University Park, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Cow. Slob. Pig. How many insults can you hear before you have to stand up and defend the woman you love? Neil LaBute’s sharply drawn play, Fat Pig, not only wittily critiques our society’s slavish adherence to Hollywood standards of beauty, but boldly questions our own ability and courage to change what we dislike about ourselves.
GSU’s Theatre and Performance Studies students will present Fat Pig on the Center for Performing Art’s stage on October 29, November 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. and October 30 at 2 p.m. The audience will be seated onstage with the performers in theatre-in-the-round. Seating is General Admission but limited to 85 seats per night so advance tickets are recommended. Tickets are just $15 and $10 for students with valid I.D. The play is directed by Assistant Professor Dr. Patrick Santoro.
Neil LaBute has said of the play, “I see a lot of myself in Fat Pig…the story really deals with human weakness and the difficulty many people face when trying to stand up for, live up to, or come out for something they believe in. And that’s pretty much me in a nutshell – well-meaning as can be, but surprisingly lame when push really comes to shove. Heroism, it would seem, is a tough gig.”
This is the eighth production by Governors State’s Theatre and Performance Studies (TAPS) program, approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education as a Bachelor’s Degree in 2014; the only such degree combining the two disciplines at a public state university in Illinois. Previous performances included Anne Sexton’s “Transformations”, musical theatre “A…My Name is Alice”, docudrama “Still Life”, classic drama Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”, dark comedy “Kimberly Akimbo”, science fiction drama “Fahrenheit 451”, and a modern retelling of Greek myth “Eurydice”.
The opening night performance on Saturday, October 29, will include a pre-show bacon bar including flavored bacons and bacon infused cupcakes at 6:30 p.m. for an additional $15.
This show is the first production in which the cast consists of all GSU students:
Tom – Marcus Stephens of Chicago
Helen – Maya Shelton of Bourbonnais
Carter – Bradford Simmons of Crete
Jeannie – Kayla Liggins of Chicago
How to Buy Tickets for Fat Pig
Online: Centertickets.net
By Phone: 708.235.2222
In Person at the Box Office: 1 University Parkway, University Park, IL
Box Office Hour: Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 2 hours prior to performances. Thursday the Box Office is open until 6 p.m.
Download the Center’s APP: goo.gl/nqy4ul
About Neil LaBute
Neil LaBute was born March 19, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan, and later settled in a Chicago suburb with his wife Lisa and two grown children. LaBute earned his MFA from the University of Kansas. LaBute is also a film director. His films include his screen adaptation of his play In the Company of Men (1997), Nurse Betty (2000), and The Wicker Man (2006) for which he also wrote the screenplay.
