The original stage adaptation of Blaine M. Yorganson’s book, “One Tattered Angel,” is scheduled to make its on-stage debut Nov. 7-9 at the McKay Auditorium. “This is a world premiere play in that the author of the book gave special permission for the play to be written and produced here,” said Cameron Abaroa, the leading man in the play and a senior in IDS from Arizona. “This is a great testament to the Theatre Arts program here and to Dr. Ferre especially,” said Abaroa. The book was adapted by Dr. Craig Ferre, professor of Theatre and Speech at BYUH, and is based on the true story of Yorgason’s adopted daughter. Ferre said, “About three years ago during the summer my wife gave me a copy of it to read. After having read it, I thought, ‘Geez, this could make a great play.’ It took me about a year to get in touch with Brother Yorgason to get his permission to even attempt it. It took another year after I sent in my adaptation to say that it’s okay.”Yorgason is an LDS Church member and his book reflects LDS themes, according to Ferre. “I can count on my hand the number of plays that I’ve done during my time here that are church-related. They talk about giving blessings to the child, praying, and some of the occurrences that we as members would believe in - like interacting with deity,” Ferre said. Ferre hopes the play will resonate with students due to its gospel-centered message. “I actually did a play some years ago called ‘Burdens of Earth’ which was about Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail. Yet it really wasn’t well attended. So I’m hoping students will come and be uplifted. It’s an incredible story,” he said. Valorie Lafaele, a sophomore from Idaho studying musical theatre, said it is an amazing opportunity for the school to premiere such a play. “We’re laying out the groundwork for what it’s going to be in the future.” Lafaele also said she feels the community will better relate to this play even if they are not fans of theatre. “It’s an LDS-based play so there’s a lot of people that will understand it more other than ‘Lady Windemere’s Fan’. I can understand why people couldn’t understand it as well. With this one, it’s close to home for all the LDS members. It’s emotional and serious but uplifting.”Ferre noted the risk in adapting a book to stage because of needing to write lots of dialogue. “I don’t know if it’s going to work as theatre because it’s a book put into a play. That can be dangerous because sometimes books are ‘talky’ and this play can be a little ‘talky.’ I don’t know if there’s enough action or whether the audience will get tired.”Ferre said he has no plans to publish the play after its debut. “At this point, we’re just going to do it here,” he said. “That’s all I’ve been interested in because I wanted to do it for our students. I thought it was a great story they should hear and be involved in. When I talked to Blaine, I said I only wanted to do it here for our students and he agreed,” said Dr. Ferre. Tickets will be sold in advance at the Aloha Center Information Desk but may also be purchased at the lobby ticket office 30 minutes before the show at 7:30 p.m.
Writer: Joshua Mason ~ Multimedia Journalist
