PULLMAN, Wash. — “Dead Poets Society,” a student-directed play, is set for April 12-14 at Washington State University’s Stephenson Down Under.
The free, public play will show nightly at 7 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m. April 14. It lasts about 2 1/2 hours and is suitable for all ages.
Lindsay Backman, a WSU broadcasting senior, is the play’s director. She adapted the script for the stage from the 1989 “dramedy” starring Robin Williams.
“Dead Poets Society” follows the lives of a group of students at Welton Academy, an all-male, Ivy-League prep school in 1959. Their strict upbringing is challenged and their hearts set aflame by the new man on campus, Professor John Keating (played by Williams). The movie, screenplay written by Tom Schulman, was meant to inspire people to live life to the fullest with its central message, “Carpe Diem (seize the day).”
Backman is an assistant hall director for WSU’s department of residence life. This is her second independent project. Last year she directed a play of John Hughes’ 1985 film “The Breakfast Club.”
Backman said her goal is to teach students to fall in love with theater and to grow more confident in themselves and in each other. Eleven students were involved in last year’s play. This year 31 students are in the cast, and another 10-15 are involved behind the scenes.
ASWSU and the WSU Residence Hall Association sponsor the play.
For more information, call Backman, 509/335-6183.
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