Vanguard University's Department of Theatre Arts to Present HARVEY

Vanguard University's department of Theatre Arts will present the comedy classic by Mary Chase, Harvey. The production is presented in the Lyceum Theater on the Vanguard University campus, beginning April 1st, 2022, and running two weekends through April 10th.

"After about twenty years of trying to get the performance rights for this gem of a comedy, we are finally able to bring it to our patrons! This show harkens back to a different day and age; and, directorially, I've enjoyed painting some of these characters with the strokes of the ridiculous and at times the absurd. But most of all, I have enjoyed being able to bring to life Elwood P. Dowd, a wonderful soul and a perennial joy giver who invokes the spirit of hope and compassion in everyone he meets. He is the epitome of a true Christ-like protagonist who is not tainted with the bitterness of life's tumultuous storm and stress. We so need more of this character in all our lives!" -Director, Susan K. Berkompas

SUSAN K. BERKOMPAS, B.F.A./M.F.A. in Acting and Directing from CalRep; Professor Berkompas has served as Theatre Department Chair for twenty-four years at VU. She is a member of SDC, SAG, and AFTRA. She is the recipient of the KCACTF Excellence in Education and Gold Medallion awards and is an alumnus of Directors Lab West. She studied Shakespeare with Sir John Barton at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford. She is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of American Coast Theater Company, and she serves as department chair of theatre arts at Vanguard University where she teaches acting and directing courses. Sue has directed such shows as Othello, The Boys Next Door, Metamorphoses, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Crucible, Kiss Me Kate, Bullshot Crummond, and Life Without Parole. She has played such roles as Gertrude (Hamlet), Eleanor (The Lion in Winter), Blanche (A Streetcar Named Desire), Kate (All My Sons), Kate (Taming of the Shrew), Joy (Shadowlands) and Edith/Edie (Gray Gardens). www.SusanBerkompas.com

Harvey synopsis: It is a spring afternoon at the Dowd family home when Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend Harvey, a six-and-a-half-foot tall rabbit, to guests at his sister's society luncheon. Horrified that the embarrassing family secret is now exposed, his sister, Veta, decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium, but a mistake is made when Veta is committed rather than Elwood, setting off a hilarious chain of events. A long-running Broadway hit; Harvey was adapted into an Oscar-winning 1950 movie starring James Stewart.

All performances are presented on the campus of Vanguard University, in the Lyceum Theater. Ticket prices are $17 for general admission and $15 for seniors, children, college students and groups. Tickets may be purchased at www.vanguardtickets.com or by calling the Theatre Department box office at 714-668-6145. Suitable for ages teens and older.

Performance dates and times are April 1, 2, 7, 8, 9th at 7:30pm and April 2, 3, 9, and 10th at 2:00pm.

For more information about Vanguard University, visit www.vanguard.edu; for additional information about the Theatre Department visit www.vanguard.edu/theatre.

ABOUT VANGUARD UNIVERSITY

Vanguard University (VU) is a regionally ranked, private, Christian university of liberal arts and professional studies. Located ten minutes from Newport Beach and an hour from Los Angeles, Vanguard equips students for a Spirit-empowered life of Christ-focused leadership and service. Vanguard is committed to academic excellence, boasting small class sizes that are designed to cultivate lasting professor-mentor relationships that enhance the learning process. The Theatre Department is accredited by NAST. The U.S. News & World Report ranked Vanguard a top 12 regional college in the west and a top veteran-friendly college for 2015, and The Princeton Review ranked Vanguard a 2014 "Best in the West" regional college. Accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, Vanguard offers more than 30 degrees and certificates through its undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies programs. Please visit www.vanguard.edu

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