Seven Sins

Seven Sins offers artistic interpretations of all seven sins, starting with sloth in Acedia’s Sunshine, written by Theatre program graduate Josiah DeAndrea. The plot centers on Trey, who, convinced he is learning nothing in college, gives up on his classes, his best friend, his girlfriend, and even getting up to go to the bathroom. Only two things will get him to move: A full refund of his college tuition or the fulfillment of an unusual fantasy involving a unicorn. But given the absence of sympathetic college administrators and available unicorns, how will his friends break Trey’s funk and get him to move?

Envy, a dance number conceived and choreographed by MCCC dance instructor Janell Byrne, explores the quest for knowledge, creativity, strength and beauty. Everyone wants these traits and may envy those who have them, but how far would we go to achieve what we lack?

The sin of pride is explored in John Brown’s Bodies, written by Lou Stalsworth. It follows the fall of John Brown, a militant white abolitionist in 19th century America, and asks disturbing questions about Brown’s legacy in light of the terrorist attacks of 9-11. How far is too far when fighting for one’s beliefs? What is the true cost of liberty and justice for all?

Lust is explored in A Sin Worth Immortality, a dance conceived and choreographed by MCCC dance student Erik A. Rojas. The classic Brothers’ Grimm fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, meets the vampire novels of Anne Rice in a dark fantasy of lost children experiencing the first rush and chaos of sexual desire.

Greed is examined in An Arm and a Leg, written by New York playwright Stephen Gnojewski. The plot focuses on Magdalena, an illegal immigrant who crosses the Mexican border into the United States to work in a garment factory in order to provide for her family. But with every sacrifice she makes, Magdalena loses more than just piece of mind. In this play, chasing the American Dream demands nothing less than actual human limbs.

Wrath is the subject of the dance number, Wracollathage, conceived and choreographed by Jody P. Person. From road rage to bullfighting to God’s wrath in "Revelations," human fury is thrown on stage in a cacophonous collage.

Tyler and the Seven-Legged Lamb, or EAT, by New York playwright Peg Were, looks at gluttony. Two orphaned brothers, Mike and Tyler, are quietly reeling from the death of their parents two years earlier. Mike is doing his best to put food on the table and take care of his precocious brother Tyler. But when Mike becomes romantically involved with a young chef named Sadie, Tyler acts out, refusing to eat and getting suspended from school – because, he says, he wants to save a seven-legged lamb. The real reasons are, in fact, deeper and more troubling than either brother is willing to admit, and when Sadie intervenes with a new recipe, they are forced to confront their issues head-on.