IUP’s Theatre-by-the-Grove Offers Virtual Performances for Spring 2021
Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Theater-by-the-Grove will continue their 2020-21 season with four virtual presentations of Topher Payne’s 2013 play Perfect Arrangement. Directed by Michael Schwartz, the production will be presented on March 5, 11, 13, at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on March 7 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets (unique streaming codes) will be available for purchase for live-streaming only. There will be no live audience for these performances.
It’s the spring of 1950, and the U.S. State Department is adding a new shade of lavender to its burgeoning Red Scare. Bob Martindale and his efficient secretary Norma Baxter have been charged with rooting out communists and communism from the State Department for the last few years; they are now tasked with eliminating “deviants”—primarily homosexuals. One big problem: Bob’s marriage to Millie, and Norma’s marriage to schoolteacher Jim, are a “perfect arrangement” to hide their own gay partnerships. That is, Bob and Jim and Millie and Norma are the real couples, and forces conspire to shine a harsh spotlight on their personal truth. What begins as a comedy that purposely reflects classic 50’s era sitcoms (especially I Love Lucy) becomes a thoughtful and troubling examination of identity, self-worth, and self-knowledge in an era dominated by fear.
Theater-by-the-Grove’s productions will be performed and presented virtually to comply with Covid-19 mitigation measures. Tickets for this event are available for purchase online through the Lively Arts website (www.iup.edu/livelyarts/events ). Tickets are priced at $20 for group viewing, $10 for one person, and $7.50 for an IUP student. Access to purchase tickets (online streaming codes) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by visiting the events page of our website and clicking on the link of your chosen performance. If you prefer, you may call the Ticket Hotline at 724-357-2787, M-F, 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. for assistance purchasing streaming codes. No walk-up ticket sales will be available due to limited staffing and safety precautions.
For more information on this and other events as well as group tickets within the Lively Arts, call (724) 357-2787 (ARTS) or email lively-arts@iup.edu. Theater-by-the-Grove is produced by the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance and the College of Fine Arts. It is funded, in part, by the IUP Student Cooperative Association. The Lively Arts, a program of the College of Fine Arts, presents nearly 200 performances, programs, and exhibits annually.