Broadway on Campus

Louisa May Alcott never came to Duke--nor Trinity College, for that matter--but her famous "little women" are coming in the fall of 2004. Jo, Amy, Beth, Meg, and Marmee will be on stage, singing and dancing in Little Women: The Musical, a fresh adaptation of the time-honored novel. During Pre-Broadway Weekend, alumni will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes, witness the creative process, and meet some of the play's principals.

The alumni college weekend, sponsored by the Duke Alumni Association, was created by the alumni office's travel and education program. The Pre-Broadway Weekend begins Friday night with a reception at the Duke University Museum of Art, followed by a discussion with John Clum, chair of theater studies. He'll explore the many film adaptations of Little Women and other works of literature, from page to stage or screen. After a backstage tour on Saturday morning, a panel featuring members of the creative team--including Dani Berthiaume Davis '88, one of the musical's producers, and Jason Howland, the composer--will discuss the process of mounting the production. After a luncheon, the afternoon is free for exploring the campus before the evening's performance.

According to Susan Schulman, Little Women's director, "This production will use the changing seasons of New England--the apple and oak trees laden with snow, full with blossoms, leaves colored and blown in autumn. As we say, six generations have read and loved this story; the seventh will sing it."

For information, contact Rachel Davies '72, A.M. '89 at (919) 681-6216; rachel.davies@daa.duke.edu; or Pre-Broadway Weekend, Box 90572, Durham, N.C. 27708-0572.

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