Newsroom

CORVALLIS - The University Theatre program at Oregon State University will open its 2000-01 season, "Mystery and Intrigue," with a pair of plays that not only will be led by guest conductors, but will rotate on the main Withycombe Hall stage.

The season will begin with the Agatha Christie classic, "The Mousetrap," which will be directed by Scott Gilbert, a faculty member at Louisiana Tech University. It will run Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 16-18, with curtain time at 7:30 p.m.

Running in tandem will be Tom Stoppard's hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie mysteries, "The Real Inspector Hound." It will be directed by Rebecca Keeling, a senior theater arts major at OSU. Performances are scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at 7:30 p.m., and Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.

OSU faculty member Richard George is designing a set that will accommodate the action for both plays.

Gilbert, a native of Creswell, Ore., is a 1988 OSU graduate who has a master's from Louisiana Tech. He performed in a number of plays at OSU, portraying Jason in "Medea" and Prospero in "The Tempest." He also lettered in golf while at Oregon State.

For the past few summers, he has directed for the Greenbriar Valley Theatre in West Virginia. At Louisiana Tech, he has directed Brendan Behan's "The Hostage," Sam Shephard's "Buried Child" and Moliere's "Tartuffe," among other plays.

Keeling, who is gaining a reputation for her theatrical versatility, recently directed "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" at Albany Civic Theatre. She was costume designer for "Tartuffe" at OSU, and has appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, Shakespeare's "Love's Labor's Lost" and other plays.

After graduation, she will intern with the Oregon Shakespearean Festival before pursuing graduate studies in theater arts.

Tickets for the performances cost $8 for general admission, $5 for seniors and $4 for students. Season tickets are available for $30 by calling the University Theatre at 541-737-2853.