Gordon in the News: last updated 10/10/2013
For Immediate Release: Oct. 9, 2013
Media Contact:
Jo Kadlecek
Wenham, MA—The imperfections of the human soul provided British writer C. S. Lewis plenty of fodder for his classic novel The Screwtape Letters, a humorous story told by a tempter in Hell offering instruction on the art of deception.
Now, to mark the 50th anniversary of Lewis’s death and to celebrate his life and works, the Gordon College Department of Theatre Arts is staging a production of The Screwtape Letters.
“Lewis has had such a profound influence on so many of us in the Gordon community,” Jones said. “We wanted to honor that impact by staging this unique and insightful adaptation of his novel to correspond with this anniversary.”
The show opens in the Margaret Jensen Theatre of the Barrington Center for the Arts on Friday, Oct. 25 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2 with nightly performances at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for general admission, and $8 for students, senior citizens, and faculty/staff of Gordon College.
Adapted by Associate Professor of English Mark Stevick and directed by Professor of Theatre Arts, Norman Jones, the production integrates three works by C. S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce and Poems. This staged version dramatizes a series of letters written in Hell—where the souls are food and the stakes are high—by a senior tempter, the rigorous and ironic Screwtape, to her niece Wormwood. It features a cast of 17 student actors, some of whom play several characters, including Chloe Eaton ’15 of Santa Barbara, CA, as Screwtape, Sarah Hand, ’15 of Chapel Hill, NC, and Molly Sidell ’17 of Gloucester, MA, as Slumtrimpet.
Jones’ production transforms The Screwtape Letters into an 80-minute cosmic—and often comic—tour of the battlefields where the struggle for souls is waged. Lewis’s wisdom, distinctive style and dependable good humor are evident throughout the production as student actors make full use of the stage.
“The show is a lot of fun, but it’s also timely on many levels,” Jones said. "The themes addressed in this play are relevant right now, given how hard it can be in our culture to depict truth from deception.”
For ticket information, visit Gordon's online ticket outlet. Gordon College is located at 255 Grapevine Road in Wenham, exit 17 from Route 128 north of Boston.
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Gordon College is one of the nation's premier Christian colleges and located just north of Boston. We offer students extraordinary access to leading-edge opportunities for intellectual, professional, and leadership development to address the increasingly complex challenges of a global society. Gordon stands apart from other outstanding institutions in New England by combining an exceptional education with an informed Christian faith.
