Play written especially for Sights & Sounds of Christmas, Dec. 8

Dana College junior Mara Bartlett has played everything from the biblical Eve to a 1980s teenager. But her latest role has her stretching farther than ever before, playing an elderly woman coping with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in “A Long Way From Home,” performed exclusively at Dana’s annual Sights & Sounds of Christmas festival, Dec. 8.

“ The challenge is I haven’t been 80 yet,” Bartlett said. “I don’t know how a person with Alzheimer’s feels. The challenge is just being believable — not a 20-year-old playing an 80-year-old.”

The play’s writer and director, Dana College English professor Paul Schneider, said he has no doubt Bartlett can pull off the task.

“ Mara Bartlett is one of several multi-talented Dana College juniors capable of playing a wide variety of demanding roles,” Schneider said. The rest of the cast includes juniors Emily Neve (Des Moines, Iowa) and Jeremy Stoll (Mt. Vernon, Iowa), as well as freshman Maureen Annett (Watertown, S.D.) and sophomore Eric Grant-Leanna (Omaha, Neb.), as Bartlett’s concerned and troubled family.

Schneider, whose last play was a reaction to the events of Sept. 11, was inspired to write “A Long Way From Home” after his own family had to face a member’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“ My character has great convictions to her faith,” Bartlett said. “She truly believes God will take care of her, but she can’t convince her family.”

Showtimes are at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, in the Lauritzen Theater of the Madsen Fine Arts Center on Dana’s campus in Blair, Neb.

Sights & Sounds of Christmas is a two-day, Scandinavian-themed festival packed with concerts, food, drama productions, exhibits, demonstrations, crafts and more. Designed to be family-friendly, all of the events are entertaining for all ages, with some especially designed with hands-on activities to fascinate and engage children. Visitors can gain entry to more than 20 different events — including “A Long Way From Home” — with the purchase of a Sights & Sounds button for just $5.

The buttons will be available at the door to every event during the festival, but reservations are encouraged for the famous Scandinavian Smorgasbord ($15.50 for adults, $9.50 for children under 12). This year Dana is offering eight limited settings of the Smorgasbord. The cuisine includes authentic Scandinavian cuisine, including frikadeller (meat balls), medisterpølse (sausage) and salmon, as well as 22 additional items carefully selected and prepared in consultation with the executive chef of The Danish Home in Chicago.

Reservations can be made by visiting the event’s web site, www.dana.edu/sightsandsounds, or by calling the Dana College Relations Office, (402) 426-7216. Seats for the Smorgasbord are limited and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so if visitors have a specific time in mind, they are encouraged to make reservations early. Times for the Smorgasbord are 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, and 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is located on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair, Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 20 liberal arts, business, education and pre-professional programs, with an emphasis on personalized teaching from experienced and dedicated faculty. Dana is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.

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For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu