The Diviners

I am currently in The Diviners, by Jim Leonard Jr. We open October 11th-15th at the Gordon College Fine Arts Auditorium. I play a very complex character in the show. His name is Ferris Layman, a widowed father of a daughter and a disillusioned son. Ferris is just a normal man, who is still coping with being a widowed father, and trying to take of his son who has the IQ of a six year old. One minute you laugh with him,then you cry for him and finally sometimes scared of him because of his temper. This is a play about love, friendship, family and community, and a time in our nation's history when these things were hard to find, and even harder to hold onto. In a true community, the joys and pains of the individual are shared and shouldered by all, and it is this sense of community that binds these people together, allowing them to persevere with determination, hope and good humor. Possessed of a great respect for the land and those they share it with, the people of Zion still believe in common courtesy, and the value of a handshake.
Stylistically, the play has a hymn-like quality. It is spare, haunting, and yet ultimately human, and filled with warmth. There is a respect for life in the play, even in its depiction of death. There is also a tremendous faith in the human capacity for goodness. The Diviners is a ballad folk tale, told and retold among friends.