Denison University Theatre will open its 76th subscription series with "Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities" by Anna Deavere Smith. In 1991, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, an Hasidic man's car jumped a curb, killing a seven-year-old black child. In a seeming act of retaliation, an Hasidic rabbinical student was fatally stabbed, and the ensuing riots made national headlines. From more than 50 interviews with activists, politicians, religious leaders, gang members, street dwellers, and Crown Heights residents, Smith created a powerful and moving theatrical event. It will be directed by Dale Shields, Vail Artist-in-Residence. Performance dates are October 6-7 and 10-14.

A century earlier, Alfred Jarry's "Ubu the King" provoked another kind of outrage, as Parisian audiences reacted to its scatological references. Championed by Dadaists and Surrealists as the first absurdist drama, it satirizes the tendency of the successful bourgeois to abuse his authority. The title character is cruel, gluttonous, and grotesque -- the author's metaphor for modern man. Directed by Robert Gander, "Ubu the King" will be performed November 9-11 and 14-17.

Of immediate relevance will be the production of "Homebody/Kabul" by Tony Kushner. Set in Kabul, this play examines Afghanistan's history, its long and tortured relationship with the West, and its current political and humanitarian crisis. The plot centers around the disappearance of an eccentric British woman (the Homebody) and the search for her by her husband and daughter. In their quest for the truth and closure, the lines between real and unreal, the political and the personal, are intentionally blurred and ambiguous. The role of The Homebody will be played by Elizabeth Norment, Actors' Equity Guest Artist and Vail Artist-in-Residence. John Sipes will direct the production. Performance dates are February 16-17 and 20-24.

Closing the season will be "Fuddy Meers" by David Lindsay-Abaire. This outrageous comedy follows the adventures of Claire, who suffers from psychogenic amnesia and loses all her memories each night while she sleeps. Claire's world goes topsy-turvy when she is abducted by a man in a ski mask (who might be her brother) and kept hostage by a demented puppeteer at the home of her equally bizarre mother. This separates Claire from her most valuable possession -- her vital information that is written out, step by daily step, in the notebook that has become her identity. Directed by Robert Gander, the play will be performed April 6-7 and 10-14.

All performances are at 8 p.m. in Ace Morgan Theatre, Theatre Arts Building, at 211 W. College Street in. Season subscriptions are available at the following rates: General Admission $24; Senior Citizens $15, and Students $12. Call 740-587-6231 for more information about the productions or to request a season brochure. Web site: www.denison.edu/theatre.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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