Peru, Nebraska – The Peru Theatre Company will present a staged reading production of Bullet, a Midwestern Murder Fantasia.  Written by Nebraska playwright Becky Boesen, Bullet was inspired by the Charles Starkweather killing spree.

Bullet is directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Laura Lippman, and will star just two actors, Dillon Williamson and Jessie Wentling. The script-in-hand reading is in honor of Peru State’s 150th anniversary.

Performances will be held in the V.F. Jindra Fine Arts Building Black Theatre at the following days and times:

Tuesday, November 14 at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, November 15 at 6 p.m.

Thursday, November 16 at 5 p.m.

Friday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are free for Peru State students, faculty and staff. $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors.

Lippman writes of the production, “Chuck is a bowlegged badass with some wicked ‘stuff’ going on inside of him. He finds comfort in his 12 gauge and in the arms of his 14 year-old girlfriend Caril Ann.”

“Inspired by the 1950’s Starkweather spree-killing in Nebraska and Wyoming, Bullet takes a lusty look at love, life and what happens when a person on the edge is pushed to their limit.”​

Becky Boesen is a writer, lyricist, director, actor, and teaching artist. Boesen was honored as “Individual Playwright of Merit” by the Nebraska Arts Council and is a three-time Mayor’s Arts Award recipient in Lincoln, Nebraska as well as a former artist in residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts.

Boesen’s plays and musicals are often a call to action that focus on themes of poverty, social justice and finding one’s own way in the world. She is passionate about creating challenging work for both adult and family audiences and often develops impactful partnerships with social service organizations to ensure authenticity in her storytelling while also increasing the visibility of underserved communities through collaboration.

Currently, Becky is in rehearsal for Snowcatcher, a one-woman show co-commissioned by the Lincoln Arts Council and the Historic Midwest Theater in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Snowcatcher explores the brutality of the schoolchildren’s blizzard of 1888, but leaves its audience with hope. Snowcatcher will premiere in March 2017 at Midwest Theater.

Additional creative team for Bullet’s production:
Amelia Roth: Assistant Director/Stage Directions
Hannah Cook, Alexa Cline: Dramaturgy
Joshua Girard: Stage Manager
Taylor Peterson: Sound/Poster Design
Josh Osborne: Light board op
Charlie McKay: House Manager