Dr. Terry Brino-Dean, associate professor of theater and director of the Seton Hill University theater program, has come up with a way to give "Everyman" -- a medieval drama that deals with man's fear of dying and his hope for redemption through his actions on earth -- a contemporary twist.
In a theatrical style that college students can relate to, Seton Hill's new adaptation of "Everyman" is a musical with songs by the American folk rock duo The Indigo Girls. The Everyman character is played by five students who tell the story while sitting around a drum circle on a camping trip.
"Rather than a frightening and lonesome journey to death, our production emphasizes the celebratory message of redemption found in the play," Brino-Dean says. "We were interested in exploring ways that this 15th-century play could have direct relevance to the contemporary time period."
If the idea seems far-fetched, it certainly has taken off with the students at Seton Hill, including junior musical theater major Laura Stracko of Nazareth, Pa., who serves as vocal music director and plays one of the five Everyman characters in the cast.
"It's been a wonderful learning experience," says Stracko, who helped choose the Indigo Girls songs whose lyrics best reflect the lines of the play. She also wrote the harmonies that she says bring the vocal aspects of the production to life.
The production is a creative effort that involved both the theater and music departments at Seton Hill, according to Brino-Dean, who says "it's the first time in a long time that our programs have collaborated" on a theatrical work.
In the Seton Hill adaption of "Everyman," Stracko says "a bunch of kids are on a beach hanging out, and we end up singing and dancing and putting on a play for each other."
Brino-Dean says the "play within a play" concept allows the moral message of the piece to shine through without changing the text as written in the medieval version.
"We could have updated the language, but we decided instead to use contemporary music to convey a modern message," he says.
Stracko says the significance of the play is about "living your life with purpose and with the whole world in mind, and how you can make an impact on the world by what's inside of you."
The unusual format of the musical adaptation of "Everyman" has students and the director already looking past the Seton Hill performance dates to possible future engagements.
"We all certainly wish it could have a life after this production," Stracko says. "It's so different. I'd love to see it reach out to other schools, so other students can share the learning experience."
Brino-Dean is exploring the possibilities of a professional production, or licensing the musical, or even performing it with the Indigo Girls.
"There are a lot of options," he says. "We've had conversations with the band. This has come together so well conceptually. We'd be interested in seeing if something more could be done with it."
(By Candy Williams - The Pittsburgh Tribune Review - 24 February 2007)
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