'Ice Wolf' at University Theatre April 30-May 1
- April 20, 2005
"The Ice Wolf: A Tale of the Eskimos"-a drama for a young audience about a light-haired girl exiled by her own tribe of Eskimos-will be performed by students of the California State University, East Bay Theatre and Dance Department on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1.
All performances will take place in the University Theatre on Cal State East Bay's Hayward campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd. The Saturday performances are at 2 and 8 p.m. and only at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The Ice Wolf, written by Joanna Halpert Kraus, is an Inuit folk legend set in and around the lives of an Eskimo village.
"The themes of this Inuit tale are so familiar to the social problems of today," said Nancy Prebilich, who will be making her Cal State East Bay directorial debut with this show after seven years of overseas directing credits. "It broke new ground in children's theatre, when first performed 30 years ago, by exploring serious subject matter instead of the usual lighter fair generally produced for young audiences."
Helen Nesteruk, a third-year Cal State East Bay theatre major from Castro Valley, plays the exiled young girl, Anatou, who is cast out by the Inuit tribe from the Hudson Bay region along the east coast of Canada, because she is the different one. The character seeks out the forest, into which no Eskimo will go, and begs the "Wood God" to turn her into a wolf. Even as a wolf, Anatou harbors a desire for revenge against those who hurt her.
"This will be an especially exciting performance for children because they will feel a part of the story," said Alden Reimonenq, dean of CSUEB's College of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for children, and $14 for families. Tickets may be purchased through the University Theatre box office at (510) 885-3261, with additional information available online at http://isis.csueastbay.edu/dbsw/theatre/Home_Page.php.
