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Date 3-7-06
Contact Angela Kilcrease 601.266.4988
Hattiesburg
– After a successful run with the hilarious comedy Scapin,
the next production by the Department of Theatre and Dance at the
University of Southern Mississippi turns back to drama. The ensemble
will present Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s An
Enemy of the People March 16-18 and 22-26 at the Martha R.
Tatum Theatre.
Miller adapted this play
in the 1950s, when many of the more liberal-minded artists in the
United States were being viewed by those in power as enemies of
the people.
“Great plays ask important
questions and create situations in which we often argue about answers
long after the performance has ended,” said director Lou Rackoff
and chair of the department. “The questions posed by An Enemy
of the People were as provocative in Ibsen’s day as they were
when Arthur Miller wrote his brilliant contemporary adaptation.
They may be even more relevant in our time.”
The story centers on
Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a public-minded doctor in a small town famous
for its public baths. He discovers that the water supply for the
baths is contaminated and has probably been the cause of some illness
among the tourists who are the town's economic lifeblood.
In his effort to clean
up the water supply, Dr. Stockmann runs into political cowards,
sold-out journalists, shortsighted armchair economists, and a benighted
citizenry. His own principled idealism exacerbates the conflict.
“Although the play is
set in a small Norwegian town more than a century ago, it has universal
and contemporary significance--who is the real enemy of the people?”
Rackoff explained.
"At first glance
it is the story of one man's ambition for the truth,” said Chad
Martin of Piney Flats, Tenn., who plays Dr. Stockmann. “As we dug
deeper in rehearsal, we realized it's more than that.
“It's about the love
of a family and their shared passion for the good of the people.
The conflict comes when the family cannot agree, which most people
can relate to in their own lives."
The student cast includes
Martin, Kathy Newman of Rome, Ga.; Amelia Arender of Bolton; Nicholas
Hart of Bogue Chitto; Mark Redd of Vicksburg; Keone Fuqua of Mobile,
Ala.; Lee Crouse of Hattiesburg; Kermit Burns of Charlotte, N.C.;
Brad Oxnam of Greenwood; Joe Styron of Covington, La.; Zdenko Slobodnik
of Madison; and Timothy O’Neal of Meraux, La.
Also in the cast are
Robbie Cox of Cordova, Tenn.; Will Davis of Picayune; Jhamahl Hill
of Utica; Nicholas Kibodeaux of Hattiesburg; Min Lee of Kyung-gi-Do,
South Korea; Jerrel Mitchell of Franklin; and Hallie Sootin of Ocean
Springs.
“With the run of this
particular show, we remember the great dramatic legacy of two celebrated
and prolific playwrights,” said dramaturge Timothy O’Neal. “We honor
the one-year anniversary of the death of Arthur Miller and the 100-year
anniversary of the death of Henrik Ibsen. Both were considered ‘enemies
of the people’ at some point in their careers.”
The production will be presented at 7:30 p.m. each evening March
16-18 and 22-25 and at 2 p.m. March 26 at the Martha R. Tatum Theatre.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for Southern Miss faculty and staff,
senior citizens and military, and $6 for students. Order tickets
online at www.usm.edu/tickets or call the Southern Miss Ticket Office:
601.266.5418 or 800.844-8425.
University of Southern Mississippi theater students (left to right) Chad Martin of Pine Flats, Tenn.; Kathy Newman of Rome, Ga.; and Keone Fuqua of Mobile, Ala.; appear in the next main-stage production of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People March 16-18 and 22-26.
Click
to enlarge
Last updated:
03/07/06 |
