Theatre scene features wide range of talent

The State College summer theater scene featured award-winning plays and, in one play, a nationally known actor. The three plays performed during the summer months were The Foreigner, Children of Eden, a retelling of several chapters of the Bible, and Arthur Miller's famous Death of a Salesman.

Centre Stage is the professional arm of Penn State's theatre department. The cast of Death of a Salesman included some Penn State faculty members, but a feature of this summer's performances was a well-known actor.

The actor, George Dzundza, played the lead role of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. Dzundza was an original cast member on the television show "Law and Order" and has appeared in many films, such as Basic Instinct, Crimson Tide and Dangerous Minds.

Centre Stage also presented Children of Eden at the Playhouse Theatre from July 17 to Aug. 1.

The show is a musical blend of fables and biblical tales which retells the story of the first nine chapters of the book of Genesis. The stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Noah's Ark are turned into parables about family relations.

A collaborative effort of author John Caird and composer Stephen Schwartz, the musical was described by Schwartz as tackling issues about intergenerational conflicts and family patterns which are passed from parent to child until the pattern is broken.

The final play staged at the Pavilion Theatre was The Foreigner, which was performed from July 1 to July 18.

-- Compiled by Collegian Staff writers