Ball State University will stage the world premiere of "Two Character Play," written by New York playwright Chris White, now an English professor at DePauw University, and directed by Michael O'Hara, associate professor of theatre at Ball State.

The play, presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance, will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 14-16 and 20-23; 2:30 p.m. April 17 in the Edward S. Strother Theatre.

"Two Character Play," an hour-long final performance in this season's Actors Studio Series, explores the nature of live theater itself. Focusing on the challenges of college students, including lead character Delia's (Danni Ireland) struggle with self-mutilation, the ensemble cast includes eight Ball State students.

"It's an extraordinary theatrical play," O'Hara said. "It has more than one ending, and the audience will play an important role in the performance."

O'Hara commissioned this play as a part of the DVD accompanying a new digital textbook, "Explore Theatre: A Backstage Pass," which highlights what goes on behind the scenes during auditions and theatrical productions. It is scheduled to be published in 2007. Each of the student actors and designers involved will be documented in chapters featured in the fully integrated digital textbook.

"I had first pitched the idea of a digital textbook in 1997 when I first arrived at Ball State," O'Hara said. "I sent the proposal again in 2004 to the publishers Allyn & Bacon in Boston, and it came back with high recommendations. Now the Ball State Center for Media Design has formed a relationship with the publishers and has become the producer for this project. The center is interested in exploring the commercial possibilities in digital media and education."

"Explore Theatre: A Backstage Pass" will be sold to introductory theater students throughout the United States. Other features of the DVD include a virtual theater, allowing students and faculty to experiment with stage composition. They can move actors and props and change the lighting on stage.

Soon the play also will be adapted into a screenplay, which Ball State's high-definition class will make into a movie this summer.

"This is already a hot ticket to have," O'Hara said. "People are coming from all over the country to see this show. It's a chance for students to see why people still care about theater."

Tickets are available at the University Theatre Box Office, open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is $6 for Ball State students and $8 for the general public. For more information, call the University Theatre Box Office at (765) 285-8749.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact O'Hara at mohara@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8751.)

by Leslie Benson, graduate assistant