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Two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays open in September
Tuesday, September 09, 2008

CANTON, Mo. - Culver-Stockton College kicks off its theatre season with a production of “Dinner with Friends” by Donald Margulies on September 18-21, followed quickly by the production "Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire on September 25-28. Both plays won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

"Dinner with Friends" tells the story of a suburban couple, Gabe and Karen, who are international food writers and who introduce two friends, Beth and Tom, who get married. When Tom later leaves Beth for another woman, it causes Gabe and Karen to question their own relationship. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 and has received several other awards.

“‘Dinner with Friends’ tracks each couple's relationship -- from the divorcing couple's meeting through the aftermath. The story examines marriage and friendships, and how by dissolving and morphing one relationship base, the others are soon to follow,” said director Haidee Heaton, C-SC associate professor of theatre. “The play examines and questions the stability of relationships, who people really are, and what happens when our idea of truth and reality and comfort are challenged by other interfering factors.”

Cast members in the C-SC production are Beau Becraft, a sophomore communications major from Memphis, Mo., as Gabe; Sarah Jo Breyne, a senior speech and theatre education major from Winona, Ill., as Karen; Molly Glawe, a senior art major from Farmer City, Ill., as Beth; and Travis Dahlhauser, a sophomore speech and theatre education major from Rockford, Ill., as Tom. The crew members are Daniel Coffman, assistant director, a senior musical theatre major from Eldridge, Iowa; Whitney Colston, stage manager, a freshman theatre major from Neosho, Mo.; Sarah Maloney, assistant stage manager, a sophomore arts major from Kansas City, Mo.; and Erin Carmody, assistant stage manager, a freshman speech and theatre education major from St. Louis, Mo.

"Dinner with Friends” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. September 18, 19, and 20 and at 3 p.m. September 21 in Mabee Little Theater in the C-SC Performing Arts Center. Teri Terford, a junior arts management major from Hamilton, Ill., will serve as change-over coordinator to ensure the theatre is ready for the next production just a few days later.

"Rabbit Hole," which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. September 25, 26, and 27 and at 3 p.m. September 28 in Mabee Little Theater.

"It is very exciting and ambitious for the theatre department to be working on two Pulitzer Prize winning productions this month,” said “Rabbit Hole” director S. Kent Miller, C-SC associate professor of theatre. “Not only is it exciting for the students and faculty in the department, but it is also an opportunity for the entire campus to see this type of literature."

The play is “a simple story of a family dealing with grief in an atypical, unique way,” Miller added. The plot involves an investment banker, Howie, and his wife, Becca, as they try to cope with the death of their young son, save their marriage, and restart their lives.

C-SC cast members are Danielle Hauer, a junior arts management major from Troy, Mo., as Becca; Sean Myers, a junior arts management major from Hannibal, Mo., as Howie; Dakota McKee, a freshman theatre major from Pittsfield, Ill., as Izzy; Nicole Herrington, a senior history and theatre major from Quincy, Ill., as Nat; and Nick Relic, a sophomore theater major from Kansas City, Mo., as Jason. The production crew includes Samantha Kheim, stage manager, a sophomore arts major from St. Charles, Mo., and Ian Heath, assistant stage manager, a freshman English major from St. Louis, Mo.

Tickets for these C-SC productions are $6 for adults and $4 for students. For information concerning Fine Arts events or for ticket information, contact C-SC at 573-288-6346 or via e-mail at finearts@culver.edu.