Shenandoah Valley graduate to present new full-length play at Majestic Theater

Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·2 min read

Nov. 18—Talk about returning home to shine.

When Dane Rooney performs at the Majestic Theater, 209 N. Centre St., at 7 p.m. Saturday, folks will have the opportunity to enjoy a new, full-length play.

But the background for the play and Rooney's performance has a much deeper meaning than a chance for entertainment and a night out at Pottsville's Broadway venue.

According to Robert C. Yudinsky, a retired educator who is the Shenandoah Valley School District's community relations coordinator, Rooney is a 2003 Shenandoah Valley graduate who, during his high school years, excelled in theater and, in various ways, presentations of high school plays.

Rooney "returned to his alma mater and became an English teacher and SV Drama Club director and choreographer," Yudinsky said in a release about the upcoming performance.

In 2015, Rooney — which is a revered name in Shenandoah Valley's well-known drama circles — moved to New York City to pursue playwriting and "had several short plays published and produced in that time," Yudinsky wrote.

The play Rooney will present at the Majestic is titled, "We Enheduanna." The author? Dane Rooney.

"The play deals with the history of the world's first author, Enheduanna, and her life as a princess and high priestess in ancient Mesopotamia," Yudinsky said.

Mesopotamia, as described by Wikipedia, is "a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris — Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent."

Often considered the birthplace of civilization, the region today includes Iraq and Kuwait and parts of Iran, Syria and Turkey.

According to Yudinsky, Rooney said the play "came to fruition over the span of several years, (and) bringing this play from the page to the stage was his personal labor of love."

The public is welcome to attend the Majestic Theater performance. Yudinsky said a $10 contribution "is suggested at the door." Yudinsky can be reached via email at bobyudin@hotmail.com. To reach the Majestic, call 570-628-2833.