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Kimberly Slover
Director, College Communications
(603) 526-3647
NEW LONDON, N.H., Feb. 10, 2006 - The Colby-Sawyer College Fine and Performing Arts Department will offer two one-act plays written by Edward Albee for its spring production. The first play, “Zoo Story,” is a dark tale about a lonely man who begins a conversation with another man on a park bench and convinces him to commit a crime. The second play, “American Dream,” is a dim satire involving a dysfunctional family in the midst of kicking a mother out of the house.
Both will run from Thursday, March 2, through Saturday, March 4. Performances begin at 8 p.m. in the Sawyer Fine Arts Center Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and free with a Colby-Sawyer ID. Tickets can be reserved through the Colby-Sawyer College box office at (603) 526-3670 or purchased at the door. This event is open to the public.
Both one-act plays will be directed by Jerry Bliss, an associate professor in the Fine and Performing Arts Department. Bliss chose “Zoo Story” and “The American Dream” “because they offered a different type/genre of play than I have chosen previously. Albee's early plays bordered on absurdist drama.” He said the plays will allow people to “explore the dark side of drama. To let us see a side of ourselves that may disgust us.”
“Zoo Story” was written by Albee in 1958 and was the first play that he wrote as an adult. This cunningly written play surprises audiences with its ending. The confrontation between the middle class and outcasts of our society sparks humor as well as horror.
“American Dream” uses a more direct approach of inflicting uneasiness into its viewers. While satire elicits laughter from the audience, play-goers come to realize how cruel the American dream is for some people.
“Zoo Story” will feature Craig Ferriera '07 and Rob Wardwell '08. “The American Dream” will feature Sarah Murray '06, Jimmy Giddings '06, Alicia Harris '07, Aimee Parkhurst '06 and Marc LeBourdais '07.
-Joe Sampson '06
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students from 25 states and five foreign countries learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.
