Date: April 12, 2012
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Students Present “Spoon River Anthology”

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central students will present their annual Readers' Theatre oral interpretation program on Tuesday, April 24 at 11 a.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. in the Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02. The program is free and open to the public. It will last about one hour.

The Readers' Theatre program is presented by students in the Communication 240 class, Introduction to Oral Interpretation. The class focuses on the performance of all genres of literature before an audience. Based on the traditions of Reader's Theatre, the program features "readers" with a book or script present, selections are performed in a presentational style in an environment that does not pretend to be anything other than a performance space. The program features a theme and examples of literature supporting it, with student performers assuming a variety of personas depending on the selection.

“Spoon River Anthology” is adapted from the works of Edgar Lee Masters with an original script written and edited by Dr. Daniel Padberg, associate professor of Communication, who teaches the Communication 240 class.

The “Spoon River Anthology” was published in 1915. It depicts life in the typical small rural Midwestern town. The deceased residents of Spoon River, a rural town in Illinois, speak from their graves on the hill. The musical version of “Spoon River Anthology,” which featured the song “Spoon River,” was produced off-Broadway in 1963.

The “Spoon River Anthology” presents a realistic look at how people really are with pretenses down. The author shows how everyday people are able to weave a web of power and deception, how they twist and turn their own reality and how the grave is the ultimate equalizer.

The Reader's Theatre has been a fixture at PNC since 1989 as a result of a classroom activity.

Students in the Communication 240 Introduction to Oral Interpretation class are Jack Deuberry, Chesterton; Lindsay L. Gernenz, Crown Point; Jesse M. Ingle, Michigan City; Kurtis E. Iseminger, Union Mills; Kelly Lansdowne, Wanatah; Caterina D. McElwain, Valparaiso; John C. Schutte, LaPorte; Robb Stephenson, Hanna; Hope Thomas, North Judson; Jon Yokovich, Monticello.

To obtain further information, contact Padberg at 785-5200, ext. 5384. P ersons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Padberg.