A conflict between man, wife, poverty and the need to do what is right sits at the heart of the upcoming Linfield College Theatre production, “Temporal Powers.”
The production features Teresa Deevy’s 1927 play newly unearthed by the Mint Theater Company in New York City. In addition, a post-show discussion and a lecture will be presented.
“Temporal Powers” runs March 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marshall Theatre in Ford Hall at Linfield and is directed by Kathryn Bennett, adjunct professor of theatre at Linfield. This production marks the West Coast premiere of the play and its first production by a college or university theatre in the U.S. Bennett hopes the audience will gain an introduction to the lost and remarkable playwright, Deevy, when they see “Temporal Powers.”
“Temporal Powers” tells the darkly humorous story of a great love struggling under the weight of conflicting passions. Desperate and penniless, a couple takes refuge for the night in a crumbling ruin. The answer to their prayers is buried within the walls, money for a fresh start, if only they could agree to use it. However, this money comes with its own baggage. What follows is a fierce moral struggle that no one can win.
In the spring of 2010, Jonathan Bank, producing artistic director of New York’s Mint Theater Company, traveled to Ireland to visit playwright Deevy’s home. Her estate donated her manuscripts to the Mint Theater Company, including “Temporal Powers,” which was later edited and adapted for a performance in 2011 by the Mint.
In addition to the play, Bank and Lex Runciman, professor of English at Linfield, will be panelists for a post-show discussion following the Tuesday, March 17, performance. Bank, who will visit classes while on campus, will also present a lecture, “The Teresa Deevy Project,” on Thursday, March 19, at 4 p.m. in the Marshall Theatre in Ford Hall. The lecture is free but seating is limited. The lecture is sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield, the Department of English and the Department of Theatre and Communication Arts.
Actors in the play include seniors Mackensie Sempert as Min Donovan, Rhianna Bennett as Maggie Cooney, Daniel Bradley as Jim Slattery and Cody Purchase as Father O’Brien; juniors Lukasz Augustine as Moses Barron and Sammy West as Lizzie Brennan; sophomores Joella Cordell as Daisy Barron and Murphy Jackson as Ned Cooney; and freshman Ben Bartu as Michael Donovan. Additionally, senior Mariko Kajita is the stage manager. Set and lighting design is by Ty Marshall, professor of theatre arts, director of theatre and resident designer. Sound design and technical direction is by Rob Vaughn and costume design is by Laurel Peterson.
Bennett has acted in New York on daytime television in shows including “All My Children” and “As the World Turns.” She also worked off-off-Broadway and at the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina and has trained with the famous voice theorist Kristin Linklater and various teachers of the Juilliard School. Since returning to her native Northwest, she has directed numerous college productions and acts in indie films and commercials. Recently, she wrote a comic play called “In Search of the Red Skull” which she directed and co-produced with PDX Playwrights at the 2015 Fertile Ground Theatre Festival in Portland. She is actively involved with the Portland Theatre Alliance and the Oregon Media Professionals Association. Read more about Bennettt at katiebennettstoryteller.com.
The play is presented by the Linfield Theatre Program. It investigates Linfield’s 2014-15 PLACE (Program for Liberal Arts and Civic Engagement) theme by exploring the question of “How Do We Know?” through storytelling. This production is produced by special arrangement with the Teresa Deevy estate.
Tickets are $9 for full price; $7 for seniors (62+) and Linfield faculty and staff (two tickets per ID); and $5 for students (any age, any school, one ticket per ID); with a $2 discount on all tickets on opening night. Seating is reserved. Tickets will go on sale March 10 and will be available at http://www.linfield.edu/arts or by phone, or at the Marshall Theatre Box Office. Located just inside the lobby of Ford Hall, the box office is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m., and until 7:30 p.m. on performance days. The Marshall Theatre is fully accessible.
For more information, call 503-883-2292.
