"The work of certain writers cries out to be spoken aloud; the writings of Dylan Thomas fall into this category," said John Tammi, who is the production's director and a professor of theatre at Hope.  "His language is sensual, energetic and delicious.  His words are wonderful to say and a joy to hear.  This is especially true of 'Under Milk Wood,' which he called 'a play for voices.'"

"Our cast will portray more than sixty characters as the play drifts through a small Welsh fishing village during the course of a night and a day.  We get a glimpse of the entire community, both asleep and awake, and meet some very interesting, even eccentric, characters," Tammi said.  "'Under Milk Wood' is reminiscent of Edgar Lee Masters' 'Spoon River Anthology' and Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town'; but, it is uniquely Welsh and uniquely Dylan Thomas."

The cast of "Under Milk Wood" includes sophomore Skyler Adams of Holland; junior Noah Busman of Scotia, N.Y.; sophomore Kelsey Colburn of Holland; sophomore Sophia Daly of Plymouth; freshman Alexa Duimstra of Appleton, Wis.; freshman Aaron Haecker of Winchester, Va.; senior Benjamin Hertel of Fennville; sophomore Haley Hodges of Hart; David James of the Hope English faculty; senior Cassie Niespodziewanski of Oak Brook, Ill.; junior AmberLyn Scheeringa of Schererville, Ind.; junior John Telfer of Western Springs, Ill.; junior Madison Tustin of Plainwell; junior Kara Williams of Saline; and freshman Allyson Womack of Libertyville, Ill.

Stage manager is junior Brittni Nowicki of West Bloomfield, and assistant stage manager is freshman Lauren Ezzo of Haslett.  Niespodziewanski is dramaturg for the production, conducting historical and cultural research related to the play and its setting.

In addition to Tammi, faculty members working on the production team are Richard Smith, scenic designer; Michelle Bombe, costume designer; and Perry Landes, sound designer. Staff member Paul Anderson is the technical director, and staff member Darlene Christopher is the costume shop manager.  Lighting designer is senior Ken Chamberlain of Metuchen, N.J.

Tickets for "Under Milk Wood" are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff, and $5 for students, and are available at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and may be called at (616) 395-7890.

The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets. The studio theatre is on the lower level of the DeWitt Center, which is located at 141 E. 12th St., on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street.

• Share
• Tweet
• Post