In one of their most ambitious and novel theatrical undertakings ever, the drama students at Mercer County College present a new look at “Woyzeck,” a play written in 1836 by German playwright Georg Buchner. The newly-translated production will be performed at Kelsey Theater on weekends, Friday, April 20, to Sunday, April 29.
Melanie Britton, a graduate of High School North, Class of 2005, is in the ensemble. She portrays numerous characters include a showgirl, a clown, and a lip syncher in a tavern. This is her second year majoring in communications, speech, and theater. She has performed at Mercer in “Godspell” and “The Mysteries.” ##M:[more]##
Born in Johnstown, New York, she moved to Plainsboro when she was in the sixth grade. She lives with her father, Anthony, a landscaper for the New Jersey Turnpike. Her mother, Denise, lives in upstate New York. In New York she was in the chorus and played trumpet in the band. In the summer after seventh grade, she performed in “Alice in Wonderland” at Glove Theater in New York.
At North she was a cheerleader and performed in Senior One Acts as a junior. “I like being in front of people,” she says. “This play is different and has dark humor. I am going into it with an open mind.”
Jody Person, the drama program coordinator, describes the play as a darkly humorous morality tale that speaks to the consequences of living in poverty, both physically and spiritually. Franz Woyzeck, a poor soldier in a small town, is bullied by his captain and subjected to bizarre medical experimentation by an army doctor. His personal life spirals out of control — into mystery, murder, and madness.
“It’s Pinocchio meets ‘mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s a human being after all?’ — all performed in a three-ring circus,” Person says. There are also two big dance numbers and the ensemble portray clowns at times.
“Researched and compiled over a period of five years by playwright, dramaturg, and native German speaker Inga Meier, the new text has been painstakingly organized from Buchner’s original manuscripts,” says Person. “It represents a wonderful opportunity for English-language audiences to experience the play again or for the first time, as well as to see an enduring drama that asks some of life’s big questions.” Meier, who born in Germany, was raised in the United States and worked at Mercer College’s Tomato Patch program several years ago.
“The play ties into our theater history curriculum,” Person says. “I think that performing a new translation of a classic text is an amazing opportunity for the college, the theater program, and our students.” — Lynn Miller
Woyzeck, Kelsey Theater, 200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, 609-570-3333. Georg Buchner’s 1836 drama about a poor soldier in a small town in a new translation by Inga Meier. $12. Friday, April 20 to Sunday, April 29
