Calvin College students turn their class into a performance
From February 1-3, the Calvin Theatre Company presents “The Amish Project,” a play that explores the true story of the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, which was forever changed when a gunman took the lives of five Amish schoolchildren and injured five more in October 2006.
The Amish Project tells this true story through a fictional lens. The audience will witness the experiences of seven of the individuals involved in the events surrounding the tragedy.
In the weeks and months following the tragedy, the Amish community’s gracious response of love, forgiveness, and compassion left a deep impression on the world audience, and continues to do so even still. And as their stories unfold in “The Amish Project,” the audience will be inspired to consider what it means to show great love, deep grace, and true forgiveness.
In the three-week January interim course: “The Amish Project: What is the meaning of Forgiveness?,” students studied documents of the historical event, read and studied about Amish religion, the Christian practice of forgiveness, and wrestled with their own struggles with the concept of forgiveness. They were then given the opportunity to exhibit their theatrical and technical skills by putting together performances for the public.
The resulting play is directed by Emily Wetzel, a 2016 Calvin alum, and is for high school aged audiences and above. The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on February 1,2, and 3, in the Spoelhof Center Lab Theatre on Calvin’s campus and are made possible in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
For ticket information, visit https://calvin.edu/offices-services/box-office. For hi-res photos or interview requests, contact Matt Kucinski at msk23@calvin.edu or 616-526-8935.