Performances of "Freud's Last Session"

Andrews University holds 10th Annual John O. Waller Lectureship

On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11 and 12, the Andrews University Department of English will host performances of Mark St. Germain’s play, “Freud’s Last Session.” Starring Kenneth Wright and Brady Greer Huffman, these performances are for the 10th annual John O. Waller Lectureship. On Saturday, Nov. 11, the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s performance will begin at 3 p.m. and will be followed by a short panel discussion. Both performances will be held in Newbold Auditorium, Buller Hall, on the campus of Andrews University.

Started in 2008, the Waller Lectureship explores a variety of topics related to the arts. John O. Waller was a distinguished Seventh-day Adventist scholar and professor of English at Andrews University from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. He wrote a book titled “Circle of Friends: The Tennysons and the Lushingtons of Park House” published by Ohio University Press in 1986. Additionally, he was involved in research regarding Seventh-day Adventist and Ellen G. White attitudes toward fiction. The Waller Lectureship is largely funded by a contribution from Waller’s estate.

Past programs have included “An Evening with Charles Dickens” by Roger Jerome in 2009, “The Mass and the Theater: Othello and Sacrifice” by Regina Schwartz in 2013, and “Neo-Slave Narratives: #SlaveLivesMatter” by Valerie Lee in 2016.

This year’s Lectureship, “Freud’s Last Session,” is a two-person drama featuring an imagined dialogue between an older Sigmund Freud and a young C.S. Lewis and explores the differing backgrounds and views of the two famous, intellectual giants. The play was inspired by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr.’s book, “The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life.”

Kenneth Wright, who will portray Sigmund Freud, is a well-known actor and current professor in anatomical sciences for students in the Medical and Dental Schools at Loma Linda University. Wright had his acting debut in college at Andrews University where he played Ralph Waldo Emerson in “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail.” He has since appeared in many performances and recently received two Inland Theater League award nominations for his roles as Kris Kringle in “Miracle on 34th Street” and The Teacher in “Ecclesiastes.”

Brady Greer Huffman, portraying C.S. Lewis, is an actor/director/educator/storyteller from southern California. He has directed and acted with various companies and in many locations, particularly with LifeHouse Theater, Creative Arts Productions and The SchoolHouse Company. Huffman has acted in and directed “Freud’s Last Session,” which he performed with Wright (Loma Linda University); “Pilgrim’s Progress: A Musical” (Loma Linda University); “Miracle on 34th Street” (LifeHouse Theater); “Annie Jr.” (Creative Arts Production); and “A Doll’s House” (The SchoolHouse Company).

Admission to this event is free, but donations will gladly be accepted at the door. For more information, contact the Department of English at english@andrews.edu or 269-471-3298.