Ohio Wesleyan juniors Kaya Ferrell (left) and Liv Feisel each portray the title character in the university’s production of “Helen,” set to debut Oct. 3 in OWU’s Chappelear Drama Center.
Courtesy | Maja Todorovi
In this fresh take on Euripides’ tragicomedy, Helen never went to Troy but spent the war fought in her name in a hotel waiting for her husband to find her and take her home. But even his eventual arrival can’t save Helen from the legend that has grown far larger than the woman who inspired it.
Ohio Wesleyan University’s Department of Performing Arts will present five performances of “Helen” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 4, and 5 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6 in the Studio Theatre inside Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware.
Award-winning playwright Ellen McLaughlin adapted Euripides’ tragicomedy to create “Helen,” which was described by Variety upon its debut as an “impish, inquisitive new riff on the tale of Helen of Troy” and an “ambitious play is one part gleefully anachronistic comedy and two parts philosophical rumination on such ageless subjects as the futility of war and the dangers of icon worship.”
Brian Granger, Ph.D., assistant professor of theatre, is directing “Helen,” with staff Carrie Hurst providing scenic and lighting design and Jaylene Jennings creating costumes.
Granger, who joined the university in 2021, said he is excited to open OWU’s 2024-2025 season of shows with “Helen.”
“I fell in love with ‘Helen’ my first time reading it,” said Granger, a musical theatre book writer, playwright, theatre scholar, singer-songwriter, and actor-director. “I grew up in a family that loved poetry – my mom was an English teacher, and my grandmother would recite Rudyard Kipling and Robert Frost poems to me by heart when I was a child.
“The playwright, Ellen McLaughlin –most famous for originating the role of the Angel in Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ – has a deep poetic storytelling voice, so that’s one reason why I love it so much,” Granger said. “But I think there is something here for everyone in our Delaware and OWU community in its meditations on the damages of fame and war, on violence against women, on valuing surface attraction over emotional/spiritual depth in relationships, on the struggle to find your own voice, and the absolutely crazy but super-fun collection of stories that is Greek mythology.
“We have a season all about existential reflections on the human spirit and what it means to live in a universe with divine beings while also having free will,” he said, “so this is an energetic and literary way to kick off the mainstage season theme.”
Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required by visiting www.owu.edu/Helen beginning two weeks before the show debuts. The play contains adult language, including profanity, and is not recommended for young children. For more information, visit www.owu.edu/PerformingArts or call the box office at (740) 368-3855.
The Ohio Wesleyan students presenting “Helen” are:
Cast
Olivia Feisel, a junior from New Albany, Ohio, as Helen
Gillian Murray, a junior from Fairfield Township, Ohio, as Servant
Carrinna Muncy, a senior from Obetz, Ohio, as Io
Gen Maddox, a senior from Bridgeville, Delaware, as Athena
Milo Morton, a junior from Dover, Delaware, as Menelaus
Understudy cast
Kaya Ferrell, a junior from Delaware, Ohio, as Helen
Emily Clausing, a senior from Portsmouth, Ohio, as Servant
Katie Davis, a senior from Bryan, Ohio, as Io
Kai Nordlund, a senior from Galloway, Ohio, as Athena
Nic Laurence, a senior from Medina, Ohio, as Menelaus
Production team
Elizabeth Sumoza, a senior from Chicago, Illinois – stage manager
Michael Nimrick, a junior from Solon, Ohio – assistant stage manager
Cadence Swindle, a freshman from Monroe, Ohio – scenic and lighting crews
Lily Rekow, a senior from Columbus, Ohio – scenic and run crews
Willow Brown, a sophomore from Elyria, Ohio – scenic crew
Ami Hartshorne, a senior from Columbus, Ohio – master electrician
Adrian Enrique, a sophomore from Farmington, Connecticut – light board operator and crew
Owen Rehak, a senior from Willoughby Hills, Ohio – lighting crew
Max Huntington, a junior from Newton, Massachusetts – lighting crew
August Lemert, a senior from Granville, Ohio – costume crew head
Madison Klinger, a sophomore from Wickliffe, Ohio – costume crew and makeup crew head
Camryn Henderson, a sophomore from Wadsworth, Ohio – costume crew
Morgan Gioffredo, a sophomore from Castalia, Ohio – costume crew
Allyson Reich, a junior from Wadsworth, Ohio – props head
Samara Clarke, a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio – props and run crew
Katelin McClure, a sophomore from Chagrin Falls, Ohio – props and run crew
Isak Barnett, a freshman from Cleveland, Ohio – props and run crew
Callie Staley, a senior from Columbus, Ohio – sound crew head and board operator
Jakob Sanders, a senior from Maineville, Ohio – sound crew
Celeste Thompson, a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio – house manager
Maja Todorović, a senior from Chicago, Illinois – publicity crew head
Ishmir Watson, a junior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – publicity
Jack Miller, a junior from Ellwood City, Pennsylvania – publicity
For more information about OWU’s 2024-2025 performance schedule or about studying theatre and dance at Ohio Wesleyan, visit www.owu.edu/PerformingArts.
Submitted by Ohio Wesleyan University.
