Bentley performs in “On Golden Pond”
Kathryn Bentley. photo courtesy of SIUE.
Assistant Professor Kathryn Bentley of SIUE’s College of Arts and Sciences department of theater and dance is performing in The Black Rep’s production of “On Golden Pond.”
“On Golden Pond,” was written in 1979 by Ernest Thomson about an aging couple, Ethel and Norman, who return yearly to their summer home on a lake called Golden Pond. The play follows the two across one summer where their daughter Chelsea comes for a visit. The play has twice been adapted as feature films first in 1981 starring Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda and again in 2001 starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.
Having interned with the rep back in 1986, “On Golden Pond” marks Bentley’s second show with the company over the last 25 years, with the first being “My Secret Language of Wishes” back in 2009.
“This was my first theater family, so it’s really cool being back there,” Bentley explained.
The Black Rep was founded in 1976 and is celebrating its thirty-fifth season. As one of the largest African-American theater companies in the country, their goal is to provide platforms for performing arts from an African-American perspective.
Originally trained as an on stage actor, Bentley spends a great deal of her time at SIUE teaching and performing behind the scenes as a director and adviser in many of the university’s stage productions. “On Golden Pond” presented a unique opportunity to perform on stage due to rehearsals coinciding with winter break.
“On Golden Pond” is running from now until February 5, with performances Thursday through Sunday. Information and tickets are available at http://theblackrep.org.
Bentley’s upcoming projects for this semester include work as a faculty adviser for the black theater workshop February third through fifth, and on, “Servy-n-Bernice 4Ever,” February 22 through 26.
Filed Under: Theater & Dance
