Mitchell Thomas, 蜜桃传媒 theatre arts professor and department chair, performs a one-man show, 鈥淭he Fever,鈥� written by Wallace Shawn and winner of the 1991 Obie award for best play, April 26-28 all at 8 p.m. in 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 new black-box theater, the Space, adjacent to Porter Theatre. General admission tickets may be purchased for $10 at the box office or by calling (805) 565-7140. Additional performances are Sunday, April 29, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1500 State Street, and Wednesday, May 2, at 8 p.m. at Municipal Winemakers, 22 Anacapa Street, in downtown Santa Barbara.
Thomas, who recently played Gustav in 鈥淐reditors鈥� at the Ensemble Theatre Company, first performed 鈥淭he Fever鈥� last spring in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Spokane and London. 鈥淚t is an extremely well-written and provocative piece of theater that is challenging to me as both an actor and as a person,鈥� he says.
鈥淭he Fever,鈥� directed by Maurie Lord, asks in a highly original way if it鈥檚 possible or even right for a sensitive person to be happy in today鈥檚 world. 鈥溾�楾he Fever鈥� gets under your skin, posing important questions about what it means to be human and what it means to live with privilege,鈥� Thomas says.
Thomas鈥� one-man, tour-de-force performance inaugurates 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 new intimate theater space. 鈥淚 have been more than thrilled with the spirited debates and lively discussions we鈥檝e had following our first round of performances,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淭he Space is a fantastic addition to the theater facilities at 蜜桃传媒 with an intimate environment that is perfect for a one-person show like 鈥楾he Fever.鈥欌��
In October, Thomas starred in the 蜜桃传媒 Festival Theatre/Lit Moon Theatre Company co-production of 鈥淧eer Gynt.鈥� In November, he produced Tim Crouch鈥檚 鈥淓NGLAND鈥� at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. He has won many awards, including the 2008 Arlin G. Meyer Prize, awarded biennially to a full-time faculty member from a college or university in the Lilly Fellows Program National Network.