The University of Florida School of Theatre + Dance is pleased to present “The Golden Dragon,” a play written by Roland Schimmelpfennig, translated by David Tushingham and directed by Professor Ralf Remshardt. The show runs Oct. 1-11 in the Black Box Theatre located in the Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion on UF’s campus.
Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1-2 and Oct. 6-10, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 and Oct. 11. Tickets are $13 for UF students, $15 for UF faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $18 for the general public.
The setting of “The Golden Dragon” includes the sweaty kitchen of a Pan Asian restaurant, the dining room within the restaurant and various apartments in the building where the restaurant is housed. The surrealistic play explores issues of globalization and the plight of undocumented immigrant workers. Five actors play various roles ranging from a young Chinese immigrant to flight attendants to a couple dealing with relationship problems. Remshardt has also created a new character, the Foley Artist, who will provide sound effects and serve as a commentator on the events of the play.
“Part of the ambition is to reverse the conventional expectation that students and patrons have about theatre,” says Remshardt. “I want to make people see that realistic theatre is actually over the full duration of theatrical history, an exception. The norm is an appeal to the imagination and the enfranchisement of the audience’s ability to participate and to get into the theatrical fiction, play with it and to be played with.”
Remshardt has directed past School of Theatre + Dance productions including “Never the Sinner,” “Big Love,” “The Bacchae” and “Clybourne Park” in a co-production with the Hippodrome Theatre. The cast of “The Golden Dragon” includes Grace Abele, Chris Alfonso, Ernest Briggs, Amanda Hayter, Jeremy Martinez and Mallory Steffes.
"The Golden Dragon" had its U.S. premiere during the 2011-2012 season at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., directed by Serge Seiden and with a cast of film and television actors such as Noah Galvin, Peter Kim, K.K. Moggie and Welker White, as well as stage actor Stephen Duff Webber.
A behind-the-scenes look at dress rehearsal can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/140848751.
Tickets are available through the University Box Officelocated at Gate 1 of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, by calling 352-392-1653 or at ticketmaster.com. The University Box Office is open Tuesdays through Fridays 12-5:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased at the Constans Theatre Box Office starting 45 minutes prior to the performance.
The Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion is located at 687 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611. On-campus parking is available at the Reitz Union garage and the Museum Road parking lot. Guests are strongly encouraged to pick up tickets early, as shows run the risk of being sold out.
For more information, please contact Leah Spellman at lspellman@arts.ufl.edu or 352-273-1489.
