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St. John's College's King William Players Perform Archibald MacLeish's "J.B."
FOR RELEASE: October 9, 2008
CONTACT: Patricia Dempsey 410-626-2539
Patricia.Dempsey@sjca.edu
St. John's College's student theater troupe, The King William Players, presents "J.B," a play by noted American poet and former Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish. McLeish was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1959) and Tony Award for Best Play (1959) for "J.B.," which is written in verse. The two performances will be held in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium on Saturday, November 22, at 8:15 p.m., and on Sunday, November 23, at 2 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public.
In "J.B." MacLeish deals with many of the questions present in the Book of Job: Why must Job suffer? Is God just? Should Job fight against or accept the sufferings thrust upon him? "'J.B.' is a dramatic re-imagining of the Book of Job from the Old Testament," says Sara Luell, the St. John's senior who is directing the production. "Set in a circus in the 1950s, 'J.B.' presents two circus vendors, Mr. Zuss and Nickles, who play the parts of God and Satan in this play within a play. They look on as J.B. loses his wealth, his children, and his wife."
"J.B." features a cast of 22 St. John's students, including sophomores Matt Wetzel and Roger Robertson in the roles of Nickles and Mr. Zuss. Sophomore Brendan McGivney plays J.B. and senior Kea Wilson plays his wife Sarah. Luell describes the play as "intense and dramatic throughout. However, this production will emphasize the circus theme to create a ridiculous atmosphere. The juxtaposition of the circus and J.B.'s suffering is ironic."