On Thursday, Feb. 22nd, at 7:00 pm, Brevard College Theatre will open their production of “Brother Wolf,” a musical drama adapted by Preston Lane with original music by Lauren Dossett.
The show will run in The Porter Center for Performing Arts’ Black Box Theatre. Additional performances will be on Feb. 23rd and 24th at 7:00 pm, as well as a matinee on Feb. 25th at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students, and are available for purchase online at etix.com or at the box office 30 minutes before each performance.
Based on the story of Beowulf, and in the tradition of the award winning film O Brother Where Art Thou?, the play is set in the 1840s and present day. The Appalachian adventure combines epic storytelling with traditional music, blending folklore, myth and mountain religion. When the Speerdane family dares to build a church, they awaken the violent monster, Grin Dell. The legendary mountain man, Brother Wolf, arrives to lend a hand and sparks a cycle of revenge that hurtles out of control and can only be stopped by learning to forgive.
“This play is a pure form of storytelling. It is wonderfully theatrical and deeply grounded in universal themes such as loss, grief, revenge, and forgiveness. My hope is that audiences will not only feel like they had a powerful visual experience, but they that they will find a personal connection to the character’s fates,” said director and faculty member Peter Savage.
Audience members will recognize many of the actual place names mentioned, and the set and lighting design will help ground the story right here in Western North Carolina. And while the play may feel dark at times, there is a great deal of hope in this story. Brother Wolf is not a musical in the Broadway sense with large song and dance numbers, but more a “play with music.”
“I am fortunate to have such a talented cast that can both play multiple parts and sing with beautiful voices,” continues Savage. “This piece is challenging for me as a director as I tend to do more straight forward types of drama which feel more grounded in realism. This play is a classic, round-the-campfire type of story and there is magic and mystery in the visual elements of the piece. I have enjoyed tapping into these creative aspects in my work.”