LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2005) — Florida Southern’s theatre department begins its 2005-2006 season with “The Heiress” in the Loca Lee Buckner Theatre on the college campus. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 13-15; matinees start at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 9 and Oct. 16. Paul D. Bawek, assistant professor of theatre arts, directs the play. 

"The Heiress," written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, was adapted from Henry James' novella "Washington Square." The play began its run on Broadway at the Biltmore in 1947 and returned in 1995 to the Cort Theatre. The 1949 screen adaptation starring Olivia de Haviland and Montgomery Clift received nine academy award nominations and won in five categories, including Best Actress for de Haviland. In the story, set in 1850s New York City, a handsome young fortune hunter discovers that his bride-to-be, daughter of a wealthy widower, is going to be disinherited if the marriage takes place. He jilts her but returns years later when her fortune is secured and asks again for her hand. She has other plans for him.

Tickets are $15. FSC students are admitted free. Non-FSC students pay half price. For ticket information, please contact the Branscomb Auditorium box office at (863) 680-4296. 

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.