The Wayne State University Department of Theatre’s Ph.D. Directors’ Series presents its first production of the 06-07 season. The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The- Moon Marigolds by Paul Zindel will open at the Studio Theatre (located downstairs from the Hilberry Theatre on the corner of Cass and Hancock) at 8 p.m. on October 12, 2006. The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds runs October 12 - October 21, 2006.

The play takes place in an out-of-business flower shop made into the home of Beatrice Hunsdorfer and her two teenage daughters, Ruth and Tillie. Beatrice has become reclusive and cynical over the years that have passed since her husband left. Ruth, the older of the two daughters, has begun to shadow her mother’s jaded ways. The younger of the two girls, Tillie, has begun to show a special talent for science. Tillie is given a set of Man-In-The-Moon Marigold seeds from her teacher, Mr. Goodman, that have been specially treated, and enters them into the school science fair. Tillie is then chosen as one of five finalists for the top prize, which launches the Hunsdorfer family into a profound confrontation with the past.

Playwright Paul Zindel received a degree in Chemistry from Wagner College, where he took a creative writing class, discovered his mentor, Edward Albee, and developed a newfound love for story-telling. Mr. Zindel taught high school chemistry and physics, and his first staged play, The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1971. He passed away from cancer on March 27, 2003.

Directed by Ph.D. candidate Aili Marie Smith the cast includes: senior Katie Clark (Livonia) as Beatrice, sophomore Jessica Green (White Lake) as Ruth, junior Holly Portman (Milford) as Tillie, senior Sharon L. Brooks (Detroit) as Nanny, and sophomore Katie MacKenzie (Ann Arbor) as Janice. Designers for The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds include sophomore Alan Batkiewicz (Berkley) as scenic designer, junior Theresa Hartman (Royal Oak) as costume designer, freshman Charles Ward (Grosse Pointe Park) as lighting designer and Mike Petrack (Southfield) as sound designer.

Ticket prices range from $8 - $10. Discount tickets are available to all students, senior citizens aged 62 and up and WSU faculty, staff and Alumni Association members. For tickets and further information, please call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University box office at 4743 Cass on the corner of Cass and Hancock. Performance information may also be obtained by visiting the company’s website at www.theatre.wayne.edu.