The theatre and cinema program at Missouri Western State University presents “J.B.,” a modern retelling of the Biblical book of Job by Archibald MacLeish, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 5 and 6 and at 3 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Potter Hall Theater. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for Missouri Western faculty and staff and military personnel, and $6 for students. Tickets are available online at mwsutix.com, by phone at 816-271-4452, or in person at the box office in the lobby of Potter Hall. The play is directed by Tee Quillin, assistant professor of theatre and cinema.

“J.B.” won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1959. It features a 20th century banker-millionaire who is stripped of his family and wealth but who refuses to turn his back on God. The production is suitable for ages 14 and up.

“The phrase I’ve used throughout the rehearsal process is that the play is ‘horrifyingly beautiful,’” Quillin said. “All of us at some level can relate to the suffering that Job, or J.B., endures and the questions that arise, and those sufferings are vividly portrayed. But the story is about more than suffering: it’s about faith and redemption. All of those themes are present in the Old Testament book of Job, and MacLeish has beautifully brought them to life in a modern setting.”

The cast includes:

  • J.B.: Andy Tyhurst, senior from St. Joseph
  • Nickles: Robin Ussher, senior from Cameron, Mo.
  • Mr. Zuss: Erik Burns-Sprung, sophomore from Kansas City, Mo.
  • Sarah: Xan Kellogg, junior from St. Joseph
  • First Messenger: Brian Duskey, junior from Norton, Ohio
  • Second Messenger: Nerissa Lee, sophomore from Kansas City, Mo.
  • Bildad: Nick Ford, of St. Joseph
  • Zophar: Ian Storck, freshman from Winnebago, Ill.
  • Eliphaz: Keifer Martin, senior at St. Joseph Central High School
  • A Distant Voice: Ray Johnson, of St. Joseph

The cast also features students from Bessie Ellison and Coleman Elementary Schools, and Bode and Spring Garden Middle Schools.

“J.B.” is the first production in the 2012-2013 theatre season, “A Year of the Tony.” The season includes two musicals – “Annie” Nov. 29 through Dec. 8 and “Sweeney Todd” April 11-14, 2013 – and a “coupling” of two plays, “Private Lives” and “God of Carnage” Feb. 21-March 3, 2013. Season tickets are available.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.