The Denison University theatre department presents the world premiere of "The Buckeye You Save Could Be Your Own" by Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, the Jonathan R. Reynolds Playwright-in-Residence. Performances are at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday (April 7-8) and Tuesday through Saturday (April 11-15) in Ace Morgan Theatre (211 W. College Street). Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for senior citizens and can be reserved by calling the theatre box office at (740) 587-6527.

The play began with auditions in January, when a cast of seven students was chosen. Associate Professor Robert Gander is directing the play. "We cast the show before the play was written, and Cortinas wrote the play inspired, in part, by the actors. The characters have come directly from their personalities...and it's great fun to watch the actors play theatrical versions of themselves," said Gander.

Gander describes the play as a 'post 9-11 comedy,' as the college students in the play (set at a rigorous liberal arts school in mid-Ohio) are readying themselves for a Preparedness Drill like the ones hospitals often hold. "What is revealed in a wry and intelligent manner is the difficulty, or perhaps impossibility, of preparing for an emergency. A parallel question arises about just how prepared college makes one for actual life. It's thrilling to be working on a piece of theatre so immediately about the time and place in which we live," said Gander.

Cast members include seniors Gregory Polsen (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), Margaret Skorburg (Dallas, Texas), and Tariq Vasudeva (New Delhi, India); juniors Christopher Carr (Weymouth, Mass.), Timothy Henson (Charleston, S.C.), and Greta Kuhlman (Van Nuys, Calif.); and freshman Shachie Garcia (Lowell, Mass.). Junior Gretchen Vogt (Delaware) serves as assistant director, sophomore Kathryn George (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) is stage manager, junior Natalie Berndsen (Columbus) is assistant stage manager, and junior Julie Rogers (Upper Montclair, N.J.) is dramaturg. Senior Jennifer Bennett (Lithonia, Ga.) is costume designer.

Visiting Assistant Professor Mary Sykes is lighting designer and the scenic design is by Brad Steinmetz; both are Vail Artists-in-Residence. Andrew Johns is the technical director.

Cortinas earned a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Brown University. He lives in New York City where he is an Artistic Associate at INTAR and a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts as well as the Helen Merrill Award. He currently has a play commission with the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Much of his writing reflects his Cuban ancestry, as is true of his play "Blind Mouth Singing" which opened this spring in Chicago.

CALENDAR INFORMATION: Denison University,The Denison theatre department presents the world premiere of "The Buckeye You Save Could Be Your Own" by Jorge Ignacio Cortinas; 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday (April 7-8) and Tuesday through Saturday (April 11-15) in Ace Morgan Theatre (211 West College). Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for seniors. To reserve tickets or for more information, please call the theatre box office at (740) 587-6527.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

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Barbara Stambaugh

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(740) 587-8575