Students to Perform “Gossamer,” by Lois Lowry
—Author Famous for Young Adult Novels The Giver and Number the Stars—
Media Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579
February 17, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary’s College Theatre Program is proud to present the play Gossamer by novelist and Newberry Medal recipient Lois Lowry, February 26 to March 1. A cast of 17 Saint Mary’s students will bring to life the story of magical beings that create dreams. In the play, the “Littlest” Dream-Giver struggles to heal the heart and haunted memory of a young boy named John. Littlest, who is full of love, empathy, and perception, has a delicate or gossamer touch in the giving of dreams.
“It’s a deep little play when we come to the ending,” director Katie Sullivan, associate professor of theatre, said. The play will be performed in Little Theatre and is intended for those over the age of 10 years of age. Click for a campus map.
The costume shop is "bursting at the seams"
as students get ready for "Gossamer."
They're even working in the makeup room.The premise of a world where fantasy and reality mix is not a stretch for the students in the production. “They grew up on Harry Potter, for instance, and understand and appreciate the existence of other places, non-human characters, different rules that govern these worlds, etc.,” she said.
Sullivan added she thinks the audience “will enjoy the good versus evil (storyline of Gossamer), the notion that our dreams are gifts to us, that there are truly scary things happening in the world, and that we must find—through imagination, positive memories, and loving relationships—the courage to step past our fears and negative experiences.”
It is the first book that Lowry herself adapted for the stage, which posed some challenges for Sullivan and her crew. The director says Lowry is very true to the book and describes the Sinisteeds—dark, fearsome Dream-Givers resembling horses—as tearing through walls, breathing fires, doing their damage, and then exiting through the walls leaving only scorch marks. “It’s a challenge to get this on the stage in a manner that is doable but yet conveys the fright and the power that they bring to the story,” Sullivan noted.
There are two student productions each academic year at Saint Mary’s and theatre faculty are very careful in choosing which plays to produce. Sullivan says during their eight semesters at the College, students are exposed to different genres, both classical and contemporary.
“Our students need experience at working with elevated language like verse, such as in Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. We put on Henry V last spring and the Greek comedy, Lysistrata couple of years before that,” Sullivan said. “We also like to produce plays written by women, such as this one was, as we are at women's college and want to educate our women, both theatre students and the student audience, with playwrights, issues, concerns, that do or will involve them in their lifetimes as women.”
Lowry holds an honorary degree from Saint Mary's. The College recognized her with an Honorary Doctorate in 2010 at Commencement, honoring for her 30+ books, which include the popular Anastasia Krupnik books and received the Newbery Medal for the books “Number the Stars” and “The Giver.”
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. By the fall of 2015, pending accreditations anticipated in the spring, Saint Mary’s College will offer two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report.
~Maggie McLaughlin ’16, media relations intern, contributed to this press release.