Ohio Christian University’s Drama Team is honored to present this year’s fall production, Dark Road, written by Laura Lundgren Smith, on Friday, Nov. 12th at 7:00 PM in the Ministry and Performing Arts Center’s auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. This play may not be suitable for some younger audiences who may find the subject matter disturbing. Parental discretion is advised.
The play focuses on the story of a female concentration camp guard, Greta, who has been given a death sentence for her crimes committed under the Nazi regime. Given one last chance to tell her story to an inquisitive journalist, Greta must relive her past and acknowledge the individual decisions that made her into the infamous “Witch of Ravensbrück.” The story focuses on Greta’s relationship with her younger sister, Lise, and how Greta’s descent into darkness brings their relationship to an ultimate crossroads.
Director Alana Bradley hopes that audiences will recognize the relevance of Dark Road’s message, a message on how everyday decisions can ultimately lead to evil actions. Bradley states that “morality is already being loosened in our culture, slowly unraveling our perception of right and wrong. We must forever remember what humanity is capable of when we exchange the truth for a lie.”
Dark Road author, Laura Lundgren Smith, who has been consulting the OCU Drama Team as they prepare this production, also notes, “[w]e don’t have to do active bad deeds to be monsters. We can be passive monsters: allowing the bad acts of others to go unchecked and unpunished. Ignoring evil because it is inconvenient or unpopular to call it out is in itself an evil act. Ever seeing another human as less than yourself for any reason is, I believe, inherently evil. Evil doesn’t have to be found in the grand gestures of murder or torture. It is just as present, and perhaps more insidious, in the small gestures of looking the other way or remaining silent; in thinking another human being matters less than you.”
We feel this production, though only 45 minutes in length, is powerful and necessary for audiences today! So reserve your free seat for Dark Road at OCU’s Drama Team webpage.
We hope to see you there!
