Educating Rita (Special Event)
by Willy Russell
Directed by: Charlotte J. Headrick
One Performance Only: Jan. 6, 2024
A fundraiser for Albany Civic Theater
Set in a small university town in England, Educating Rita revolves around Rita, a working-class hairdresser with a thirst for knowledge, and her encounter with Frank, a disillusioned literature professor. Rita embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, enrolling in an Open University course to escape her mundane life and fulfill her dreams of education. Through their engaging and often humorous interactions, the play explores themes of class struggle, personal growth, and the power of education. Educating Rita is a heartfelt and thought-provoking exploration of one woman’s determination to change her life and the profound impact of learning on the human spirit.
Director
Charlotte J. Headrick is a Professor Emerita of Theatre Arts at Oregon State University. A past president of the American Conference for Irish Studies, West, she has directed numerous premieres and productions of Irish plays all over the United States, particularly those written by women. She is widely published in the field of Irish drama. A former Moore Visiting Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway, she is co-editor with Eileen Kearney of Irish Women Dramatists 1908-2001 (2014, 2016 Syracuse University Press). She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival Medallion for service to that organization. She is also a Distinguished Professor for Undergraduate Teaching at Oregon State. As an actress, favorite roles include Madam Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew, Kate in All My Sons, Rima in Frank McGuiness’s Dolly West’s Kitchen, Countess Roussillon in All’s Well That Ends Well, Duke Senior in As You Like It (directed by her former student Seattle director Sheila Daniles). She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association. In March of 2023, she portrayed Betty in Christian O’Reilly’s Chapatti in a reading at ACT.
Director’s email: cheadrick@oregonstate.edu
Cast of Characters
Rita: Harriet Owen-Nixon
Frank: Rick Wallace