Figures of Speech Theatre to Perform 'Nightingale'  

News Release

Contact:  H.G. Young, Professor of Music, (304-424-8248.)

West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s Distinguished Performance Series will close its season with a combination of live actors and exquisite puppets when the Figures of Speech Theatre performs Friday, April 28.

The ensemble will present Hans Christian Anderson’s "Nightingale" at 8 p.m. in the multi-purpose room. The program is suitable for the entire family.

Founded in 1982, the Figures of Speech Theatre is a visionary fusion of ancient legends and live actors, modern themes and exquisite puppets, masks and rituals, music and spectacle, transformation and shadow.

The company has twice won the Citation of Excellence, the highest award in North American puppet theater. It has also received several grant awards from the Jim Henson Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts while charming audiences from its home in Maine to Europe and Japan.

"Nightingale" will come to life through stunningly crafted puppets and actors in a style reminiscent of the ancient Japanese bunraku puppet theatre.

Tickets for the program are available in the college business office at $10 for adults; $5 for students; $5 for WVU Parkersburg faculty and staff, and $2 for WVU Parkersburg students. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door, beginning at 7 the night of the performance.

The DP Series is made possible with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts with approval by the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, University System Board of Trustees Social Justice program, WVU Parkersburg academic affairs, and student activity fee.

For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
Director, Institutional Advancement
Office:  (304) 424-8203 
Fax:  (304) 424-8315