Theatre Department to Present Kafka's "The Trial"

BUFFALO, N.Y. --The University at Buffalo's Department of Theatre and Dance will present Franz Kafka's The Trial, adapted by Steven Berkoff and directed by Vincent O'Neill, artistic director of the Irish Classical Theatre Company, Feb. 22-26 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Feb. 22-25 and 2 p.m. Feb. 25 and 26.

In this version of Kafka's classic tale, physical theater dominates the staging of a thrilling story of suspense. Two strangers visit Joseph K, an industrious and conscientious chief clerk at a bank, to inform him that he is under arrest, yet they do not specify the charge or crime. K sets out on a relentless quest to find out more about the charge, the court, the law and its procedures, attempting to prove his innocence without knowledge of the crime of which he stands accused.

As issues of privacy and individual rights come more and more to the forefront in our news coverage and personal lives, Kafka's surreal story of a man accused of an unnamed crime dramatizes the everyday through extraordinary theatrical means.

Tickets for The Trial are $16 general admission and $8 for students. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.