"The Giver" shows at Ivy Tech Waldron Center

In “The Giver,” author Lois Lowry transports the reader to a society of sameness where people live without pain. In the play directed by Jeffrey Allen, the audience is transported as well, from the theater to the discovery of color and what life was once like in the book.

The Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center began its student-run production of the classic book April 19 and ran until Saturday.

The play was adapted from the script by Eric Coble.

The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, is a dystopian children’s novel about the inheritance of memories to Jonas, a local boy. Memories of pain, joy, the past and colors, were discarded in the past by the book’s society and are only remembered by The Giver. Jonas learns about realities of his life and society by receiving this burden. After experiencing this negativity, he decides to leave the community behind in search of freedom.

Located in The Rose Firebay, the stage was set up in gray panels, gray blocks and interchanging characters dressed in gray outfits. Representing Jonas’ powers of receiving and seeing memories, colors and sounds flashed through the theater, touching the audience with each flashback to a warm sunny day and sledding down a snowy hill.

The cast was small, as most of the characters played multiple roles as needed. Heidi Mikac, a native to the Ivy Tech productions, played the main character, Jonas.
Lily, Jonas’ little sister, played by Gina Di Crosto, and Rosemary, the previous receiver of memories, played by Valerie Dittemore, both said acting in the play was fun.
“It was an energetic play and time,” Di Crosto said. “The Giver is one of my favorite books.”

This production was the second play for both actors.
“I wasn’t going for any specific part,” Dittemore said. “But I was happy to get Rosemary.”

Dittemore said she is looking forward to partaking in more plays through Ivy Tech.
The rest of play consisted of Billy Gilliam, Rhianna Jones, Jarrid Redden, Emily Scott, Rachel Harding and Derek Kaellner.

Rachel Livingston, an audience member, said she came to see the play because she knew one of the actors and has worked on a previous production with the director.
“It is a great way to support the local theaters,” she said.