DETROIT—The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company opens their 48th season with the Michigan Premiere of Wittenberg, September 28 – October 14, written by David Davalos. Performances will be at The Marlene Boll Theatre inside the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit. Tickets can be purchased online at www.DetroitMercyArts.com or over the phone at 313-993-3270. Individual ticket prices are $25 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for veterans and $10 for students (with valid ID). Discounts are available for groups of 10-15 and special rates for groups larger than 15. To schedule a group, contact Damian Torres-Botello for further details at 313-993-3273.

It is October 1517 and the start of another fall semester at the University of Wittenberg. Hamlet (senior, Class of 1518), John Faustus (professor, philosophy) and Martin Luther (professor, theology) find themselves at personal and professional crossroads.

Hamlet returns from his summer break suffering from metaphysical trauma and a crisis of faith. At the same time, Faustus nurses long-held affections for his mistress while Luther reaches the apex of his long-simmering outrage at the Church. The overlapping and intertwining saga of these three men could decisively alter the course of each other’s lives. Wittenberg is a revealing comedy about the story behind the stories of Hamlet, Doctor Faustus and the Protestant Reformation.

Directed by Professor of Theatre, Arthur J. Beer, Ph.D., the Detroit Mercy Theatre Company’s cast — a collective of artists composed of faculty, guest artists and students from the University of Detroit Mercy acting program — includes professionals Jonathan Davidson as Dr. Faustus and Dale Dobson as Martin Luther. Students include Roman D’Ambrosio as Hamlet, Nina Carlson as Gretchen, Bridget Smith as Helen of Troy and Voice of Mary, Christian Plonka as Tennis Judge and Lord Voltemand, and Dalton Hahn as Laertes.

The production team features Assistant Professor Melinda Pacha as scenic and costume designer, Alan Devlin as technical director and sound designer, Seth Amadei as lighting designer, Taylor LaPorte as stage manager and Preston Cornelius as assistant stage manager. Other members of the production team are Associate Professor Greg Grobis as managing director, Damian Torres-Botello, S.J., as outreach and audience development coordinator and Evans Tasiopoulos as ticket office coordinator and photographer.