill Theatre performances are held in the William Granger Ryan Theatre in Seton Hill’s new Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. The Performing Arts Center is a disabled accessible and climate-controlled facility. Parking is free in four nearby Greensburg parking areas: the Bell Parking Garage on North Otterman Street (across the street from the Performing Arts Center), the Hellman-Ghrist lot on North Main street, the Albert Grillo lot on Seton Hill Drive, and the Wib Albright lot off West Otterman Street.

Ticket Information: Single admission tickets are $16. Seton Hill students (with valid ID) can purchase tickets for $5. Non-Seton Hill students (with a valid school ID) can purchase advance tickets for $13. Students from any school can purchase rush tickets five minutes before curtain, subject to availability, for $5 (with valid school ID). Groups of 16 or more can purchase tickets at a rate of $11 each with a reservation and advance payment. Purchase a season subscription and receive one ticket to each of the four productions for $56, or choose a “Flex” subscription for $78 which includes six ticket vouchers that may be used in any combination for any of the shows in the 2009-10 season. Order tickets online at www.setonhilltheatre.com, by phone at 724-552-2929, or by mail at SHUPAC Theatre Box Office, Seton Hill University, 1 Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg, Pa. 15601-1599. Box Office Hours (by telephone): 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Extended hours on performance days: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Sunday.

“Dinner and Show” packages that include meals at the Red Star Agave Grill restaurant in Greensburg’s historic train station. Subscribers can add even more to their theatre experience with dinner at the Red Star Agave Grill before the show while enjoying the flex plan for ticketing. The Red Star is located directly adjacent to the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center in the beautifully restored Greensburg train station. “Flex” Dinner & Show subscribers will receive a special Seton Hill University Theatre Dinner & Show coupon to present upon entering the Red Star. Theatre patrons will then receive a special Dinner & Show menu. Ticket price includes a special menu meal, a non-alcoholic beverage, tax and gratuity. Individuals ordering any items in addition to what is included with the Dinner & Show will be responsible for the additional charges. The “Flex” Dinner & Show subscription is only available for evening performances. The cost for a subscription, which includes four dinners and shows, is $176. A subscription is also available for six dinners and shows for $258.

“Into the Woods”
Book by James Lapine
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

It’s here—one glorious, magical, monumental musical--exciting enough to open our season and our theatre. This not-so-Grimm fairy tale sends storybook celebs Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and others down different paths, past their darkest fears to find their deepest desires. All are entangled in each other’s stories, all risk all, and each learns a life lesson more valuable than what they went into the woods to find. Performances: October 30, 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.; October 31, 8 p.m.; November 1, 2 p.m.; November 3 and 4, 10:30 a.m.; November 5, 6, and 7, 8 p.m.

“EleMental R/Evolution: The World in Motion”-An Original Dance Theatre Creation

Leonardo da Vinci said “the human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” In this “Year Of Science”(www.yearofscience2009.org), we celebrate the art of science, natural and phenomenal. Dancers’ feet fly on the element of air, and music fuels their fire as they flow like water to the beat of the earth’s evolution. Just as science dances with a universe that forever lures and humbles, this original dance theatre performance will spin the world over to offer its own revolution of enrichment, wonderment, and inspiration. Performances: December 2, 8 p.m.; December 3, 10:30 a.m., 8 p.m.; December 4 and 5, 8 p.m.; December 6, 2 p.m.

“Red Herring”
by Michael Hollinger

Something smells fishy, and it isn’t just Senator McCarthy on the scent in this Red scare send-up meets fifties film noir. The girl-next-door gumshoe in high heels is on the heels of whoever killed the stiff from the fishery. Say, what’s the skinny on the spy, the Russian guy, and the frustrated fiancée? There are plenty of “I didn’t do its” but will there be an “I do” in this clever contemporary comedy? Performances: February 26 and 27, 8 p.m.; February 28, 2 p.m.; March 2 and 3, 10:30 a.m.; March 4, 5, and 6, 8 p.m.

“Macbeth”
by William Shakespeare

There’s no doubt who did this bloody deed. Will he be caught red-handed, or will his guilt give them away? It has been more than a decade since our audiences have seen this classic thriller. Now the story comes to life for the first time on our new stage. Brace yourself and be forewarned: “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Performances: April 30, 10:30 a.m., 8 p.m.; May 1, 8 p.m.; May 2, 2 p.m.; May 4 and 5, 10:30 a.m.; May 6, 7, and 8, 8 p.m.

Seton Hill University’s new Performing Arts Center is 73,000 square feet of everything a performing arts major needs to move from student to professional. The Center houses two dedicated, flexible performance spaces, the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall and the William Granger Ryan Theatre. The Center also includes a performance studio, new classrooms, rehearsal rooms and technical areas that include the best equipment for learning and performing, from Steinway pianos to the latest in lighting, sound, video and acoustics. The Center is located in downtown Greensburg, putting it squarely in the middle of the city’s cultural district yet still only minutes from Seton Hill’s main hilltop campus.

The Seton Hill University Theatre Program has a long history of educating theatre majors for careers in the professional theatre while playing a vital role in the educational life of the campus. Seton Hill’s Theatre Program offers four full-length productions (as well as a number of shorter works) each year that generate audiences of over 3,500 and speak to topics addressed in courses across Seton Hill’s curriculum. For more information on the Theatre Program at Seton Hill, please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 724-552-2934.