USD Theatre Welcomes Audiences Back with Fun Home
Based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, “Fun Home” is an intimate musical about coming of age, coming to terms and coming out of the closet. Bechdel opens her memories like a collage for the audience as we follow her journey as a child, a college student and an adult.
Joe Stollenwerk, director and assistant professor in the theatre department, said the show holds a special place in his heart. “I wrote my dissertation on musicals written by women, and it’s an honor to direct the first musical with an all-female writing team to win Tony Awards® for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score,” Stollenwerk said. “‘Fun Home’s’ focus on women and LGBTQ+ characters speak so strongly to those audiences, but its focus on family dynamics and growing make it universally relatable. It’s the perfect show to bring us back into the theatre space together. It’s an emotional journey, but one that has humor and joy.”
Megan Gilbreath, a junior B.F.A. musical theatre major, plays the role of Bechdel, aged 43. “There’s something in ‘Fun Home’ for everyone,” said Gilbreath. “It is a story of accepting yourself and moving on and realizing that your past and where you have come from don’t truly define you. There’s something in this show that everyone can take away from it.”
‘Fun Home’ performs Sept. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre on the USD campus. Tickets ($15 Adults, $12 Senior Citizen [62+], $10 K-12 & non-USD students with ID, and free for USD students with ID) can be purchased in the afternoons (noon - 5 p.m.) starting Sept. 16 at the USD Theatre Box Office or by calling 605-658-3484; tickets can also be purchased online at www.usd.edu/theatre.
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