Swine Palace is a non-profit professional theatre company associated with the Louisiana State University Department of Theatre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. [1] The theatre companies home is located in the Reilly Theatre on the campus of LSU. [1]
History
In 1992, an historic livestock judging pavilion called the Swine Palace was slated for and spared demolition by a grant from the Reilly family and the efforts of Gresdna Doty of the LSU Theatre Department. [2] The theater company founded in 1992 by Barry Kyle (former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre) in association with LSU Department of Theatre was named after the original name of the building in which it would be located. [1] The Swine Palace building was renamed the Reilly Theatre and was designed to maintain the architectural integrity of its original origins. [1] [2] The first play presented in the Swine Palace building was not a Swine Palace theater company production, but an LSU Theatre student production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, during the spring of 1973.
During the spring of 2007, in conjunction with the LSU Performing Arts Series and Ping Chong and Company, the Swine Palace produced the world premiere of Cocktail, written by Vince LiCata and Ping Chong. Based on the true struggles of Thai scientist Krisana Kraisintu, this play follows the struggle to create an affordable version of the anti- HIV drug AZT for the thousands of Thai AIDS patients. [2]
In June 2007, LSU Theatre and Swine Palace embarked on the first-ever international tour performing Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles" directed by Michael Tick at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and the Beijing Central Academy of Drama. As such, they were the first theatre company to perform Ms. Wassersteins's work in China, and one of only a handful of U.S. companies to perform at either of these prestigious institutions.
The China tour was conceived as part of LSU's University-wide China initiative and included five performances at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, the largest performing arts institution in Shanghai, and three performances at the Beijing Central Academy of Drama, one of the finest academies in Asia. The play was originally performed as part of Swine Palace's 2006–2007 season. In total, 31 people made the month-long trip, including 15 undergraduates and graduate students; six faculty members and a number of friends and family.
Production history
| Season | Play | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | Roe | Lori Elizabeth Parquet |
| The Book of Will | George Judy | |
| 2022-2023 | Craters | Chuck Mike |
| Operating Systems | Candy | |
| 2021-2022 | Sweat | Gerald Kimbel |
| 2020-2021 | Small Mouth Sounds | Ligh Fondakowski |
| 2019-2020 | Oil | Joy Vandevort-Cobb |
| Gloria | Femi Euba | |
| 2018-2019 | Airline Highway | Joy Vandevort-Cobb |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | Rick Holden | |
| 2017-2018 | Always...Patsy Cline | Vastine Stabler |
| Arcadia | George Judy | |
| The Mountaintop | Femi Euba | |
| 2016-2017 | Stupid F***ing Bird | Risa Brainin |
| The Seagull | Gavin Cameron Webb | |
| Julius Caesar | Jane Page | |
| Noises Off | Vastine Stabler | |
| 2015-2016 | Vieux Carré | George Judy |
| Disgraced | Femi Euba | |
| As You Like It | George Judy | |
| 2014-2015 | Frankenstein | George Judy |
| All My Sons | Jane Page | |
| The Book Club | George Judy | |
| 2013–2014 | Spill | Leigh Fondakowski |
| Dove | Sean Daniels | |
| Clybourne Park | Femi Euba | |
| 2012–2013 | All The King's Men | George Judy |
| Rising Water | George Judy & Ben Koucherik | |
| A Free Man of Color | Paul Russell | |
| 2011–2012 | The Brothers Size | Femi Euba |
| Pride and Prejudice | George Judy | |
| August: Osage County | George Judy | |
| 2010–2011 | The Metal Children | Joanna Battles |
| King Lear | Deb Alley | |
| Design for Living | George Judy | |
| 2009–2010 | Self Defense (or death of some salesmen) | Joanna Battles |
| A Doll's House | George Judy | |
| The Royal Family | John Dennis | |
| 2008–2009 | Love's Labour's Lost | George Judy |
| Satellites | Michael Tick | |
| Disney's High School Musical on Stage! | Paula Sloan | |
| 2007–2008 | Hair | Steve Young |
| Speak Truth to Power | Michael Tick | |
| King Hedley II | Joy Vandervort-Cobb | |
| 2006–2007 | Cocktail | Ping Chong |
| The Heidi Chronicles | Michael Tick | |
| Metamorphoses | Steve Young | |
| 2005–2006 | Always...Patsy Cline | Jennifer Jones-Cavenaugh |
| She Stoops to Conquer | Jane Page | |
| Tennessee Williams in QUARTER Time | John Dennis | |
| Arms and the Man | Jane Brody | |
| 2004–2005 | Pump Boys and Dinettes | Jennifer Jones-Cavenaugh |
| You Can't Take It with You | John Dennis | |
| The Exonerated | Michael Tick | |
| Macbeth | Leon Ingulsrud | |
| 2003–2004 | Always...Patsy Cline | Jennifer Jones-Cavenaugh |
| The Laramie Project | Leon Ingulsrud | |
| Shiloh Rules | John Dennis | |
| " Ma" Rainey's Black Bottom | Joy Vandevort-Cobb | |
| 2002–2003 | The Louisiana Purchase | Dom Ruggiero |
| The Two Gentlemen of Verona | John Dennis | |
| Fences | Joy Vandevort-Cobb | |
| 2001–2002 | Death of a Salesman | Leon Ingulsrud |
| A Christmas Carol | John Dennis | |
| The Tavern | Edward Morgan | |
| 2000–2001 | To Kill A Mockingbird | Vastine Stabler |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Barry Kyle | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Tina Packer | |
| 1999–2000 | Waiting for Godot | Barry Kyle |
| Three Sisters | Barry Kyle | |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Barry Kyle | |
| Gumbo Ya-Ya | Barry Kyle | |
| Four Joans and a Fire-eater | Barry Kyle | |
| 1998–1999 | Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika | Barry Kyle |
| Gloria Duplex | Barry Kyle | |
| As I lay Dying | Edward Kemp | |
| 1997–1998 | Pump Boys and Dinettes | Barry Kyle |
| Angels in America, Part I: The Millennium Approaches | Barry Kyle | |
| Skylight | Barry Kyle | |
| The Merchant of Venice | Barry Kyle | |
| 1996–1997 | A Confederacy of Dunces | Barry Kyle |
| Flesh & Blood | Barry Kyle | |
| The Rocky Horror Show | Barry Kyle | |
| Suburbia | Barry Kyle | |
| Geniuses | Steven Soderbergh | |
| 1995–1996 | The Kingfish | Andrew Dickey |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Barry Kyle | |
| The Cure at Troy | Barry Kyle | |
| The Rocky Horror Show | Lucy Maycock | |
| From the Mississippi Delta | Trellis Steptor | |
| 1994–1995 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Barry Kyle |
| Keely & Du | Barry Kyle & Lucy Maycock | |
| Tent Meeting | Barry Kyle & C.C. Courtney | |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Barry Kyle | |
| A Child's Christmas in Wales | Barry Kyle | |
| 1993–1994 | A Confederacy of Dunces | Barry Kyle |
| Good | Barry Kyle | |
| 1992–1993 | All the King's Men | Barry Kyle |
| The Hypocrite | Barry Kyle |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Ryan, Meg (20 November 2016). "Swine Palace *** At 25, LSU theatre is still performing socially conscious plays and training new generation of theater professionals". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Matherne, Christie (20 July 2011). "Herding Swine: The 20-year Odyssey of Swine Palace". Dig Baton Rouge. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2023.