Freed-Hardeman University will present “Going to Extremes: Political and Religious Extremism in the West,” a week-long event beginning April 16; the series, comprised of various informative sessions and forums, leads up to FHU’s production of “The Women of Lockerbie.”
“Going to Extremes” is a part of the Connections Series, begun last semester with National Public Lands Week. Drs. Jenny Johnson, Cliff Thompson, and LeAnn Self-Davis are the steering committee for the “Connections Series.” Each semester the series seeks to engage as many academic disciplines and students as possible for a single week-long discussion of a “big idea,” Thompson said. The weeks are typically built around a theatre event.
This semester’s “big idea” is extremism, specifically in the political and religious contexts. “We sincerely hope to have open and honest conversations about love and hate,” Thompson said.
The week’s activities will begin Monday, April 16, at 8 a.m. with an art show entitled “Memorials to Loss.” Laquita Thomson, FHU art teacher, has organized the exhibit, which will be held in the Loyd Auditorium lobby. Dinner in the Commons at 5 p.m. will be followed by “Live in the Commons.” At 7 p.m. Dr. Greg Massey, chairman of the FHU Department of History, Philosophy and Political Science, will host “Why Does the Middle East Hate Us?” in Ayers Auditorium. “Our goal in this presentation,” Thompson said, “is not justification, but understanding.”
On Tuesday, April 17, Dr. Mark Blackwelder will moderate a “Religious Extremism” forum, beginning at 6 p.m. in Ayers Auditorium.
Two student sessions will be held Wednesday, April 18, at 4 p.m. Dr. Kenan Casey will be the moderator for the session “eTerrorism,” and Dr. Sharen Cypress will be the moderator for “It’s Hard to Hate Up Close: Pluralism in the Classroom.”
Deborah Brevoort, playwright of “The Women of Lockerbie” will speak at a Brown Bag Lunch Lecture, Thursday noon, April 19, in Old Chapel Hall. Brevoort will also speak at a student session entitled “Working in Professional Theatre” at 1 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. Matt van den Meiracker, an honors student at FHU, will be a post-show discussion and reception for Brevoort following the Thursday night performance.
In addition to the performances of “The Women of Lockerbie” Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, a discussion, “Hope in the Face of Grief,” will be moderated by Sherry Thompson at 9 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. A service project will also be completed on Saturday morning beginning at 10 a.m.
“The Women of Lockerbie,” a play with the timely message that love triumphs hate, will be presented April 19, 20, and 21 at 7 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. For more details or to reserve tickets, visit
fhu.edu/theatre or contact Thompson at
cthompson@fhu.edu.