STCC College Theater Workshop to stage ‘Wit’ May 4-7
STCC College Theater Workshop will perform “Wit.” Front row, left to right: Dagmara Bragiel, Madison Fischetto and Teddy Woolsey. Second row, left to right: Michael Capozza, Shehla Bhatti, Mickey Prout and Ashley Downes. Back row, left to right: James Santiago, Nick Serrano and Cassie Fedora. Not pictured: C.J. Bennett and Akelia Mitchell.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Springfield Technical Community College Theater Workshop will perform Margaret Edson’s award-winning play “Wit” as its spring production May 4-7 at the Theater in Scibelli Hall at STCC.
The play, about the final hours of a university professor with a terminal illness, won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Performance times are as follows:
- Thursday, May 4, 11 a.m.
- Friday, May 5, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, May 6, 7 p.m. (This performance is a benefit for Survivor Journeys.)
- Sunday, May 7, 2 p.m.
General admission tickets are available at the door: $10 (adults) and $5 (students and seniors).
Phil O’Donoghue, an assistant professor of English and Theater and the play’s director, said STCC has a full liberal arts curriculum offering a wide variety of courses in theater, music and art.
“With ‘technical’ being part of the college’s name, I think people in the area might not realize that we have a thriving arts programs,” O’Donoghue said. “Audiences are often pleasantly surprised at the high quality of our productions. We have talented students and staff who put their heart and soul into their artistic work here.”
The production of “Wit” will feature 12 students from the STCC College Theater Workshop: C.J. Bennett, Shehla Bhatti, Dagmara Bragiel, Michael Capozza, Ashley Downes, Cassie Fedora, Madison Fischetto, Akelia Mitchell, Mickey Prout, James Santiago, Nick Serrano and Teddy Woolsey.
STCC Professor Greg Trochlil is the production designer. Students from Trochlil’s play production class will build the set.
“Wit” focuses on the final hours of English professor Vivian Bearing, who is dying from ovarian cancer. She agrees to undergo an experimental treatment that might not save her but will provide research data for the future of oncology. The character reflects on her life over the course of the play, using the intricacies of the English language. For example, she recites John Donne’s “Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10) while reflecting upon her condition.
While the play examines a difficult and bleak subject, “Wit” is not lacking in laughs. “We make a lot of fun of the doctors,” O’Donoghue said.
The Chicago Tribune earlier this year raved about a production of “Wit,” writing that it holds up well 18 years after its debut.
“I’d say it’s the best play ever written about hospitals … and about the loss of control we all fear or feel, once we find ourselves down that rabbit hole, pushed, prodded and studied by others for whom we are, inevitably, a workplace assignment,” Chris Jones wrote in the Tribune.
The Saturday performance of “Wit” will be performed as a benefit for Survivor Journeys, based in Longmeadow, which provides social and emotional support services to cancer survivors, their families and caregivers. Dr. Jay Burton, a primary care physician and cancer survivor, founded “Survivor Journeys."
Dr. Burton, who has shared his story at national conferences, will speak at the theater following the Saturday performance.
For reservations and more information, call O’Donoghue at (413) 755-4133.
About Springfield Technical Community College
Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC, an Achieving the Dream Leader College, offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, engineering, liberal arts, science and technology continue to provide the most economical options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of more than 8,500 day, evening, weekend and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.
For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@S_T_C_C).
Media Contact:
Jim Danko, Coordinator of Media Relations
(413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu