Wooster's Department of Theatre to Present Adam Rapp's 'Nocturne'

WOOSTER, Ohio - Adam Rapp's "Nocturne," a gripping drama, comes to The College of Wooster's Shoolroy Theatre (329 E. University St.) this weekend (Friday and Saturday) at 8:15 p.m.

Directed by Shirley Huston-Findley, associate professor of theatre and department chair at Wooster, the play showcases the talents of senior Patrick Midgley, who stars with a supporting cast of five characters: junior Alex Gauvin, and sophomores Alana Cuellar, Noah Lyons, Meredith Overcash, and Lisa Shames. "This is a wonderful vehicle for Patrick to stretch himself as an actor," said Huston-Findley. "It is an incredibly demanding role."

"Nocturne," which takes its name from composer Edvard Grieg's dark and lonely piano composition, is heavily influenced by Rapp's life experiences, including the death of his mother, the estrangement from his father, and the impact of a bizarre tragedy.

Set in New York City, the story unfolds following the death of the main character's 9-year old sister when the brakes on his car fail. "(Rapp) has approached the subject of personal loss and its consequences in an oblique and subtle way," writes Larry Campbell in an online review at culturevulture.net. "In the guise of a straightforward re-telling of a painful tragedy, he burrows into the heart of human relationships to show different ways in which people respond to the loss of a loved one. By the end of the play, an understanding of sorrow and grief gives way to a sense of hope. In its own, quiet way, this play is life-affirming."

The challenge for Huston-Findley and the cast has been to take a script that was written as a narrative and make it come alive on the stage. "The play provides the audience with a different way of thinking about theatrical performance," said Huston-Findley. "It is also a perfect choice for a work to be adjudicated by the American College Theatre Festival (which will have two adjudicators in the audience for one of the performances)."

Tickets for "Nocturne" are $9 for adults and $6 for children and senior citizens as well as faculty, staff, and non-College of Wooster students. For more information, contact the box office at Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University St.) at 330-263-2241.