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St. Olaf faculty, students to perform at Fringe Festival

By Kari VanDerVeen
July 27, 2009

A group of St. Olaf faculty members, students, and alumni will bring Helen of Troy to life beginning this week at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. But their version of Helen's legendary story features a twist: that the aging, very human Helen was in Egypt during the war while an ever-young, ever-beautiful simulation of her created by the gods inspired the infamous war.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Jeanne Willcoxon directs the play, Helen, which will be performed on various dates July 31-Aug. 9 at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. The cast also will bring the production to St. Olaf's Haugen Theater for two performances to kick off the academic year Sept. 11-12 at 7:30 p.m.

St. Olaf Artist in Residence Dona Freeman will play Helen, joining a cast of alumni and students. Todd Edwards, the designer and technical director for St. Olaf's Theatre Department, will play Menelaus and oversee scene design. Freeman received a St. Olaf faculty development grant that led to the production of Helen, and she also earned a student-faculty research position that enabled her to work closely with the play's researcher, or dramaturg, Nick Thompson '10.

For more information about the play, performance times, and to view a short trailer for the production, visit the Minnesota Fringe Festival website.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.