Croatian Director Works with WSC Student Cast and Crew

WAYNE, Neb. (Sept. 12, 2008) - The Wayne State College theatre department will present "The Last Link in the Chain" at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, 24 and 25 in Ley Theatre in the Brandenburg Education Building. The production will be directed by Snjezana Banovic, a visiting professor from Zagreb, Croatia.

There is no admission charge. Free-will donations will be accepted at the door. Refreshments and a reception will be hosted following the Sept. 24 performance.

Professor Banovic made international headlines following the end of the Serbo-Croatian war when she traveled to Belgrade to direct. Her decision to do so resulted in her politically motivated dismissal as Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Zagreb, Croatia.

A Yale University Fulbright Scholar, Banovic has experience as a university professor and as the director of numerous productions. She has written plays, adaptations and scenarios for theatre and special events. Her writing has appeared in magazines on the topics of theater, cultural policy and theatre management.

"The Last Link in the Chain" was written by Croatian playwright Lada Kaštelan. The play is set on the 36th birthday of the main character, who invites to dinner her mother and grandmother when they were the same age. Both her mother and grandmother bring details about the era in which they lived: Their get-together unfolds in ordinary conversation, eating, drinking, dancing and a comparison of their lives.

The original play premiered at the Gavella Drama Theatre, Zagreh on Oct. 31, 1994; won the Dujšin Award in 1994; and the prize for best performance at the Marulic Festival in 1995.

Cast

Amber Tennell (Papillion)

Shawn Kroger (Lake Mills, Iowa)

Helen Stallbaum (Stanton)

Patrick Mencke (Tekamah)

Yuliana Barquero (Grecia, Costa Rica)

Eliott Anderson (Lincoln)

Stacie Leonovicz (Omaha)

Crew

Blair Sommerfeld (Wayne) - Assistant Director

Matt Johnson ( Pierce) - Dramaturg

Sarah Peters (Omaha) - Set Designer and Technical Director

Crystal Moellenberndt (Aurora) - Makeup Designer

Matthew Weinrich  (Pierce)- Sound

Dane Levi (Norfolk) - Light designer

Justin Pommier (Fremont) - Props