Schedule Of Events

2:00pm : "Wit" - A Play by Margaret Edson

In this extraordinary play, Margaret Edson has created a work that is as intellectually challenging as it is emotionally immediate. At the start of Wit, Vivian Bearing, a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the brilliantly difficult Holy Sonnets of the metaphysical poet John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Her approach to her illness is not unlike her approach to the study of Donne: aggressively probing and intensely rational. But during the course of her illness – and her stint as a prize patient in an experimental chemotherapy program at a major teaching hospital – Vivian comes to reassess her life and her work with a profundity and humor that are transformative both for her and for the audience. Wit explores not only the physical effects of aggressive treatment for terminal illnesses, but also the need for those involved in the care of their patients to remember and honor human dignity. It can be easy for those in the medical field to see their patients as only a collection of numbers and data, of test results and laboratory findings, while forgetting that human compassion is ultimately what can bring their patients the most comfort. This script has tremendous educational value for those who are currently in healthcare, or who are studying to enter the field of health care.

Location : Artworks, Lower Gallery

4:00pm : Castalia Quartet In Concert

An innovative group of chamber musicians based in Grand Rapids, the Castalia Quartet returns to the Festival of the Arts for a concert that fulfills the group's mission of playing works by women composers. Founded by pianist Mary Scanlan (who did her doctoral research on the topic), the quartet also includes Jenna Buchner, violinist with the Grand Rapids Symphony; Leslie Van Becker, retired principal violist with GRS; and Alicia Eppinga, GRS principal cellist.

Location : Immanuel Lutheran Church

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