April 8, 2008
Penn State Greater Allegheny Theatre students will present a tale of ancient Tibet, "What Happened at Vaisali," at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center.
Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, and free to Penn State Greater Allegheny students.
The production is being prepared in classes taught by Dr. Jay Breckenridge, professor of theatre arts, and Constance Koepfinger, instructor in theatre arts. The script evolved in class meetings, with the students improvising scenes and drafting dialogue based on the story narrative. The Tibetan story is a complex tale of intolerance, blackmail, love and reconciliation. Set in what was then northern India in 500 B.C., the events take place around the time Buddha was teaching and Sanskrit theatre was developing.
The production is part of the campus international program focusing this year on South Asia.