DATE: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9; 8 p.m. Oct. 10-11; 2 p.m. Oct. 12; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16; 8 p.m. Oct. 17-18; 2 p.m. Oct. 19, 2008.

EVENT: “Madmen and Specialists” by Wole Soyinka, a tragic satire of humankind immersed in war, written in 1971.

Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature, is considered Africa’s greatest living playwright. His play, “Madmen and Specialists,” was inspired by his 22-month detention during the Biafra civil war in Nigeria. He spent most of the time in solitary confinement. The work combines Yorba rituals of song and chant with sharp parody, creating deft plays-on-words that distort their meaning while accentuating the potency of language.

The New York Times described the play as having “an almost Shakespearean soar. . . marvelous to listen to. . . (it) forces and deserves attention.”

PLACE: Arthur Miller Theatre, located inside the Walgreen Center on the University of Michigan North Campus, Murfin Road at Duffield Road, a block north of Bonisteel Boulevard.

INFORMATION: Visit: School of Music