The show is scheduled for Oct. 8-11, with evening shows Thursday through Saturday and a matinee Sunday.
What begins as a familiar classroom computer game becomes an extraordinary journey across generations when the Wayne State College Theatre Program presents “The Oregon Trail” Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 8-11, in the Peterson Fine Arts Building’s Black Box Theatre.
Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $5 per person, with free admission for Wayne State students, faculty, and staff with their college ID card. Tickets are available at the door. There are no reserved seats, and seating is limited.
“The Oregon Trail” blends the quirky nostalgia of a cultural touchstone with a poignant exploration of depression, family legacy, and personal resilience, Bekah Brunstetter's play invites audiences to travel alongside two young women separated by more than a century but united by their search for meaning, belonging, and hope.
Jane is trapped in her middle school computer lab playing “The Oregon Trail” for what feels like hours. The game becomes life and rips the audience back to the trail in 1848, where they travel in a covered wagon with Jane’s great-great-grandmother. As Game moves us back, forward, and back again, Now-Jane and Then-Jane’s sadnesses are delicately juxtaposed in this play-meets-videogame about depression, then and now. “The Oregon Trail” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. (www.concordtheatricals.com).
Cast members include:
- Ashton, Iowa – Ethan Frangenberg
- Alma, Neb. – Jonah Felix
- Ames, Neb. – Elliot Engel
- Bee, Neb. – Mariya Mae Corner
- Carleton, Neb. – Gracie Hinz
- Chadron, Neb. – Eliu Paopao
- Columbus, Neb. – Trey Hill
- Geneva, Neb. – Reilly Vrbka
- Grand Island, Neb. – Madison Dvorak
- Hooper, Neb. – Johanna Winterlin
- Murray, Neb. – Ella Lewis
- Omaha, Neb. – Victoria Harrington, Caleb Williams
- St. Paul, Neb. – Lily Sazama
Mollie Young, an adjunct faculty member in Wayne State’s Department of Communication Arts, is the director. Young also serves as the costume and makeup designer.
Brian Begley, professor of communication arts at Wayne State, serves as technical director, scenic designer, and lighting designer. Maddie Fairman of Papillion serves as sound designer, and Ayanna Morales of Columbus and Hannah Henderson of Fremont are the production stage managers.
For more information, contact Rusty Ruth, associate professor of communication arts at Wayne State, at [email protected].