Ohio University Lancaster Theatre Returns with The Shadow Box

Ohio University Lancaster Theatre is pleased to announce its fall production, The Shadow Box.

The Shadow Box will be the first full length live production in the Wagner Theatre on the Lancaster campus since February 2020. This groundbreaking drama by Michael Cristofer has won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award.

Artistic Director and Assistant Professor of Instruction, Victor Jones, said rehearsals are going well and his students are intensely preparing for their roles.

The Shadow Box is a drama about how three families cope during their loved one's final days. This award-winning play is filled with passionate characters who are filled with hope and love,” Jones said. “Cast members are drawing upon their own personal experiences, research, and character journal writing to prepare for these challenging roles. The script that playwright Michael Cristofer has written provides the actors with an opportunity for in-depth character work."

The theatre program recently performed Friends Celebrating the Music of Broadway at the Lancaster Festival. It was the tenth production in collaboration with the festival.

Students in the theatre program are eager to get back on stage and perform for a live audience. Sam Beaulieu, freshman studying theatre, will be making his debut performance in a drama on the Wagner Theatre stage.

“This theatre program and Victor Jones have been so kind to me. It’s given me a place to express myself, make a new theatre family after high school and most importantly educate myself," said Beaulieu. "I’m very excited for The Shadow Box. This will be my first drama on the Wagner Theatre stage and it’s the most challenging performance I’ve had especially with fleshing out the character of Mark. Mark is very protective of his lover Brian and is extremely stand-offish when Brian’s former wife shows up to their cottage unannounced. Mark seems cold but ultimately has so much going on internally.”

The Shadow Box premiers at the Wagner Theatre at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3. The full schedule of show dates and time are listed below:

Wednesday, November 3, 7:00 pm

Thursday, November 4, 7:00 pm

Friday, November 5, 7:00 pm

Saturday, November 6, 7:00 pm

Sunday, November 7, 2:00 pm

About The Shadow Box:

In this compelling dramatic triptych, three terminal cancer patients dwell in separate cottages on a hospital's grounds. The three are attended and visited by family and close friends: Agnes and her mother Felicity, estranged further by the latter's dementia; Brian and Beverly, whose marital complications are exacerbated by Brian's new lover, Mark; and Joe and Maggie, unready for the strain of Joe's impending death and its effect on their teenage son. Information provided by Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

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A rich tradition of theatre continues to thrive and grow on the Ohio University Lancaster campus. Ohio University Lancaster’s Theatre program typically offers three to four major productions a year, one of which is featured during the historic Lancaster Festival.

The faculty and staff of Ohio University Lancaster are dedicated to continuing a strong, successful and educational theatre program. Ohio University Lancaster’s Wagner Theatre is located at 1570 Granville Pike in Lancaster, Ohio. For more information on the Theatre program, contact A. Victor Jones, Artistic Director and Lecturer of Theatre for Ohio University Lancaster at jonesv2@ohio.edu.