Student director adds unique twist to UNT’s production of “Flowers for Algernon”

Tuesday, February 6, 2018 - 21:30
The University of North Texas Department of Dance and Theatre will present “Flowers for Algernon,” a play about a man who is mentally challenged and undergoes an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence. The show runs 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 23 and 24 (Thursday-Saturday) in Room 127 in the RTFP Building, 1179 Union Circle, Denton. Actors include (back, from left to right): Logan Mars, Ellie Armitage, Dawson Booker, Kurt Kelley, Hollie Kissane, Rebecca Martin and (center) Alexx Naylor.
The University of North Texas Department of Dance and Theatre will present “Flowers for Algernon,” a play about a man who is mentally challenged and undergoes an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence. The show runs 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 23 and 24 (Thursday-Saturday) in Room 127 in the RTFP Building, 1179 Union Circle, Denton. Actors include (back, from left to right): Logan Mars, Ellie Armitage, Dawson Booker, Kurt Kelley, Hollie Kissane, Rebecca Martin and (center) Alexx Naylor.

What:Flowers for Algernon,a play presented by the University of North Texas Department of Dance and Theatre, about a man who is mentally challenged and undergoes an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence.

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, 23 and 24 (Thursday-Saturday).

Where: Room 127 in RTFP Building, 1179 Union Circle in Denton.

Tickets:  Audience members can purchase tickets at the box office, which is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and one hour before each performance at the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building. For more information, call 940-565-2428, email dat-boxoffice@unt.edu or visit the Department of Dance and Theatre online.

More information: Visit UNT’s transportation services website to learn more about parking, including new rules. Patrons have two options for parking:
1.) ADA/handicapped patrons may park directly east of the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building (RTFP) in Lot 50 in the designated spaces.
2.) Patrons may pay to park through the app ParkMobile in the Union Circle Parking Garage.

Media:Download image from the play here.

DENTON (UNT), Texas – University of North Texas senior theatre major Matthew Roy Rodriguez will use a classroom setting to tell a story as he directs the Department of Dance and Theatre production of “Flowers for Algernon.

The play will run at 7:30 pm Feb. 22-24 (Thursday-Saturday) in the RTFP Building Room 127, 1179 Union Circle.

The production will be a modern day retelling of the classic novel “Flowers for Algernon”by Daniel Keyes. It’s the story of a 32-year-old man, Charlie (Alexx Naylor), who is mentally challenged and is chosen by a team of scientists to undergo an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence.

The play will not take place in a theater, but in a classroom with limited space – inspiring Rodriguez to take a minimalistic approach. He focuses on the story rather than an elaborate set by using chairs.

“The chairs are going to take the audience from one scene to the next and are part of the storytelling,” he said. “For example, we have one scene that all the chairs are in a line to demonstrate the linear thinking that a character has. In another scene, which shows Charlie’s question for authority, the chairs are scattered around at different angles.”

Rodriguez has worked professionally in several Dallas/Fort Worth area theaters, including Water Tower Theater, Kitchen Dog Theater, Sundown Collaborative Theater and the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center. He hopes to obtain a fellowship post-graduation in order to continue his growth as an individual and professional. His goal is to continue to fully delve into his passion for directing.

 “Every word connects to the last and each word should be treated like royalty,” Rodriguez said. “Everything an audience sees is part of the story and I want every last detail an audience member experiences to be a part of the journey they take when watching a show.”

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