Troupe has long history of providing modern theater to Blair
and Omaha area
Dana College’s drama program will continue
its focus on modern American playwrights by performing Lanford
Wilson’s “Book of Days,” Sept.
26-29.
Paul Schneider, chair of the English department and director
of theater, said he believes Wilson is one of the great American
writers. “Wilson
has written great plays that have gone on to be monumentally
ignored,” he said.
“
Monumentally” might be a bit strong. Wilson has won numerous awards,
including the Pulitzer Prize for “Fifth of July.” “Book
of Days” won
the Best Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association.
But exposing
students and audiences to modern playwrights has been Schneider’s
goal since arriving at Dana 12 years ago. It’s more difficult tfor
Schneider to make play selections and harder on the student performers,
but Schneider said
he believes it’s vital for an area college to fill this niche in
the Blair and Omaha area.
The play tells the story of a bookkeeper/community
theater member who is
inspired by her part as Joan of Arc in a local production of George Bernard
Shaw’s “St.
Joan” to investigate the murder of her employer. The result is
both humorous and thought-provoking.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. except
for a matinee performance on Sunday,
Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Madsen Fine Arts Center on the Dana Campus
in Blair. Performances
are free and open to the public.
For more information on the “Book
of Days” performances, contact
Sarah Cavanah, Dana College communications coordinator, at (402)
426-7216 or scavanah@dana.edu.
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.
Dana is affiliated with
the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
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For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu |
