by Brittni Carmack
After six weeks of rehearsal, Children of Eden, the fall musical staged by theatre students in the Trevecca Department of Communication, will open Thursday in Benson Auditorium.
Children of Eden is a two-act musical with music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz and book by John Caird. The musical was inspired by the events that happen in the first 10 chapters of Genesis.
“Children of Eden tackles the complex story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel in Act 1, and takes a hard look at Noah and the Flood in the second act,” said Jeff Frame, professor of dramatic arts and communication.
Frame said the show is directly related to Trevecca’s mission.
“Being part of it has given me a lot of perspective on how we fit into the story God is telling,” said Andrew Raney, junior english education major.
The context of the musical presents a creative storytelling challenge. Children of Eden does not just read lines of Genesis, it also reads between the lines and reads beyond the lines.
“The challenge then for us as theatre artists is to somehow allow the script to breathe and play with the text while still honoring the text and our perceptions, beliefs regarding its original intent as God’s holy word,” said Frame.
This particular musical is an ensemble piece so every actor/actress involved is key,” he said.
There are familiar roles including; Adam (Andrew Raney), Eve (Shalen Eggleston), Cain (Matt Stapleton), Able (Timothy Crummer), Noah (T.J. Haynes), Father (MiKayla Hatfield), and Jonah (Ingrid Rekedal).
The musical opens on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. and runs through Nov. 7 with shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and a special matinee performance Nov. 7 at 3 p.m.
To purchase tickets for Children of Eden, either go online to the Trevecca Theatre Department website or get them from the TNU bookstore. Adult tickets are 12 dollars. Children (10 and under) and Senior (65 and older) tickets are eight dollars.
