The Colby Sawyer College Fine and Performing Arts Department presents George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play “Androcles and the Lion,” a morality folktale of a Roman slave who finds a friend in a merciful lion after removing a painful thorn from its paw.
Performances will take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 4, 5, and 6 at 7 PM in the Sawyer Center Theatre. There will also be a special matinee at 10:30 AM on Friday, April 5. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and children, and free with a Colby-Sawyer ID.
The spring production, directed by Assistant Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Mike Lovell, adds a contemporary twist to the familiar fable by focusing on religious issues through a comedic lens, complete with elements of action and romance.
“When I first read this play, I simply thought it was funny,” says Lovell. “It deals with important matters but on its surface, it is a comedy. It stars a person in a lion suit. Who wouldn’t like that? There is great action. Lions dance. It contains a superhero of sorts, and a love story.”
Particularly notable about Colby-Sawyer’s adaptation is its integration of new lyrics and choreography by students and faculty, accompanied by music composed by Cory Schofield ’13. “My goal in this production has been to allow and encourage the students to develop and use their own creative process,” explains Lovell. “I feel that not dictating every detail allows and forces the students to use their own creativity. This process results in a finished play that is often surprising. Sometimes it is surprisingly good.”
Members of the cast include Nishant Sapkota ’16 as Androcles, Krislyn Rousseau ’13 as the lion, Aaron Hodge ’13 as the warrior Ferrovious, Rebecca Strout ’15 as Lavinia and Cody Kenyon ’14 as the stern captain of the Roman soldiers.
Tickets are available at colby-sawyer.universitytickets.com or by calling the box office at 526-3670. The box office in the Sawyer Center lobby will be staffed each week day from 4 PM to 5 PM from March 25 through April 3, and will be open on performance dates from 4 PM to 7 PM.