University of South Florida

School of Theatre & Dance

College of the Arts

Honors Centerstage: 2 Contemporary Plays

TheatreUSF Honors Program presents two contemporary plays.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Leonardo Cirigliano 

A man is hunched over, decked in an orange jumpsuit, looking scornfully. Several soldier guards stand watch around his cage, armored and geared. Some boxes with a foreign language scrawled across it are in the back, two people dressed in green crouch on them.
A group of men (two young, one older) are positioned in an upwards stack, the first man sports a buzzcut and is in simple camouflage, he’s crouched next to a hollow box, he looks scared. The second man sits on top of the box the first man is crouched against, he’s missing his hand, the stub is bloodied. He’s sitting cross-legged and is motioning outward with his free hand, a sly look on his face. The third man is standing in a larger box next to the one the second man is sitting atop of. He looks rugged, a full beard, and wears a torn and loose-fitting suit. He looks up, a gleam of either happiness or madness in his eyes.
Two young men (one white, the other non-white) are in the middle of an intense fight, one stands over the other, angrily holding a gun to the back of his head, his other hand firmly grasping his head. The other man is pressed against the floor, and seems to be in discomfort.
A young military solider stands in his helmet and accompanying gear, rifle against his back as he looks out and in silence or reverie. The background is dark against his light figure.
Two figures (one young man and one young woman) dressed in colorful green clothing, feathers and miscellaneous items scattered on their form and in their hair stand side by side against a man with a rugged beard in a tattered suit. The three of them are tensed, anticipating whatever might be coming from off-screen.
A man with slicked hair and a distinct and full mustache leans back against a desk, cigar in his hand as he looks off to the right, a grand smile lighting up his face. He wears a black suit, cuffed with tan lining, the tie he wears the same color. Under his suit jacket he’s wearing a white shirt. His tie and sides of his suit are line with various button pins of different colors.
This scene showcases the middle of an intense argument/confrontation. A young woman dressed in green clothing stands in the background, shadowed by darkness, her hand posed in a clawing manner. She stands in the teapot position. In the foreground, two young men are faced to each other, one sitting down yelling at the other one, who stands with a gun pointed at the former. Both are wearing military gear.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph is a philosophical exploration of human nature and the roots of good and evil. Set against the backdrop of the Iraqi War in 2003 as seen through the eyes of a captive Bengal tiger at the zoo, it deals with an Iraqi translator's struggle to be loyal to his people while serving the American military.

May 30 - June 1 at 8 p.m.; June 2 at 3 p.m.
TAR 120 in the Theatre Centre on the USF Tampa Campus

Please note: This show is for mature audiences – contains adult content, gunfire, and nudity.

Reload

An original work devised by our talented Theatre Honors students.
Directed by Christopher Hough

A man with slick black hair and a taped-on goatee is decked in a black and white suit and dons' black glasses has his fingers crookedly outreached as he speaks, he’s making an O shape with his mouth.
A group of young men and women stand behind some stacked wooden crates that read “RELOAD”. Each person is wearing a white button down with black slacks with a different colored tie ranging from blue (far right), green, yellow, red to orange (far left). A girl with a yellow tie (middle) holds up a makeshift weapon.
This is a closeup of a young woman and man, denoted by their colored ties (yellow and blue). Yellow looks annoyed and fed up, Blue has his arm around her shoulder, a playful grin splayed across his face, brows raised.
A small group of young men and women are huddled together off to the audience’s left (viewer’s right). Three of them (Orange, Yellow and Green) sit in the foreground in front of crates that read “RELOAD”, pantyhose stockings tied to their heads, each looking noticeably worried. Blue sits behind them on a crate looking to the left.
A young woman sits on a couch, with a red tie. Looming behind her is a girl with an orange tie and a young man with a face mask on. They both look intensely at the young woman with the red tie who is startled and looks afraid. Her nose is bleeding and she holds a small white vial with a red cap.
This is a close shot of a young man and woman standing together, the woman in a red tie, holding onto the arm of the man (who wears a green tie). She looks to the left excitedly, the young man looks to the right hurriedly, anxious and seemingly tense.

Welcome to Reload! You are cordially invited to attend a live taping of America's new favorite variety show. Join us and share in an evening of fantastic fun, uproarious laughter, and of course, good old-fashioned violence and gunplay! Our host of kooky characters, spectacular stunts, and over-the-top skits are sure to keep you rolling in the aisles. So, unholster your pistols, take your safeties off, and arm yourself for Reload! What could go wrong?!

June 13-15 at 8 p.m.
June 16 at 3 p.m.
TAR 120 in the Theatre Centre on the USF Tampa Campus

Please note: This show is for mature audiences, contains adult content and weapons.