Dixie Forum: A Window to the World

“How do you take 34,000 lines of poetry and create a reasonably succinct evening of theatre?” That question and several others will be answer at the next Dixie State College weekly noontime “Dixie Forum: A Window on the World” convocation by DSC associate professor of theatre Michael A. Harding on Tuesday, March 27.

Harding’s presentation will take the audience on the journey he took to adapt Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, into a theatrical playscript. Dixie State’s Theatre Department will perform Harding’s adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey April 12-14 and April 17-21, in the Eccles Fine Arts Center Black Box Theater. For tickets, call the Avenna Center Ticket Office at 435-652-7800, or visit www.dixiestatetickets.com.

As associate professor of theatre, Harding directs many main stage performances and instruction, ranging from acting and directing to script analysis and theatre history. He is a professional actor working summers at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, where he is about to start his ninth season as a member of the summer acting company. Additionally, he has directed multiple times for USF's New American Playwright's Program, staging readings and developmental productions of brand new plays for today's audiences.

Harding’s work as a professional actor has spanned the United States, including the Tony-Award winning Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company, The Wooden O Theatre, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Utah Musical Theatre, and The Warehouse Theatre in South Carolina, whille he was a founding company member of Classic Repertory Theatre Ensemble in Seattle. He earned his Bachelor’s of Art in Theatre from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and went on to do conservatory training at the professional theatre training program at the University of Delaware. He earned his Master’s in Fine Arts degree in Staging Shakespeare, with Highest Distinction, from the University of Exeter in Devon, England.

Along with The Odyssey, his research and original plays include The Rise of James VI, a full-length play written in the style of William Shakespeare circa 1604, based on a accounts of a lost manuscript of the Bard; = (Equals), a 10-minute play exploring the absurd similarities between religion and science; The Epic Tale of Annabel and Edgar, a hybrid epic-poem and playscript written as an emulation of Shakespeare's romantic works.

The Dixie Forum will continue each Tuesday through the rest of the spring semester, with the exception of a special Forum held in conjunction with DSC’s Second-Annual Research Day on Monday, April 9th. Upcoming guest speakers include retired United States Navy Captain Ron Lewis, who will share his presentation entitled “Keeping the Promise (POW/MIA Solders)”, on April 3.