Bethel Native Performs in 'Pedro, The Great Pretender'

From Eastern Connecticut State University: Lucy Shea '17, an Eastern Connecticut State University student from Bethel, helped christen the brand new Proscenium Theatre with an inaugural performance of " Cervante's Pedro, The Great Pretender." The historic occasion - the first major production of the Theatre Program to occur in that venue - took place within Eastern's new Fine Arts Instructional Center from Nov. 8 to 13.

The classic play by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, a playwright of the Spanish Golden Age, follows the tricks of Pedro, a master pretender whose escapades involve him with a slew of characters and careers as he struggles to find his true vocation in life.

Shea majors in Theatre and Political Science with concentrations in Acting and Directing. In "Pedro," Shea played Belica. "Being a part of such a beautiful show that opened the Proscenium Theatre was a true honor and a perfect end to my Eastern acting career," said Shea.

"Our first production in our new Proscenium Theatre hopes to honor Cervantes' timeless subversive satire by connecting the centuries of his day and ours," said Ellen Faith Brodie, director and theatre professor at Eastern. "The costumes evoke the Spanish Golden Age paintings of Velasquez and his contemporaries. The scenic design was inspired by the 20th-century Spanish artist Jean Miro.

"Cervantes lives on in Pedro and we live on through the hopes and dreams of both the author and his creations," continued Brodie. "We are all Pedro: pretenders in many costumes wearing many masks and dreaming of a better life and a better world."

Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 5,300 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations.

In addition to attracting students from 158 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 24 other states and 23 other countries. A residential campus offering 39 majors and 58 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked the 26th top public university in the North Region, by U.S. News and World Report in its 2016 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded "Green Campus" status by the U.S. Green Building Council seven years in a row. For more information, visit here.

Images via Eastern Connecticut State University