Senior English Major to Present Capstone Play

David Lynch, Westminster College senior English major, will direct The Monkey Troupe Presents: The Handsome Monkey King Dec. 10-12 in Beeghly Theater as the creative portion of his capstone project.

The play is free and open to the public. Curtain time Friday and Saturday is 7:30 p.m.; Sunday's matinee will be at 2 p.m.

"The Monkey Troupe Presents: The Handsome Monkey King is a retelling of the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en," Lynch said. "This is a play within a play: The Monkey Troupe is a fictional company based on the tradition of Commedia del' Arte that is telling its version of the story."

In the play, The Monkey Troupe is a traveling theatre company of 10 simian thespians who tell the tale of the Monkey King. In the Chinese fable, the villainous monkey gets himself into trouble with the Jade Emperor and other Chinese gods when he wreaks havoc in heaven. He redeems himself when he helps a humble monk on the monk's quest for enlightenment.

At Westminster, the final component of liberal studies is a senior study, or capstone, course. The capstone is a four-semester-hour (minimum) course within the major designed to provide an opportunity for students to evaluate and assess the strengths and limitations of their major field.

The capstone experience permits opportunity for structured reflection on the value of education in and beyond the major and provides an opportunity to strengthen communication and problem-solving skills.

Contact Lynch at lynchdc@westminster.edu for additional information.

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