2008 Woodie Awards
'Lughnasa' a 'luminous' play
by Jaime Killion
Issue date: 1/24/08
Section: Theater and Dance
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If you're going
What: Brian Friel's "Dancing at Lughnasa"
When: Jan 30 - Feb 3 and Feb 6 - 10
Where: Andreas Theatre
Tickets: $10 for MSU students
The Minnesota State Theatre & Dance Department will start the second half of the 2007-2008 mainstage theatre season with Brian Friel's drama "Dancing at Lughnasa" Wednesday at the Andreas Theatre.
"Dancing at Lughnasa" is set in a small Irish village in 1936. It is a memory play about five unmarried sisters, one with a young son, told from the point of view of Michael, the narrator, who is recounting the story of a summer at his aunt's cottage when he was seven years old.
It takes place during the festival of Lughnasa (pronounced Lu-na-sa), which celebrates the pagan god of the harvest with drunken revelry and dancing. When the sisters dance to a wild, pagan Irish tune, they embody the core of the human spirit that cannot be vanquished by time or loss, or fully expressed in language.
"Dancing at Lughnasa" is directed by Dr. Heather E. Hamilton, who is making her directorial debut at MSU with Lughnasa.
"I've been involved with theatre and arts for so long," Hamilton said, "that directing was the next progression for me from acting."
Hamilton holds a B.A in philosophy from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire, and an M.A. and Ph. D in dramatic literature and history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a director of theatre at the Wolfeboro New Hampshire Area Creative Arts Center, served on the board of The Sandwich Players and taught graduate and undergraduate Shakespeare, which she said was a piece of cake.
Hamilton describes "Lughnasa" in one word: luminous. "It's a play about a man remembering his mom and aunt," Hamilton said. "It takes place after World War I, where many women were single. These single women were called 'surplus women' because they weren't married. Life was hard for them, but they laughed their way though it. It was luminous."
The best part about directing "Lughnasa" for Hamilton was working with the cast. "They were filled with mischievous, and beauty," she said. "They were so much fun to work with."
"Lughnasa" is not an adventure play. According to Hamilton, there is no singing and dancing. Rather, it is a memory play.
"You should not expect a spectacle," Hamilton said. "You should expect beautiful language."
Jaime Killion is a Reporter staff writer
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