A play set during the Depression, “The Diviners,” will be performed by the Hesston College Theatre Department October 9 through October 12. Performances in Northlawn Room 109 are scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m., Sunday.
“The Diviners,” which Theatre Director Megan Tyner described as an “intense, yet beautiful play,” tells the story of a discontented preacher on a journey to find what’s missing in his life and a simple minded boy who is on a journey of his own.”
Tyner said “The Diviners” is an intelligent and deep discussion of faith and spirituality. “It explores the need for salvation and the search for faith in the most tragic moments,” she said. “The play ends tragically, but it’s a real ending and it represents what theatre can do for audiences, letting them feel emotions and digest unanswerable questions. The play doesn’t necessarily give any answers, but I think the playwright, Jim Leonard, Jr., was brave enough to ask a lot of questions.”
The 11-member cast has been working diligently on the play since the beginning of September. “They’ve done a lot of character examination, along with some journaling and reflection, on how the characters are like them and how they’re different,” Tyner said. She added that the young cast of freshmen and sophomores is meeting the challenge of working with characters that are older and have lived a harder life.
Life experiences for Tyner also have an impact on this production. “I’ve told the cast that I’ve wanted to do this play for the past several years,” she explained. “But interpretation of the final moments of the play, and thus, the interpretation as a whole, would have been different had we done this two years ago when my father was still alive. Having felt that sense of loss helps me as a director to make the honest, realistic, and ultimately better choice in how to portray the final moments. I think the audience will identify with that.”
The cast includes sophomores Carson Stutzman, Beaver Crossing, Neb.; Mitch Stutzman, Middlebury, Ind.; Tom Tennefoss, Greenwood, Del.; Hanna Titus, Roland, Iowa; Peter Wintermote, Hillsboro, Kan.; and Lauren Zehr, Wauseon, Ohio; along with freshmen Erin Hershberger, Hesston, Kan.; Jessica Juhnke, Hesston, Kan.; Sam Kauffman, Mountain Lake, Minn.; Matt Lehman, Kidron, Ohio; and Ana Loucks, Hesston, Kan.
Tyner calls “The Diviners” an excellent production for small groups and church groups to see together. “I believe that our audiences will find this play particularly meaningful,” she said. Tyner rates the play PG-13 for language and some intense plot material.
Performances will be presented in Northlawn Room 109, which now can be transformed into a studio theatre space. This summer, Campus Facilities staff installed multi-purpose curtains and a new state-of-the-art lighting system. “I’m excited that this play will be initiating this new theatre space,” Tyner said. “since light plays a crucial role in this drama.”
The movable curtains also benefit the instrumental and vocal music programs of the Music Department, and Wednesday evening Campus Worship, led by students and coordinated by the Student Life Department.