Thursday, April 11, through Sunday, April 14
Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Described by Talkin' Broadway as “dazzlingly, deliciously alive from start to finish” and by Chicago on Stage as “a poignant and important love story for our era,” Augustana College's 2018-19 studio-theatre season wraps up with the April 11 through 14 run of author Anna Ziegler's Boy, a work New City Stage called “90 minutes of brilliant theatre that will keep you vibrating for days to come.”
Inspired by a true story, Anna Ziegler’s 2016 drama explores the tricky terrain of finding love amidst the confusion of sexual identity, and the inextricable bond between a doctor and patient. In the 1960s, the well-meaning Dr. Wendell Barnes convinces the parents of a male infant to raise their son as a girl after a terrible accident. Two decades later, the repercussions of that choice continue to unfold for Ziegler's characters, resulting in one of the most critically admired stage works of recent years. With Theatremania calling it a play of “uncommon empathy and startling insight,” the Huffington Post added that “Ziegler's intelligent script lays out this complex story with precision and grace,” while PerformInk seemed it “a strong example of theatre as a call to action, conversation, and empathy.”
Augustana senior Jaryd Whitmore assumes directing and lighting-design duties for Boy, his on-stage roles for the college having included John Proctor in last fall's The Crucible and the narrating Man in Chair in last spring's musical The Drowsy Chaperone. With its lead portrayed by James Wheeler of Augustana's The Three Musketeers and In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Boy's five-person cast also boasts the talents of Kate Black, Emma Hydorn, Jacob Pecaut, and projection designer Jonathan Quigley. With Whitmore's Crucible co-star MJ Mason serving as assistant director, the production's all-student creative team also includes Laura Bergren (dramaturg), Shyan DeVoss (costumes/makeup), Samantha Flipp (stage manager), Samuel Ramont (sound), and Madison McCobb and Kaylee Anderson (props).
Boy will be presented in Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre April 11 through 14, admission to the 7:30 p.m. performances is $5-10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu.
