On Oct. 13, Delta Drama will have its opening performance of the classic 1955 theatrical production “Bus Stop” by William Inge.
“Bus Stop” takes the audience back to the mid 50’s, it takes place in a small roadside diner in the city of Kansas.
The play is a multi-act play consisting of three parts taken place in a diner where the characters have to take refuge due to all roads being blocked.
Cherie, (female lead) a nightclub chanteuse (or singer), is being pursued by a young cowboy with all the romantic cleverness of a ‘rodeo bull’.
“The belligerent cowhand is right behind her, ready to sling her over his shoulder and carry her, alive and kicking, all the way to Montana… As a counterpoint to the main romance, the proprietor of the cafe and the bus driver who have previously only spent time in passing, find time to develop a friendship of their own; a middle-age scholar comes to terms with himself; and a young girl who works in the cafe also gets her first taste of romance,” according to the “Bus Stop” script overview.
The script that will be performed at Delta comes straight from Inge’s original script.
“We are doing the script straight as it is from 1955, we haven’t made any changes we are being true to the period and the time,” said Drama Arts and Communication Associate Professor and Director Ashlee Temple.
For this particular play the cast is made up of students who are taking classes through the Delta Drama Department.
Delta Student Marcus Richard who plays the role of Virgil Blessing believes that it will be an interesting experience for the audience as the play is more intimate which makes the audience immerse in the play.
“It will be an interesting experience because really, it’s really intimate, most plays is like your an audience member and you are just watching the play but with this play your kind of immerse in it like you’re part of the world,” said Richard.
Associate Professor and Director Temple recommends people to join and watch “Bus Stop” as it is an entertaining, realistic, and a well perform play.
“I think it is really entertaining, it’s a wonderful play, it’s an American classic, the actors are doing a fabulous job, it’s meant to be a piece that moves you, makes you laugh and cry… It’s a very realistic play about human and finding connection in small moments but mostly I hope the audience comes because they want to be entertain and enjoy something,” said Temple.
One of the biggest challenges for the cast was dialect or accent adaption.
“When we first started we were all very shaky with our accents but now over the rehearsal process we have grown into our characters accents,” said Richard.
Although “Bus Stop’ is made of all students enrolled in courses in the Drama Department anybody can audition for Delta theatrical performances including people who aren’t students at Delta and students who aren’t enrolled in Drama courses.
For more information about the tickets visit the Delta Center for the Arts at deltacollege.edu or call (209) 954-5151.
Location: Alfred H. Mueller Studio Theatre
Dates: 7 p.m. Oct. 13-14, 20-21
2 p.m. Oct. 15 and Oct. 22
Tickets: $9 for adults
$4 for students and seniors