Ithaca College

The Ithaca College Department of Theatre Arts will present the “The Dream of the Burning Boy” by David West Read. This production is the department’s Senior Directing Project this semester and will be directed by Sara Stevens ’13. There will be four performances, at 5 PM and 8 PM on Sunday, November 11th and 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM on Monday, November 12th. All performances will be held in Studio 2 in Dillingham Center. Tickets for “The Dream of the Burning Boy” are free of charge and are available by emailing ictams1@gmail.com and requesting a specific performance. Because seating is very limited, we ask that you limit your order to one ticket per customer. Patrons are reminded to come at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the performance to claim their ticket reservation. 

David West Read's "The Dream of the Burning Boy" is an emotionally gripping drama about a high school tragedy. The story focuses on Larry Morrow, a high school English teacher, who begins to have frightening dreams following the tragic loss of one of his students. Each of the play’s characters manifests his or her own method of dealing with the loss in this emotion-packed, one-act play. Director Stevens is proud that Ithaca College's "The Dream of the Burning Boy" is the second production of the play ever. She says, “I looked at the opportunity to do this show as taking on a show with fresh eyes that no one’s ever seen before. No one is coming in with any preconceived notion about what the play is.”

The cast of “The Dream of The Burning Boy” includes Sam Adrain ’15, Eric Schaum ’15, Taylor Misiak ’14, Georgi McCauley ’14, Michael Trimm ‘16, Devon Cox ‘15, Michael Sullivan ’16, Justin Kasian ’16, and Anna Pugel ‘15 .

The artistic staff of “The Dream of the Burning Boy” includes assistant director Dennis Chambers ‘14, technical director George Horrocks ‘15, lighting designer Kristof Janezic ‘13, scenic and costume designer Emilio Zurrita ‘13, stage manager Miriam Salzman ’13, and assistant stage manager Anna Aschliman ‘15.

When asked about the impact of the play, Stevens responded, “I hope Burning Boy makes people confront those kinds of things we keep totally out of our mind. I think there are some things that are too depressing and horrible to even think about, that we can’t, as human beings, know how to physically talk about them or handle them, and this play in a round-about human way makes us confront those emotions and feelings in a way that we don’t usually have to…To sum it up, I hope that this play makes people think about the things that we spend so much time trying not to think about.”

A nationally recognized professional theater-training program, the Department of Theatre Arts attracts students from across the United States. Throughout the production season, undergraduate students present all aspects of theater in a professional model.

Dillingham Center accommodates all patrons. Individuals with special needs are asked to contact (607) 274-3224 to request accommodation as soon as possible.