Fahrenheit 451 catches fire (04-11-08)
The much anticipated Adams State College Theatre Department's production, "Fahrenheit 451," opens at 8 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the Main Stage Theatre. The play continues at 8 p.m. April 26, and May 1, 2, and 3. Matinees are scheduled for 2 p.m. April 27 and May 4. Call 719-587-TIXX for reservations. Tickets are $9 for general public, $7 for seniors and students, and $5 for children 12 and under, and free to Associated Students and Faculty.
"The subject of the book is more relevant today than when it was written 55 years ago," said Dr. John H. Taylor, associate professor of theatre. "Much of what Bradbury predicted as fantasy has come true." Taylor is directing the Ray Bradbury classic, and has spent over a year preparing, organizing, and leading events for the entire Fahrenheit 451 project.
He said the whole project has been the intersection of literature, culture and society through the topic of free speech. "If people have seen the film, the play is not the film - if they have read the book, the play is not the book," Taylor said. "It is a mix of the two with its own unique form of expression. When people see the play, expect the unexpected. It will be a thrilling evening of theatr."
According to Taylor, his goal as a director was anything but reverential and safe as he produced an adaptation of the classic. "The play is rebellious, raucous and political in all aspects - from the content to the casting, and even the music," he said. "I am trying to capture the sense of what life could be like in America twenty years after September 11."
Taylor said he is very pleased with the set design by Dr. Paul Newman, director of the theater program. "The set looks apocalyptic," Taylor said. "It is the physical representation of the moral decay in society that begins when freedoms are taken away."
In the spring 2007, Taylor wrote a successful National Endowment for the Arts' The Big Read Project grant, and centered his project around the Ray Bradbury book, "Fahrenheit 451." During the fall 2007 semester Taylor brought the nationally recognized playwright, director, and activist Luis Valdez to campus and initiated the 24 Hour Big Read, organized a teleconference with Bradbury, arranged a 1st Amendment Forum, showed eight banned films, established a weekly book club on the public radio station, KRZA, delivered 3200 free books to individuals, libraries and schools throughout the San Luis Valley, and taught a course that produced two evenings of selections from banned plays. With the exception on the theatre production, all events have been free to public.
"I hope this is a fitting conclusion to what has been an example of how a great book can lead to an exploration of freedom of expression and the role of citizens in a democratic society," Taylor said.
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By Linda Relyea
