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| Student actors gather around ‘Muscadine Wine’ Playwright Dalton State Assistant Professor Dr. Nancy Mason. The southern melodrama will premiere November 15 and play through November 17 at Dalton State. Pictured are, from left, seated, Tiffani Roberts, Dr. Mason, Laurie Raper; standing, Amanda Voyles, Alyssa Stromley, Lakota Griffis, Josh Beard, Jackie Daniels (director), Kayla Brogdon, Scott Reese, Josh Boling, Kristi Byrd, and Sean Self. Not pictured are Nikki Byrd and David Moss. |
Mix a little intergenerational conflict with some northern-southern tension, add a dash of greed, deceit, and ghostly mischief and you have the recipe for ‘Muscadine Wine,’ an original play that will be produced at Dalton State College November 15 through 17.
The play was written by Dr. Nancy Mason, Assistant Professor of Spanish, based on a short story she penned years earlier. “I wrote ‘Muscadine Wine’ after hearing about an adventure three friends of mine had when they were journalism students at the University of Mississippi,” Mason said. “They visited a local writer in the Oxford area who lived in a house in the woods. While there, the cordial gentleman invited them to sample some of his homemade Muscadine wine.”
“Anyone who lives in Mississippi knows that the state claims many ghosts,” she continued. “The Delta has a lot of history and it’s easy to imagine the ghosts of the past coming to terms with the people of the present.”
The play is set near historical Vicksburg, site of a bloody Civil War battle “but it’s about more than history,” Mason says, explaining the complicated relationship between characters. “The name of the mansion, le Fleuve du Nuit, means River of Night and emphasizes the dark side of the War Between the States,” she added. “It also represents hope, since the river continues flowing and may bring renewal to a place that has been downtrodden and all but forgotten.”
For Director Jackie Daniels, the opportunity to work side-by-side with the playwright is a rare privilege. “It is rewarding and enlightening to have the playwright observe the rehearsals,” Daniels said. “Dr. Mason has a good sense of theatre and is available to students who want to talk about their characters.”
“She keeps us on track; there is no chance of misinterpreting the play,” she said. “I am deeply grateful and appreciative of her involvement.”
‘Muscadine Wine’ will be performed in Goodroe Auditorium of Gignilliat Memorial Hall at 7 pm November, 15, 16, and 17 and also at 2 pm on November 17. The play is free to Dalton State students, faculty, and staff; others pay $5.
