February 25th, 2009

FARMINGTON, ME (February 25, 2009)--University of Maine at Farmington
Theater Arts program and Women and Gender Studies program will present
Rachel Crothers' play, "He and She," in celebration of Women's History
Month. This turn-of-the-century drama on the plight of the emancipated
woman will be performed at 7:30 p.m., March 12-14; and at 2 p.m., March 15,
at the UMF Alumni Theater.

Years ahead of its time, Crothers' play explores the question of
traditional gender roles in the family and the professional world by
looking at the lives of the Herford family. Tom Herford and his wife Ann
are both sculptors competing for the same important commission. As each
submits an entry for the prestigious prize, their marriage is threatened as
they are faced with the question of what a woman's role should be in
society, and how she reconciles her desire for both a family and a career.

Under the direction of Andrea Southard, UMF professor of theater, "He and
She" features an all-student cast and crew. "The students first read
Crothers' drama in their U.S. Theatrical Literature and History course,"
said Southard, "and were convinced this surprisingly early representation
of the women's movement and gender roles issues was a story they wanted to
tell on stage. The UMF Theater Arts program is committed to educational
theater and creating opportunities for both the artists and the audience to
explore questions that impact everyone's daily lives."

The leading female playwright of the first half of the twentieth century,
Crothers made many contributions to realistic modern drama, writing and
producing on average one Broadway play per year. She was a pioneer in the
world of theater--directing, staging and casting most of her own plays.
Beyond the quality of her craft, she is recognized for the way her writing
addressed the social and moral problems that affected women of that era.
She was also noted for her philanthropic work throughout her career,
establishing relief organizations in response to the needs of World War I
and II veterans and their families, and depression era victims.

Tickets for the performance are $7 for adults, $6 for non-UMF students, $4
for senior citizens and children, and free for UMF students with their I.D.
Tickets are available at the time of the performance, and can be reserved
by calling the Alumni Theater box office at 207-778-7465.

More Information on Cast and Crew of "He and She"

Director, Andrea Southard

In her 27-year tenure at UMF, Southard's productions have covered a wide
range of styles and periods such as Sheridan's "The School for Scandal";
Goldoni's "The Fan"; the standard thriller, "Dracula"; contemporary dramas
like Lanford Wilson's "Book of Days"; "Enchanted April," by Matthew Barber
(from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim); John Guare's "House of Blue
Leaves"; and such musicals as "The Fantasticks" and "Cabaret." Southard
received a bachelor's degree in secondary education/language arts, a
master's degree in theater and drama, and a doctorate in theater and drama
from the University of Kansas.

Cast

Tom Herford . . . . . Mark Lemos -- Durham
Ann Herford . . . . . Elizabeth DeAngelis -- Lewiston
Daisy Herford . . . . . Rebekah Church -- Vienna
Millicent Herford . . . . . Rebecca Hodgdon -- South Berwick
Dr. Remington . . . . . Ryan Patstone -- North Waterboro
Keith McKenzie . . . . . Adam Randal -- Braintree, Mass.
Ruth Creel . . . . . Jade A. Wells -- Pittsfield
Ellen . . . . . Amanda Reynolds-Gregg -- Randolph

Crew

Stage Manager . . . . . Amanda McClelland -- Middleboro, Mass.
Assistant Stage Manager . . . . . Kenny Lamb -- Portland

# # #

For more information, please call Andrea Southard, UMF professor of
theater, at 207-778-7462, or at southard@maine.edu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You will find photo at
http://www.umf.maine.edu/campus/docs/RP089-035.jpg

Photo Credit: John Poisson

Photo Caption: Students (left to right) Adam Randal, Ryan Patstone and
Rebekah Church in scene from University of Maine at Farmington's production
of "He and She."