This fall, Lee University presents the realistic, postmodern drama, Oleanna, starring Josh Hatfield and Daryn Jackson. The play will be performed November 13-18 at 7 pm in the Dixon Center Auditorium. Oleanna is directed by Dr. Mark Burnette and assistant directed by Hadassah Johnson. Ms. Catherine Bradley serves as the technical director of the production and students from her scene and set design created the visual design of the show. Seating will be limited to approximately 100 viewers per performance, as seating will be located on-stage to create an intimate, black-box style theater.  An open forum will be held after the play for formal discussion of the play’s controversial theme of sexual harassment.

Plays written by the Pulitzer-winning David Mamet are known for their masterful portrayal of controversy, and this one is no exception. Oleanna has sparked endless and heated debates among its viewers. The realistic drama deals with several hot topics, including sexual harassment, sexism, racism, elitism, class differences, abuse of power positions, and political correctness. This makes for a presentation that is hardly child-friendly, but does provide a mode for discussing such sensitive issues with Lee students and faculty.

Director Dr. Mark Burnette will hold an open forum at the close of each play to discuss sexual harassment.  This forum will also include a panel of faculty and cast members to provide various perspectives on the topic.  For example, Dr. Charles Carrick, an education professor with a degree in law, will discuss the legal aspects of sexual harassment; and Lee vice president Dr. Carolyn Dirksen will speak toward the issue from an administrator’s point of view.

Oleanna develops its controversial theme through conflict between a college professor and his student.  John, a middle-aged professor approaching tenure, and Carol, a young college student frustrated over her struggle to pass his class, become both protagonists and antagonists through a puzzle of plot and intrigue.

The characters’ dialogue is characterized by trailing, suggestive fragments and sentences cut tantalizingly short by constant interruptions.  The dialogue’s unconventional style establishes a poignant air of realism for the play, and the snippets of unfinished information develop its characters with a depth that could never be achieved by more direct methods.  Several twists in character development occur, so audiences should pay close attention to seemingly wandering dialogue.

Many viewers are confused by the play’s odd name.  Mamet named Oleanna after utopian farming community immortalized in folk song that eventually failed due to infertile land. The Norwegian folk song was translated into English and popularized in the United States by Weavers member Pete Seeger in the 1960s.

Communication and the Arts • Dixon Center • (423) 614-8341 • Box Office (423) 614-8343
Lee University • 1120 N. Ocoee St. • Cleveland, TN 37320-3450 • (423) 614-8000