Promotional Poster for "Dead Man Walking," performed at Messiah College Click on image to download print-quality version

GRANTHAM, Pa. (Oct. 18, 2007) — Messiah College’s department of theatre presents “Dead Man Walking,” a play exploring the implications of capital punishment. Directed by Valerie Rae Smith, co-chair of the theatre department, the play will show from Nov. 8–10 and 15–17 starting at 8 p.m. each evening, with matinee showings at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 18. “Dead Man Walking” will be performed in Miller Auditorium, located in the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center on the college’s Grantham campus. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased by calling the Messiah College ticket office at (717) 691-6036. Each performance will be followed by a discussion session to address the questions the play raises. Because of the play’s addressing of violence, “Dead Man Walking” is primarily appropriate for an adult audience.

About the production

A Tim Robbins’ adaptation based on the best-selling novel by Sister Helen Prejean, “Dead Man Walking” explores the psychology and human emotion of a prisoner on death row through the eyes of a Catholic nun giving him spiritual counsel. A cast of 14, from prison wardens to trial lawyers, surrounds the central drama in a gripping examination of the complex nature of forgiveness, the issue of capital punishment and the individuals involved. Messiah College’s theatre department presents this play in cooperation with the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project.

Faculty director Smith, a current member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, also teaches theatre history, gender and performance studies and acting at Messiah College. She earned a bachelor of arts in theatre and education from Taylor University, a master of arts from Miami University and her Ph.D in theatre history, literature and criticism from Tufts University. She has directed a number of plays at the college, most recently the fall 2006 production of “Romeo and Juliet.”

About Messiah College

Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 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.