[NEohioPAL]Weathervane Playhouse to present Akron Premiere of "A Lesson Before Dying"

Wed Feb 18 11:03:05 PST 2004

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WEATHERVANE PLAYHOUSE presents
A LESSON BEFORE DYING
Riveting drama by Romulus Linney

Weathervane Playhouse is pleased to present the AKRON PREMIERE of Romulus 
Linney's adaptation of A LESSON BEFORE DYING.  The play is adapted from the 1993 
novel by Ernest J. Gaines which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for 
fiction. The 1999 HBO-TV adaptation won two Emmy awards.

Set in Louisiana in 1948, the story tells of a guileless young black laborer 
(Jefferson) who is wrongly convicted of murdering a white liquor store owner 
and sentenced to the electric chair. Jefferson's lawyer argues in court that he 
is nothing but a poor fool, hardly more worthwhile than a hog.  Now the 
doomed young man angrily insists that's just what he'll be.  "Like a hog, they can 
drag me to that chair!" Jefferson declares. "I ain't walking!"

Grant Wiggins, once an ambitious and precocious student, had left his 
hometown to attend college but has returned reluctantly to the plantation school to 
teach.  He deplores the injustices done to his fellow black men, but does not 
want to get involved in Jefferson's case.  Wrestling with the question of 
whether to stay or leave the South forever, he is persuaded by the teenager's 
godmother to visit the prisoner in his cell and teach him to die like a man.

Each of the first three hour-long visits ends in failure.  But, on his fourth 
visit, conversation sparks about Jefferson's final meal.  On another visit, 
Wiggins gives Jefferson a notebook and asks him to write down whatever thoughts 
come to his mind.  He also explains that the black community has spent 
centuries enslaved to white men, and that when Jefferson's attorney called him a 
hog, he attacked the will and intelligence of the entire black society.  
Jefferson now has the opportunity to stand up for his community.  He has become a 
symbol to his people and the manner in which he faces his death will have bearing 
on all of black society.  As Grant tries to impart a sense of pride and 
self-respect to Jefferson before his execution, both come to realize that courage is 
defined not only by accomplishment, but also by self-sacrifice.

Help us share the lesson.  See A LESSON BEFORE DYING, at Weathervane March 10 
- 28, 2004.  Low-cost preview performances on Wednesday and Thursday, March 
10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m. with official opening on Friday, March 12 at 8:00 p.m.  
Other performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. 
and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Charge by phone at Weathervane's Ticket Office at 
330-836-2626.  Call between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.  
Tickets: $18 ($2 discount on Thursdays and Sundays for Senior Citizens & Students).

A LESSON BEFORE DYING is a Project STAGE production.  Teacher and student 
study guides are available and in-class discussions can be arranged.  Daytime 
performances are at 10 a.m. Tuesdays March 16 & 23.  Reduced ticket prices are 
available for the daytime shows.  Project STAGE is funded in part by  the 
Sisler-McFawn Foundation, OMNOVA Solutions Foundation and Target stores.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to 
encourage economic growth,
education excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
Additional Season Sponsors: WKSU, PAX-TV

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<HTML>WEATHERVANE PLAYHOUSE presents
 A LESSON BEFORE DYING
 Riveting drama by Romulus Linney
 
 
 Weathervane Playhouse is pleased to present the AKRON PREMIERE<F=
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SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"> of Romu=
lus Linney's adaptation of A LESSON BEFORE DYING.  The play is ada=
pted from the 1993 novel by Ernest J. Gaines which won the National Book Cri=
tics Circle Award for fiction. The 1999 HBO-TV adaptation won two Emmy award=
s.
 
 Set in Louisiana in 1948, the story tells of a guileless young black lab=
orer (Jefferson) who is wrongly convicted of murdering a white liquor store=20=
owner and sentenced to the electric chair. Jefferson's lawyer argues in cour=
t that he is nothing but a poor fool, hardly more worthwhile than a hog. &nb=
sp;Now the doomed young man angrily insists that's just what he'll be. &nbsp=
;"Like a hog, they can drag me to that chair!" Jefferson declares. "I ain't=20=
walking!"
 
 Grant Wiggins, once an ambitious and precocious student, had left his ho=
metown to attend college but has returned reluctantly to the plantation scho=
ol to teach.  He deplores the injustices done to his fellow black men,=20=
but does not want to get involved in Jefferson's case.  Wrestling with=20=
the question of whether to stay or leave the South forever, he is persuaded=20=
by the teenager's godmother to visit the prisoner in his cell and teach him=20=
to die like a man.
 
 Each of the first three hour-long visits ends in failure.  But, on=20=
his fourth visit, conversation sparks about Jefferson's final meal.  On=
 another visit, Wiggins gives Jefferson a notebook and asks him to write dow=
n whatever thoughts come to his mind.  He also explains that the black=20=
community has spent centuries enslaved to white men, and that when Jefferson=
's attorney called him a hog, he attacked the will and intelligence of the e=
ntire black society.  Jefferson now has the opportunity to stand up for=
 his community.  He has become a symbol to his people and the manner in=
 which he faces his death will have bearing on all of black society.  A=
s Grant tries to impart a sense of pride and self-respect to Jefferson befor=
e his execution, both come to realize that courage is defined not only by ac=
complishment, but also by self-sacrifice.
 
 Help us share the lesson.  See A LESSON BEFORE DYING, at Weather=
vane March 10 - 28, 2004.  Low-cost preview performances on Wednesda=
y and Thursday, March 10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m. with official opening on Frid=
ay, March 12 at 8:00 p.m.  Other performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m=
., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Charge by phone=20=
at Weathervane's Ticket Office at 330-836-2626.  Call between 10 a.m. a=
nd 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.  Tickets: $18 ($2 discount on Thur=
sdays and Sundays for Senior Citizens & Students).
 
 A LESSON BEFORE DYING is a Project STAGE production.  Teacher an=
d student study guides are available and in-class discussions can be arrange=
d.  Daytime performances are at 10 a.m. Tuesdays March 16 & 23. &nb=
sp;Reduced ticket prices are available for the daytime shows.  Project=20=
STAGE is funded in part by  the Sisler-McFawn Foundation, OMNOVA Soluti=
ons Foundation and Target stores.
 
 The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with s=
tate tax dollars to encourage economic growth,
 education excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
 Additional Season Sponsors: WKSU, PAX-TV</HTML>

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