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Messiah College theatre department to present "A Thurber Carnival"

	Messiah College students (l-r) Kyle Yackoski, Stephen Kirsch and David Ganssle rehearse a scene from "A Thurber Carnival." (Photo credit: Michael Nedrow) Click on image to download print-quality version
	Messiah College students (l-r) David Ganssle, Chris Cronce, Stephen Kirsch, Kyle Yackoski and Sarah Kellogg examine Joanna Pfistner in a scene from "A Thurber Carnival." (Photo credit: Michael Nedrow) Click on image to download print-quality version

GRANTHAM, Pa. (Sept. 20, 2005) — The theatre department at Messiah College will present the play, “A Thurber Carnival,” on Oct. 7 to 11 in Miller Auditorium in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center on the college’s Grantham campus. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $8 and can be purchased by calling the Messiah College ticket office at (717) 691-6036.

Directed by guest director Bob Crawford, “A Thurber Carnival” was written by cartoonist James Thurber and is a compilation of Thurber’s short stories, presenting his view of the world through a mix of comedy and social commentary. Thurber pokes light-hearted fun at Americans and their unique foibles. Thurber suggests in his introduction to the bestseller that this collection of short stories is about “a period which extended roughly from the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic to the day coffee was rationed.”

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Thurber entered a family of comedians. After a career in journalism and editing, Thurber turned to writing short stories, including children’s stories, and drawing cartoons depicting the themes in his stories. He also played himself in numerous performances of “A Thurber Carnival.” Thurber continued to produce works until his death on Nov. 2, 1961.

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,900 undergraduate students in 50 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.

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ARTICLE DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005
ARTICLE NUMBER: MC-101-05