SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Angelo State University Theatre will present the British farce play, "Black Comedy," from Nov. 12-15 at the Ram Band practice field, next to the Carr Fine Arts and Education Building, 2602 Dena Drive.
"Black Comedy" is a British play, written by Peter Shaffer in the mid-1960s. In the play, the lead character, Brindsley Miller, invites an art dealer to his house hoping to be discovered. Miller and his fiancé try to make his visit the best evening possible until the lights go out.
A sensory-friendly performance will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the same location. The play will be free to the public, but seating will be limited.
Ashley Love, director of University Theatre said, “It is sensory-friendly and it’s open to our community members in San Angelo and ASU who are on the autism spectrum or who suffer from PTSD. They’ll be able to control some of the volume elements of it.”
Properties designer and understudy for the lead role of Carol, Angie Calfa, plays the role of George Bamberger. She previously performed in the play "Blood Wedding."
“I think honestly my favorite part is just seeing all of the movements and shenanigans that happen due to the blackout and having to figure out how to navigate that,” Calfa said.
Love said she hopes the audience members feel a sense of connection to the theatre community.
“First and foremost I hope our audience has a moment to come and just escape reality for a little bit with us and have a laugh. So hopefully our audience members when they leave the play, they’re able to hopefully address their own insecurities. The things that they hide from their loved ones when they think no one is looking, and to know that everything is okay and be yourself,” she said.
Calfa also said she hopes the audience sees that theatre is not dead, that it is still happening.
“I hope they enjoy and are able to have some laughs, but also understand the undertones of what these characters are doing.”
Love said the University Theatre has a full season. It previously streamed the play “Blood Wedding” online and "Black Comedy" will be its first dinner play of the season.
The next performance will be "Rams' Words," which is a collection of 10-minute short plays. The plays were written, produced, designed, directed and will be performed by ASU students. Love said the plays were written and submitted over the summer.
For the spring semester, the theatre will have a production called "El Fantastico Sueño," which is based on Mexican fairytales and will delve into dreams based on Mexican folklore.
Chartwell’s, the on-campus catering group, will provide a boxed dinner option. Dinner tickets can be purchased along with performance tickets. Attendees can also bring their own food and eat in their vehicles.
Animals that are not service animals are not allowed and vehicle windows must be up at all times. All ASU COVID-19 guidelines will be observed, and masks will be required when outside the vehicle.
Admission is free for ASU students; $5 for non-ASU students; and $10 for general admission. Parking spaces and seats have the same cost and the price for the dinner option is $12.50 for everyone.
There is also the option of obtaining a season subscription. The subscription includes five tickets that can be used at any time during the season, as well as early purchasing ability. Tickets for seats and parking spaces can be purchased online at angelostatetickets.universitytickets.com or by calling the box office at 325-942-2000.
