Montgomery County Community College’s Theatre Arts Program, Drama Club and West End Student Theater will present “The Pillowman” and “Antigone” at its Pottstown and Blue Bell campuses, respectively.

West End Student Theatre and MCCC’s Theatre Arts Program will present “The Pillowman,” by Martin McDonagh and directed by MCCC Theater Assistant Professor Jessica DalCanton, in North Hall 228 at the Pottstown Campus, 16 E. High Street, Pottstown. Performances will be held Nov. 2-4 at 7 p.m., Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 2 p.m.

The show focuses on a writer in a totalitarian state who is being grilled about the grim content of his short stories and their similarities to child murders. This production contains mature themes and language. 

The cast includes Dillon Diorio, Jesse Raab, John Morgeneier and Muhammed Anjum. The chorus includes Mikayla Depompeo, Colin Hogan, Autumn Sherry, Janelle Jefferson, Zoa Lupton, Jacob Collings, Mia Esposito, Dominic Corbi, Yadi Padilla, Olivia Campbell, Lori “Yama” Yamashita and Leigh Collins. The production and design team includes Olivia Campbell, Eli Meredith, John Morgeneier, Dillon Diorio, Autumn Sherry, Yadi Padilla, Nelly Jefferson, Austin Diachynsky, Tristan Herren, Colin Hogan, Zoa Lupton and Jesse Raab.

The Drama Club and MCCC’s Theatre Arts Program will present “Antigone” by Sophakles, translated by Anne Carson, and directed by MCCC Theater Lecturer Dyana Kimball, in MCCC’s newly renovated, 563-seat theater at the Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Performances will be held Nov. 16-18 at 7 p.m., Nov. 17 at 12:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now for both shows and are $15 for adults, and $10 for students, seniors and children. Order your tickets now.

Sophokles’ play set in the ancient Greek city of Thebes centers on Antigone, who disobeys the law to bury her brother Polyneices, who was killed in battle.

The cast includes Tiarah McGill, Hannah Redding-Gurczynski, Joey Meed, Ryan Adams, Xin Wang, Eric Carter, Amanda Nicole Meade, Xander Soboleski, Connor Cherby, Lex Storm. The chorus includes River Uini, Miles Fodor, Zaki Coleman, Jarach Cox, Mikalah Williams, Blair Ockershausen, Sam Memon, Ally Cole, Nehaa Menon and Theo Cerequas. The ensemble chorus includes Ensemble Chorus: Laurel Bailey, Leila Hadjali, Ava Girnius, Maya Waldstreicher, Abbie Delfner, Azziza Deseignoria, Bre Freeman, Rachael Hanna, Erika Cripps, Kami Spisak, Noah Barajas, Molly Henessy, Alisha Walker, Anthony DiMarcella and Alyssa Hegerich. The productions and design team includes Colin Sokol, Xin Wang, Joey Meade, Blair Ockershausen, Alyssa Hegerich, Michael O'Hagan, Colin Sokol, Kelly Roessler, Justin Geunes, Sophie Jordan, Blake Jones, Sam Memon, Gray Santino, Nick Gonce, Tori Scurry, Analycia Smith, Angelita Gonzales-Devinney and Tiarah McGill.

MCCC Theatre Assistant Professor Tim Gallagher said that while the plays are so different, they will appeal to people who are “excited about classical works.”

“On one hand, ‘Antigone’ is engaging from a historical standpoint “about a woman’s place in terms of society,” Gallagher said. 

“The Greeks were wrestling with these questions about how all of us participate in democracy,” Gallagher said. “Antigone is this really powerful woman who stands up to a system that is sort of designed to keep her in check.”

The play also evokes a contemporary feeling in speaking to the here and now. 

“The Pillowman” will resonate with people who like “detective dramas, or dark, edgy, suspense-filled dramas,” Gallagher said. Despite its dark subject matter, the play sparks a fair number of laughs in its portrayal of “gritty, authoritarian law and order.”

Students selected both plays after reading numerous works as part of their weekly reading committee, which meets from September through April. 

“Those were the plays that spoke to them,” Gallagher said, adding that it’s “really empowering for our students” to choose which productions are staged.

“Antigone” is the first Greek play to be performed at the College. The November showing of “The Pillowman” is the first time it has been staged there, he said.

In addition to picking the productions, students design and build the plays, following months of research. 

“They design every aspect of it,” he said. “It’s a lot of first-time designers learning how to do work on an actual production.”

The student performances are part of MCCC’s newly launched Montco Cultural Center, the platform for the College’s arts and cultural programming and venues, including the newly renovated, 563-seat theater in Blue Bell, the Black Box Theatre, North Hall theater, and the fine arts galleries at both campuses. 

When You Go

“The Pillowman,” by Martin McDonagh, is directed by Jessica DalCanton. Performances will be held Nov. 2-4 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m.; and Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. at North Hall 228, Pottstown Campus, 16 E. High Street, Pottstown. “Antigone,” by Sophokles, is directed by Dyana Kimball. Performances will be held Nov. 16-18 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 17 at 12:30 p.m.; and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Blue Bell Campus theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. To purchase tickets, or learn more, visit the website.