PennWest California student’s original play to be presented Thursday through Saturday
PennWest University’s University Players will present “Beware the Jabberwock!” an original play by student Bryan Karpinski today through Saturday in Blaney Theatre, Steele Hall, on the California campus.
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. each evening, with an additional matinee at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poem “Jabberwocky,” the fantasy follows blacksmith Richard Smith, whose news of the creature’s death is eclipsed by a life-changing note from his love, Lily. The production brings together fantastical characters, swordplay and puppetry.
Karpinski first encountered the poem in a literature course during his freshman year. Drawn to its invented words and possibilities for interpretation, he began imagining a play of his own. He wrote the first draft that summer and gathered friends for a reading in his apartment.
The project later gained direction through a playwriting mentorship. Over the summer, Karpinski worked with his editor by phone and Zoom, using improvisation to explore characters and develop scenes.
The production also brings him closer to a longtime ambition: becoming a published writer. The California performances mark the play’s first production, with revisions planned afterward before publication through Space Cadet Studios.
For more information, call 724-938-5582 or email hykesdavis@pennwest.edu.