Photo by Krister Strandskov, courtesy DMACC Theatre.
The DMACC Ankeny Theater performed “The Turn of the Screw” six days in October. The play was written by Jeffrey Hatcher from the story by Henry James. It is directed by Carmen McDermott. The performances are free to attend and watch and held in building five in the Black Box on the Ankeny Campus.
The play is suspenseful and full of horror. From the DMACC Theatre website: “A young governess journeys to a lonely house to care for two children. Her predecessor, Miss Jessel, drowned herself when she became pregnant by the valet, Peter Quint, who was himself found dead soon after, under mysterious circumstances. Now the new governess has begun to see the ghosts of Quint and Jessel haunting the children, and she must find a way to stop them before it is too late.”
The production is staged as a radio play with full acting, manually created sound effects (also called Foley), and music. It has no costumes, set, or lighting. The actors won’t perform with props, so the focus is the story. Auditions for ‘The Turn of the Screw’ were in early September and then rehearsals started a week after. This means the cast and crew have been working on the show for only a little under a month.
“We’re always working on new ideas and exploring the professional model of theatre to its full extent. We have done a radio play in the past – during the Summer of 2020 – and we have obviously done a lot of live theatre, so this is a fun way to bring the two together,” said Program Chair of DMACC Ankeny Theatre Carl Lindberg.
The cast for this product is Governess: Macey Brackin, Miles: Andrew Winkowitsch, Mrs. Grose: Emily Junker, Uncle / Foley: Austin Klimpel, Narrator/ Foley: Dave Binder, and Piano: Oz Lee Spiker. Macey Brackin, who plays the governess, is “thrilled to be back for my 5th (and final) show with DMACC Ankeny Theatre.”
The crew consists of Director: Carmen McDermott, Stage Manager: Emily Varineau, Sound / Foley Design: Krister Strandskov, Lighting Design: Rachel Trimble, Production Manager: Rachel Trimble, Technical Direction: Krister Strandskov, Producer: Carl Lindberg, and House Manager: Audrey Krukow. Production Graphic Designs by Amina Ali. DMACC Ankeny Theatre logo Graphic Designs by DMACC alumnus Lucas Thul.
If you want to be involved you can audition for plays, interview for crew positions, take drama courses, and/or email the Program Chair, Carl Lindberg, at celindberg@dmacc.edu for more info!
A lot of info can be found on their webpage, If anyone wants to participate by being an audience member come see all of their shows–they’re free! We keep up with folks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at DMACC Theatre.
Upcoming performances: Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Ankeny Black Box Theater, Building 5.
Comments