WRENS to Play in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre

Rachel Finney, Cynthia Anne Roser, Chelsea Milligan

Rachel Finney, Cynthia Anne Roser, Chelsea Milligan

Anne V. McGravie’ssemi-autobiographical story about Navy servicewomen during World War II will play in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre March 27-April 13, 2014.  The corporate sponsor for this production is Stowers Machinery.  Due to popularity, seating is extremely limited.  A first-come-first served waiting list will begin forty-five minutes prior to curtain for sold out performances.  Should seating become available through ticket donations, release of house seats, or other means, these seats will be released to patrons based on the order of the waiting list.

McGravie said that the thought of “going away and being on my own” was the main draw of joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). “It was a different life in every way and opened my mind and the whole world to me.  I enjoyed everything about it, and when the war was over I didn’t know what to do with myself,” she said.

Tracey Copeland Halter (Director) will make her directorial debut with this production.  She received her MFA in Theatre from New York University and served on the UT Theatre faculty from 2005-2013.  Her CBT acting credits include: “Black Pearl Sings!”, “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” “Charley’s Aunt,” The Who’s Tommy,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Intimate Apparel,” “Fences,” and “A Christmas Carol.”  She also has performed on Broadway, at the NY Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center, the Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, and others.

“There are so many universal themes for women in this play. Who am I? What role do I play in history? What’s my legacy? What happens to a life that has been compartmentalized (inside and out) in such a small space for so many years?” Copeland-Halter said about the production.

The cast is comprised on graduate and undergraduate Theatre actors.  The graduate actors include: Jess Milewicz (Gwyneth); Lindsay Nance (Cynthia); Cynthia Anne Roser(Dawn); and Laura Sebastian (Jenny).  The undergraduate actors include: Rachel Finney (Chelsea); Chelsea Milligan (Doris); and Amber Rose Wilson (Meg).

The designers for this production include: Josafeth Israel Reynoso Calvillo (Scenic Designer); Hannah Chalman (Costume Designer); Kenneth Foster (Lighting Designer); Mike Ponder (Sound Designer);Terry Weber(Dialect Coach);and Maggie Wallen (Stage Manager).

Ticket prices range from $5 to $15.  As a participating member of the Blue Star Theater family, the CBT welcomes U.S. military personnel, spouses and children as well as U.S. veterans and offers discounted tickets to active-duty military and immediate families, as well as returning veterans for our productions.  Tickets are limited to two per household and are based on availability.  For more information or tickets, call the CBT Box Office at 865-974-5161 or visit us online at clarencebrowntheatre.com

With a dual mission to train the next generation of theatre artists and to provide top quality professional theatre, the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is one of only 12 academic LORT (League of Resident Theatre) institutions in the nation.  Under the artistic direction of Calvin MacLean, the CBT season runs from August through May and features eight productions ranging from musicals to drama.  The 2013-2014 concludes with Monty Python’s Spamalot.  Stay connected with the Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook (Clarence Brown Theatre), follow us on Twitter (@ClarenceBrown) and view Clarence Brown videos on YouTube (Clarence Bro).For more information or tickets, call the CBT Box Office at 865-974-5161 or visit us online at clarencebrowntheatre.com.