VGCC to hold Dinner Theater Event


Official logo of the 75th anniversary of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder (from Samuel French Inc.)

Official logo of the 75th anniversary of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder (from Samuel French Inc.)

As the North Carolina Community College System marks its 50th anniversary, Vance-Granville Community College is preparing a special event that will showcase the work of talented students and celebrate the VGCC community. The college’s first-ever Dinner Theater will be held on the evenings of April 25 and April 26, 2013 in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Students in the VGCC Culinary Arts program will serve dinner starting at 6 p.m. each night, which will be followed by a production of the classic play, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. The April 25 opening night performance features a seated dinner, while the encore performance on Friday, April 26 features buffet service.

“Our Town,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is also celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The play focuses on the everyday lives of people in a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. Betsy Henderson, the VGCC Department Chair of Fine Arts and Humanities, directs the play. While she directs students in plays each fall and spring semester, the dinner theater is a first for her program. “Community colleges around the state are holding events to celebrate or commemorate the system’s 50th anniversary, and we thought this was a great opportunity to collaborate with another department, the Culinary Arts department, and really show off what our students can do,” Henderson said. “This is about celebrating not only the community college system but also Vance-Granville in particular, and it’s a chance to see our students shine in areas they are passionate about.” She added that she chose “Our Town” not only because it’s an American classic but also, “I wanted to allow not only current students to participate, but to open it up to faculty, staff and alumni of Vance-Granville, which we have never done before. That goes right along with ‘Our Town’ because it involves a cross-section of our community.”

Tickets are $25 and are now on sale online. For more information, visit www.vgcc.edu/dinnertheater/.