Play to premiere at Bluffton University in November
Bluffton University's fall play is getting its full-fledged premiere on the Ramseyer Auditorium stage.
"The Castle of Otranto," adapted by John Minigan several years ago from a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole, has been scaled back for presentations as a staged reading and as a workshop production at the Orlando (Fla.) PlayFest. But it will be produced in full form for the first time Nov. 3-6 at Bluffton.
Darin Kerr, visiting instructor of theatre this fall, is directing the show, set for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3-5 and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in the College Hall auditorium.
Tickets, $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for senior citizens (65 and over) and non-Bluffton students, are available online at http://tickets.bluffton.edu or by contacting the box office at 419-358-3239 or [email protected].
Kerr has read the book-deemed to be the first Gothic novel-and came across Minigan's stage adaptation in 2008. "From an artistic standpoint, I like that it functions on multiple levels," as both comedy and drama, he notes, saying that's one reason why he chose to stage it at Bluffton. "I'm a fan of the Gothic as well," adds Kerr, who has been in contact with Minigan, a Boston-area teacher as well as playwright, about the production.
Kerr says he also believes "The Castle of Otranto" addresses questions central to Bluffton as an institution. "How do we find peaceful ways of relating to one another?" is one of them, he suggests, although the play provides "the ways that don't work."
The main character is Prince Manfred, who, when an enormous helmet crashes through his castle roof and kills his son Conrad, schemes to find a new heir to ensure his family's continued rule.
His maneuvers include imprisoning without a trial the man he deems responsible for the falling helmet-which becomes the prison-and trying to divorce his wife so he can marry his dead son's fianc'ee. At the same time, a huge leg and other oversized body parts start appearing throughout the castle as a prophecy unfolds.
While he does bad things, Manfred is often simply "overruled by passions," Kerr says, pointing out that Minigan also constructed his adaptation as a response to the American response to 9/11. "He exhibits all the paranoia of a ruler who's afraid his rule is coming to an end."
The helmet and body parts are depicted through sound, lighting and movement as the story advances via narration by the play's seven actors, six of whom play multiple characters.
"It's a challenging piece because it demands flexibility of style" from "over the top" to realistic emotion, the director explains. "All of the roles are great, so it provides opportunities for the student-actors to work on different skills."
He hopes the audience, like the actors, will engage with the production. "Multiplicity of response is what I like to go for," says Kerr, who is completing his Ph.D. in theatre at Bowling Green State University while filling in at Bluffton this semester for Dr. Melissa Friesen, who is on sabbatical.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers