Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance

The IU Theatre 2018-2019 Season will kick off with The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. The Heiress returns to the IU Stage after 20 years with the same director, Dale McFadden. McFadden is set to retire at the end of this academic year after joining IU in 1985.

Based in New York during the 1850s, The Heiress tells the story of a shy young woman, Catherine Sloper, who falls desperately in love with a charming young man. Catherine's father, a wealthy doctor, sees the young man as a fortune hunter and forbids the marriage. Based on the Henry James novel Washington Square, The Heiress is a story about love, betrayal, and what is inherited from a world of wealth, social status, and limiting expectations. This inheritance unravels the mystery of who truly has power over Catherine’s fate.

The Heiress was first produced at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City on September 29, 1947, and then later produced by New York’s Lincoln Center Theatre in March 1995. The latest Broadway revival, directed by Moises Kaufman, opened in November 2012 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Joining director McFadden on the creative team are MFA students Chris Mueller (Scenic Design & Scenic Charge), Qi’er Luo (Lighting Design), Matt Haperman (Technical Direction), and faculty member Andrew Hopson (Sound Design). Costumes were designed by Jason Orlenko who is an alumnus of the IU Costume Design M.F.A. program and the current Visiting Assistant Professor of Costume Design.

The cast of The Heiress features six M.F.A. acting students including Glynnis Kunkel-Ruiz as Catherine Sloper and Daniel Meeks as Dr. Sloper.

What: IU Theatre presents The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz

When: September 21, 22, 25-28 at 7:30 PM and September 29 at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

Where: Ruth N. Halls Theatre, Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave.

Tickets: Regular admission is $20 for adults, $10 for students. (812) 855-1103 or theatre.indiana.edu.

For more info and interview requests, please email Madison Colquette at mcolquet@indiana.edu.