BY BROOKE JOHNPIER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The theater program at St. Bonaventure University, SBU Theater, is presenting “Miracle on South Division Street”, a comedic play, through Saturday.
The writer of the play, Tom Dudzick, has ties to Western New York, spending some of his early years in Buffalo. According to Dudzick, the play represents “back in busy, bustling 1950’s Buffalo, a block and a half from my father’s tavern.”
Ed Simone, professor of theater at Bonaventure, is SBU Theater’s director.
“This play is a sweet, heartfelt comedy that tells a fictional story based on actual events,” said Simone. “Dudzick has a genuine connection with the families of Buffalo’s old neighborhoods. He gives these colorful characters real depth.”
The play has just four characters.
Clara Nowak, played by sophomore criminology major Joscelyn Jacson, is the barber’s daughter. She religiously attends the old barbershop of which she has turned into a soup kitchen for the poor.
“‘Miracle on South Division Street’ is magical,” said Jackson. “We’ve all worked so hard on it. We’re so excited for people to see the play and hopefully find something that they can relate to within the family in the play.”
Ruth Nowak, played by senior strategic communication major Caitlyn Williams, is Clara’s middle child. She has secrets about the family.
“Observing the journey of everyone’s growth, from our initial table-read to the final dress rehearsal, has been incredibly inspiring,” said Williams. “Each member of the cast has poured their heart and soul into this production, and it truly reflects in our performance.”
Jimmy Nowak, played by freshman engineering physics major Dominik Vaughn, is Clara’s youngest child and has a secret that he doesn’t want his family to know about.
“I have only good things to say about the production of ‘Miracle on South Division Street,’” said Vaughn. “The whole process has been a blast, from beginning to end. My fellow actors and I have become a mini-family throughout this entire semester through the theater.”
Beverly Nowak, played by freshman sports management major Keeley Reiford, is Clara’s oldest child and also has a secret that she doesn’t want her family to know about.
“The play called ‘Miracle on South Division Street’ is such a funny but crazy atmosphere,” said Reiford. “The play is also set in the 2010’s. I’m not going to give away everything, but it ties into the feeling of family and just dealing with the ups and downs that life throws at you.”
The play’s producer is Janell Clingenpeel, assistant professor of theater at Bonaventure and the theater program’s technical director.
“It is a delightful, semi-true story about a family and a beloved statue with revelations about family ties galore,” said Clingenpeel. “It is a heart-warming story with themes we can all relate to. The difficulty and love of managing family dynamics when you have to talk about or face hard things together, [is something that is] challenging and something everyone has most likely gone through.”
Clingenpeel also went on to say that she had great student help when it came to building the sets and creating the three-quarter view stage, which allows the lighting and set to not interfere with each other and is how the audience will watch the show.
All of the cast members agreed that people should come to see the show.
“I implore that everyone should come and view our production of ‘Miracle on South Division Street,’” said Vaughn.
Williams also said that she is proud of all of the actors and the journey they went on together.
The play will take place in Garrett Theater, which is connected to Devereux Hall on Bonaventure’s campus. Friday will have the performance at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday will have two shows, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices are $8 for the public, $6 for students and staff of the university as well as senior citizens.
johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu
