‘Lion’ roars into desert

Elia Powers

Nine months after the curtain closed on Vanguard University’s

adaptation of “The Lion in Winter,” cast and crew members have a

reason to reunite.

Judges from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival

selected the stage production as one of the six best in the region,

guaranteeing it a one-day run at a competition next month.

The performances are scheduled for 1 and 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at

Arizona’s Phoenix College.

According to Claire Friday, theater management coordinator at

Vanguard, regional judges picked the production from a pool of nearly

160 collegiate shows in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

At the regional competition, held Feb. 7 to 13 at locations across

the country, a panel of three judges will select four to six of the

shows. Those involved with the nominated performances earn an

all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a chance to display

their talents on the Kennedy Center main stage.

Started in 1969, the national theater festival is a showcase for

collegiate theater and a training ground for future professional

actors.

Producing art director and Vanguard Theater Arts Department chair

Susan K. Berkompas said festival judges notified the school of their

decision late last month.

“We were ecstatic,” she said. “For a private Christian university

to be recognized along with much larger schools is a wonderful

honor.”

Berkompas said all but one of the original cast members will make

the trip to Arizona. The show comprises six actors, including guest

artist Richard Davies as King Henry II of England.

Berkompas, who plays Henry’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, brought

the production idea to students and faculty before the start of the

2003-04 season.

“This has been a favorite of mine for years,” she said. “There’s

brutal love and brutal hate, and dysfunctional relationships born out

of the fear of being alone.”

James Goldman’s original production tells a historical story of

King Henry’s three sons as they fight for the family crown.

Guest director Marianne Savell took the script, originally set in

the year 1183, and modernized it to take place in 1983. She said her

adaptation kept the “dark mood” of the original script while adding

contemporary context.

Savell, the producing director at Actors Co-op in Hollywood, said

she hoped the updated script would resonate with college students.

“We took a risk,” she said. “I’m glad it’s getting recognition

now.”

Mark Parker, a 26-year-old transfer student who hopes to graduate

next year, said the show strikes a chord with a wide range of

audiences.

“It’s a tragic show,” he said. “It’s about people who love each

other but can’t express it. That’s a common problem.”

Fellow cast member Amy Maier, who has been in multiple Vanguard

performances, said this will be her first trip to a regional acting

showcase.

Both Parker and Maier will be on stage for an on-campus

performance of “The Lion in Winter,” scheduled at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at

Lyceum Theater.

Berkompas said while cast members are enjoying their time

together, they are focused on recapturing last year’s stage

chemistry.

“It’s like an old engine you are trying to rebuild,” she said.

“It’s not there yet, but we’ll be ready.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

[email protected]