Play commissioned by Northern to be presented in Europe

This summer a group of Northern State University students will have a unique opportunity to see a wide variety of theatre performances in in Europe and also present a locally written play on stage.

NSU is taking students abroad to Scottland in August to participate in the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival.

The play, "The Canonized Club and Curious Lives and Deaths of the Saints," is being written by Deana Ronayne, director and founder of Hardly Working Promotions. The script was commissioned by Northern State University and will be under the direction of Kane Anderson.

While the festival runs through much of August, Anderson said, the NSU trip will be there for two weeks of the festival, providing an opportunity to present the play five times. It also provides a unique opportunity for students to experience a wide variety of theater performances.

Ronayne, who is making her way through the second draft of the play, said the show is set in 1969 and begins with Pope Paul VI making comments that calls into question where Catholic saints stand. The result is upheaval in heaven as the saints pitch their cases.

Ronayne said the play has five principle characters but several saints will be discussed. In addition to performing at the fringe festival, Ronayne said, plans also include a local performance in August.

Ronayne said she was interested in doing a play about saints and how they came to be and she connected with Anderson who was looking for a study abroad opportunity for students. So, they said, the two ideas came together.

"It was fortuitous to have this come together," Anderson said.

At this point 16 have signed up for the study abroad opportunity, from a variety of program backgrounds, with some students signed up to perform and others who are watching.

The opportunity to perform one of 1,000 shows that will be seen at the Fringe Festival in Scottland, though, is one-of-a-kind.

"It's the premiere unjuried show," Ronayne said.

Not only is there a built-in audience to watch the performance, but there's no selection process, which means anyone can come and present a show, none of which are longer than an hour.

Anderson said that makes it an opportunity to do something on stage that's new and different and provide students with the opportunity to see different creative presentations on stage.

"I hope when they see the fringe shows they'll see things they never thought about," Anderson said.

Anderson said each performance at a fringe festival is a surprise.

"It's a beautiful gamble," he said.

The study abroad program is open to the community. More information on that is available on Jan. 19 at a presentation and playwriting workshop at the black box theater in the Johnson Fine Arts Center. The presentation is at 6 p.m. with the playwriting workshop from 7-9 p.m. In that workshop those in attendance will be divided into groups that will each develop a 10-minute play.

Editor's Note: The company name, Hardly Working Promotions, was wrong in an earlier version of this story and has been corrected.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Play commissioned by Northern to be presented in Europe