UVU’s production of Nosferatu, a multimedia re-creation of the German silent film originally directed by F.W. Murnau, has been chosen to perform in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Los Angeles. Nosferatu will perform again in UVU’s Ragan theater this week in preparation for the festival.
Seven finalists were chosen out of over 500 entries in UVU’s region to perform at the festival.
“We’re very excited by the prospect of taking the play to Los Angeles,” director and UVU assistant professor Christopher Clark said. “It’s a big honor for us, and we are excited for students and faculty from other universities to see some of the work we are doing here at UVU.”
Nosferatu combines clips from the original silent movie with live action, which is filmed and displayed onstage simultaneously. The haunting effect of elegiac music and over 40 students working in near silence gives the production a unique quality.
The on-stage action is filmed and lit by actors doubling as technical workers. While one scene is happening on one side of the stage, the backstage technical workings — costume changes, set maneuvers, and preparation for the next scene — is completely visible to the audience on the other side. The way in which the production is performed is uncommon, and difficult to understand until you’ve experienced it.
During the festival, which is during the second week of February, Nosferatu will be performed twice and then judged by national representatives for a possible invitation to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
“It is a real honor for a young and growing theater program to be chosen over more established programs,” said Terry Petrie, chair of the UVU Department of Theatrical Arts. “I liken it to being chosen for the Big Dance in college basketball.”
You can see the trailer as well as podcasts from the monster by searching “uvu Nosferatu” at www.YouTube.com
Read more about the production by searching for Nosferatu at www.uvureview.com
More info
Where: Ragan Theater
When: Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. and again at 9 p.m.
Tickets: $6 for students, $8 for employees, and $10 for general admission
