ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (November 1, 2023) — The Augustana College Department of Theatre Arts presents the area premiere of Nine, November 16-19, directed by Shelley Cooper, associate professor of theatre arts.
Facing a midlife crisis, film director Guido Contini dreads his next birthday, which finds him at a creative crossroads. The play is based on the musical by Maury Yeston and book by Arthur Kopit.
“I’m excited to collaborate with our new film program and thrilled to be working on a show with more female roles than male roles,” Cooper said of directing Nine. “Additionally, this will be the first time this show has been staged in the Quad Cities — that’s quite rare for our area!”
Associate Professor and Film Program Director Stacy Barton said this is the first time students in Augustana’s new film major, launched in 2022, will have the opportunity to use their skills in filming a portion of an Augustana stage production.
"As a filmmaker long influenced by the fusion of visual experimentation and narrative realism exhibited in Italian cinema, I'm ecstatic to partner on the filmed portions of Nine, particularly since it flips the script on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical 1963 film 8½, about a narcissistic womanizing film director!" she said.
Tickets can be purchased at Augustana.edu/tickets.
Performances will take place at the Brunner Theatre Center Main Stage.
