McDaniel College Theatre to Stage Abstract Comedy DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE

McDaniel College theatre arts students perform in "Dead Man's Cell Phone," an abstract comedy by Sarah Ruhl, a MacArthur "Genius" Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Performances are Wednesday, Oct. 5-Saturday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., in WMC Alumni Hall at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, Md. (Note: the play contains adult language and themes.)

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, seniors (over 60), active military members and veterans, as well as those with a McDaniel College ID. For ticket information, call 410-857-2448.

"Dead Man's Cell Phone" is about how we memorialize the dead-and how that remembering changes us. It is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. Tad Janes, artistic director of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick, Md., is the guest director for the production.

"Sarah Ruhl is truly one of America's hottest playwrights," according to Janes. "Her work is usually funny, poetic, and deeply human, 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' certainly fits this mold."

He added, "The play takes the ordinary person, Jean, and thrusts her into extraordinary and unusual circumstances. The play has comedy, drama, mystery, love, and an 'other world' quality at times. It deals with big issues and family issues. Personally, I love plays where, when you leave as an audience, you think, 'wow, there was a lot in that!' and then you have to talk about the play for the next hour with your friends. 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' is fun, and, has a lot to talk about."

McDaniel senior Najee Banks of Baltimore plays Gordon, and senior Antoinette Martin of Cape Coral, Fla., plays Jean. Jennifer Shillingburg, a senior from Oakland, Md., plays Hermia, and Brandi Weyers, senior from Northfield, Mass., plays Mrs. Gottlieb, while Bryan Bowen, a junior from North Beach, Md., plays Dwight.

Others in the cast are juniors Torreke Evans of Atlanta, Megan Smith of Federalsburg, Md., and Alex Tolle of Woodstock, Md.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu/theatre for more information about McDaniel College and the theatre arts department.