Submitted by Dic Wheeler, Oddfellows Playhouse
(November 4, 2022) — A grant of $1825 to Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater awarded by CT Humanities will fund several interpretive events offered in tandem with the Playhouse’s upcoming production of the play Journey to the West, by Mary Zimmerman.
The play, performed by the Oddfellows Teen Repertory Company, is a contemporary adaptation of the 16th century Chinese novel by the same name. The play will be performed at Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street in Middletown, November 10-12 and 18-19, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
On Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., Dr. Allison Bernard will deliver a public talk at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The talk is free and open to the public. Professor Bernard will introduce the original novel to contemporary Americans. The talk will be an opportunity for cast members, audience members, and the Middletown community to learn more about the cultural and literary significance of the 16th century source text—a text that is regarded as one of China’s greatest classical novels—as well as the many adaptations and recreations of the novel and its story from the 16th century to the present day.
Dr. Bernard is a Visiting Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University, and specializes in Early Modern Chinese Literature and Theater. Dr. Bernard will lead a “talk-back” with the audience, director and cast following the November 11th performance. For more information, or to reserve tickets, go to www.oddfellows.org or contact info@oddfellows.org.
The CT Humanities grant is supporting the public talk at Russell Library, the November 11th Talkback, and an essay by Dr. Bernard in the production playbill. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
