Event
A Lesson Before Dying
BALTIMORE 1/03/07The Department of Fine and Communication Arts presents Romulus Linney's dramatization of A Lesson Before Dying, adapted from the prize-winning novel by Ernest J. Gaines. Performances run 9-11, 2007 on campus in the James Weldon Johnson Auditorium, located on 2500 West North Avenue in Baltimore. Show times are 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The story of the play centers around two young black men, each in his own way trapped in a small Louisiana town in the 1940s. Condemned to die for a crime he didn't commit, Jefferson gives up on everybody, including himself. His godmother enlists the help of Grant Wiggins, a disillusioned schoolteacher, and the two men teach each other about heroism, and about living--and dying--with dignity. In time, the teacher becomes the student, the student is transformed, and a town is forever changed.
A Lesson Before Dying was commissioned and received its world premiere at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Alabama on January 21, 2000. The production was directed by artistic director Kent Thompson.
Ernest Gaines' novel A Lesson Before Dying, a literary classic, has received many honors including a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and Best Fiction Award from three prestigious organizations. It was also featured in 1997 in Oprah's Book Club. Mr. Gaines has been heralded with literary awards, which have included a fellowship for his lifetime achievements from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Romulus Linney, one of the most acclaimed living American playwrights, has authored more than three novels, five anthologies and more than 40 plays. He has taught at many universities including Columbia, Princeton, and Universities of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. On his adaptation of 'Lesson', Linney asserts, "I think that when you do an adaptation for theater, it's either a marriage or a love affair...and so tremendous is my esteem and affection of many years for Ernest Gaines, there was no question but that I would be a very faithful adapter...which I did do."
Coppin's production is directed by D. Wambui Richardson.
Tickets for A Lesson Before Dying are $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for senior citizens and non-Coppin students. Coppin students pay $5.00 with ID. Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. For more information, call the Department of Fine and Communication Arts at (410) 951-3366 or visit www.coppin.edu.
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LocationCoppin State University - Black Box Theatre, Lower Level Grace Jacobs Bldg (View)
2500 West Nort Ave, Suite 510
Baltimore , MD 21216
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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