Hesston College Theatre to open season with look at responding to disabilities
Theater
Hesston College Theatre will present five performances of “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson” by Jim Leonard, Jr., as the fall play Oct. 25 to 29, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater on the Hesston College campus.
Showtimes are 7 p.m., Oct. 25 to 28, as well as a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Oct. 29. The play is rated PG13 for language and difficult themes. Children are not recommended to attend.
Based in Jackson, Ind., “And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson” centers on a young woman named Elizabeth Willow who, due to her exposure to polio as an infant, uses a wheelchair and wears leg braces and feels bound by those elements of her life. She is a wonderfully bright and capable girl, but that potential is unseen by many. Adults pity her, children fear her and the few people who are willing to allow Elizabeth in their lives keep her at arm’s length, anxious at what others may think.
“The story is a familiar struggle, but our world still can’t seem to get it right,” said director Rachel Jantzi. “This show wrestles with how we treat those we don’t fully understand and the consequences for one young woman when that understanding isn’t offered.”
The Hesston College production stars 7 students, but 4 of the 7 portray 28 characters between them. “The script is not an easy one,” Jantzi said. But she hopes to provide a new experience for both actors and audience members after last year’s theme: “A season of laughter.”
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased through the Hesston College Bookstore in person, by phone at 620-327-8104 or online. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended. Tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes prior to show time and are subject to availability.
Hesston College to host summer theatre camps for community students
General
Theater
Young actors can switch up the typical summer activities and hone their thespian skills, techniques and creativity during one of Hesston College’s two separate workshop-style summer theatre camps.
Students ages 14 to 18 can participate in “Broadway in the Black Box,” June 19 to 24, and students ages 11 to 14 will be “Wandering the World: A Travel Adventure,” June 26 to July 1. Students who are 14-years-old can choose which of the camps they would like to attend, or they may choose to do both. Hesston College theatre director Rachel Jantzi will lead the camps.
Both of the week-long workshops will give young performers opportunities to work in every aspect of staging a performance from creating the script to painting the set, working backstage and performing the show. Final performances for each of the weeks will premiere on the final day of camp.
Daily workshops and rehearsals will be from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Hesston College’s Helmuth Studio Theatre in Keim Center for Performing Arts Education.
Theatre camp registration is $50 for the week, and the registration deadline is June 12. Registration forms can be downloaded online. For more information about financial assistance, contact Jantzi at rachelj@hesston.edu or 620-327-8142.