CWU CTE TO HOST "ONE BOOK, ONE CAMPUS"/"HARD TIMES" DISCUSSION

November 7, 2006

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University's Central Theatre Ensemble will host a post-show discussion after the Thursday, Nov. 16, performance of "Hard Times." Both the performance, which begins at 7 p.m., and the discussion, which will immediately follow, will be held in McConnell Auditorium on the Ellensburg campus.

The play, adapted by Stephen Jeffries from the novel by Charles Dickens, is set in the fictional town of Coketown, England, circa 1840, as the Industrial Revolution begins to change the face of humanity forever. With the smokestacks of industry juxtaposed against the innocence of bucolic farm life, the play examines the impact of education and industry on humanity.

The post-show discussion will draw comparisons on the themes of the play and the 2006 CWU "One Book, One Campus" project work, Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." Specifically, the panel will focus on Chapter 10 -- "Getting the Lead Out" -- that references the development of lead-based gasoline and subsequent efforts to eliminate lead once its dangers to humans and the environment were discovered.

The panel will be comprised of CWU theatre arts professor Christina Barrigan, a member of the "One Book, One Campus" selection team and lighting designer for "Hard Times," and Drs. Roberta Soltz, university biology professor, and Greg Cant, CWU business management department chair.

Tickets for "Hard Times" are $12 general admission and $7 for students and senior citizens and may be purchased online at www.cwu.edu/~theatre/tix. They will also be available one hour before the performance at the McConnell Theatre box office. The post-show discussion is free and open to the public.

For more information, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call 509-963-1774, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD 509-963-2143.

Contact: Leslee Caul (509-963-1760/fax 509-963-1767/e-mail: caull@cwu.edu)