(From left) Sophia Lee, of Fort Lee, as Annie Sullivan; Katelyn Bailey, of Passaic, as Helen Keller; Elizabeth Stawicki, of Kearney, as Mrs. Kate Keller; Dakota Librescu, of Fair Lawn, as Captain Arthur Keller.
PARAMUS, N.J. – In the first Bergenstages production of the spring 2015 semester, a young Helen Keller – blind, deaf and mute since infancy – learns the meaning of language by the will of her committed teacher, Anne Sullivan. Bergen Community College’s student-produced show draws light to the uplifting true story of “The Miracle Worker,” opening Friday, Feb. 27.
Drawing heavily from letters written by Sullivan, as well as Keller's autobiography, playwright William Gibson constructed a biographical drama recounting events that took place when the student and teacher first met in the 1880s.
The Tony award-winning play, directed by Bergen professor Mary Clifford, runs Thursdays through Saturdays from Friday, Feb. 27 to Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. – with sign interpretation accompanying the productions Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6 – in the College’s Ender Hall Lab Theatre, located at the main campus in Paramus. On Saturday, Feb. 28 and March 7, matinee performances take place at 2 p.m.
Ticket prices for the general public are $15, with discounts offered to senior citizens, Bergen faculty and students. Guests can purchase tickets by calling (201) 447-7428 or online at tickets.bergen.edu.
Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu) based in Paramus is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling nearly 17,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields.
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