Freyda Thomas' "The Gamester" opens NCT's Main Season on October 7 in the Judy Bayley Theatre. Inspired by a 17 th century French play by Jean-Francois Regnard, Thomas has created wonderfully outrageous characters involved in a variety of plot entanglements.
Set in Paris at the turn-of-the-18 th century, "The Gamester" is a mirror of our own turn-of-the-century America with all its wealth, too little leisure time, too many casinos, too few women with real power, and too many ways of avoiding reality. While the play centers on Valere and his impulsive gambling, all the characters in the play have their own compulsions; sex, obsessive love, money, or food.
Michael Lugering directs "The Gamester" which is set in Las Vegas as part of NCT's participation in the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration. The cast features Stephen Crandall as Valere and Lisa Easley as Angelique, the modest and sensible love of his life. Guest artists include Michael Tylo as Valere's father, Jennifer Williams as Mme. Securitee, and Steve Peterson as Dorante, a character who is madly in love with Angelique. Others in the cast include Brandon Burk, Melanie Ash, Dana Martin, Steve Fehr, Federico Flores and Zonya Johnson.
Joe Varga designs the set, with costumes by Katrina Hertfelder, lighting by Vance McKenzie, and original music by Nick Rissman.
Performances are October 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. on October 9, 15 and 16. Tickets are $25 general admission and $20 for students, seniors military and handicapped, and on sale at the UNLV Performing Arts Center Box Office. Season subscriptions for the five main season productions are available for $95. The subscription entitles subscribers to one show in the season for free. The Box Office is opened Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and may be reached by calling 895-ARTS (2787).
The Nevada Conservatory Theatre at UNLV is distinct and special in the way it features professional actors, designers, and directors working along-side advanced graduate and undergraduate students recruited from around the country.
