Civil War epic to open Theatre Northwest season

Theatre Northwest, the dramatic arts program of the Department of Communication, Theatre and Languages, opens its 2007-'08 Mainstage season Sept. 27-30 with "John Brown's Body," an adaptation of the epic poem by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Curtain times at the Performing Arts Center on campus are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, and Friday, Sept. 28, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30. The Saturday performance is a matinee in order to avoid conflict with the Bearcats home football game scheduled that evening.

Saturday is also Family Day at Northwest, and parents and families of Northwest students are especially encouraged to attend any of the four productions. Tickets cost $7 at the door. There is no charge for children age 10 and under.

The play serves as this year's Freshman/Transfer Showcase and so is cast entirely with new freshmen or students who have transferred to Northwest from other colleges and universities.

Following its publication in 1928, Benet's book-length long Civil War poem became an instant best seller and won a Pulitzer Prize. In 1953 actor/director Charles Laughton adapted the piece for the stage (and later the screen) in a version starring Judith Anderson, Raymond Massey and Tyrone Power.

Directed by Dr. Theo Ross, professor of communication, theatre and languages, the Northwest production of "John Brown's Body" is being staged as reader's theater, a format, Ross said, that is "more for the ear than for the eye" and in which costumes, scenery, props, lighting and other traditional stage elements are used sparingly.

The technique allowed for flexible casting, Ross said, which created more opportunities for first-year student actors.

"This year's Showcase continues a tradition of introducing campus and community audiences to Northwest's new theatre students as well as introducing the new majors to our people, policies and practices," Ross said. "We're very pleased to welcome this talented group of new theatre practitioners."

Though Benet's poem emphasized historical elements, Ross said the Theatre Northwest production underscores the universal tragedy of civil conflicts in every age.

"It's a Civil War drama, and that will remain the historical context," said Ross, who had his students view and discuss images of the 1860s conflict by way of preparation. "But I think people will find a lot of universality. The way relationships and families and countries are destroyed -- no one ever wins a civil war. And I think an audience that looks deeply will see the impact of war on society in general."

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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