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Passionate pursuit
Kennedy Center, playhouse bring 'Dreams' to stage
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Fark The Kennedy Center and the Black Hills Playhouse have helped Nancy Halverson realize one of her dreams by contributing to the production of her vision: the original show “Dreams Carved in Stone.”
The show, written by Halverson’s friend Ric Averill, is a juxtaposition of the lives of Crazy Horse and the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who began sculpting the Crazy Horse memorial 60 years ago.
“Dreams Carved in Stone,” directed by Halverson, began rehearsals at the Black Hills Playhouse on May 21, but the show’s first draft was written two years ago as a part of the Kennedy Center’s New Visions New Voices forum.
At the time, Halverson was the director of the Children’s Theatre Company of Sioux Falls.
“The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the nation’s premiere performing arts center,” Halverson said. “Every two years, they select five theaters from around the world to come to the Kennedy Center to basically use the Kennedy Center’s resources. You are to use that time to work on the development of a new show.”
Halverson’s concept takes place within the mind and dreams of Korczak Ziolkowski during and prior to the carving of the Crazy Horse Memorial. The show was originally meant to be performed with the Children’s Theatre Company of Sioux Falls. Unfortunately, the company has since dissolved due to staffing issues, and it looked as though Halverson might not get a chance to stage the show.
“My husband and I came out to the Black Hills to do the playhouse last summer and as a result, a lot of people knew about the show,” Halverson said. “Well, there is a board that chooses the shows for the season each year. They put this in as an option, read it, liked it and decided to do it.”
Her husband, Bruce, is the former executive director of the playhouse. The Halversons have moved to South Carolina.
Halverson, who directed “A Year with Frog and Toad” at the playhouse last summer, said she is excited about many aspects of the upcoming show.
“I’m so excited that the Ziolkowski family has let us tell their story,” she said. “It has also been a great opportunity to learn more about Lakota culture.”
The show, which features a professional cast, includes six Lakota actors and will incorporate traditional Lakota music and dance into the tale. Dallas Chief Eagle, one of the nation’s top hoop dancers, has been able to participate in the production as a result of a South Dakota Arts Council Artist’s Collaboration Grant. The goal of the grant is to bring together artists that wouldn’t normally be able to work with one another.
“What audiences can expect to see,” Halverson said, “is a show that celebrates the accomplishments of the Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, and the artistic accomplishments of Korczak Ziolkowski.”
Halverson said the show explores what it means to “have a passion that is larger than your own life and to pursue that dream no matter what.” She also said she hopes that people will come away from “Dreams Carved in Stone” thinking about their own dreams and passions.
Although the first draft of the script was written two years ago, Halverson said the initial idea came to her a decade ago when she was visiting the Crazy Horse monument during her honeymoon.
“I started to think about Korczak and Crazy Horse and I began to wonder, ‘What would it be like if these two men could have a conversation and talk about what means is to have a dream?’” Halverson said.
At the beginning of the show, the audience meets Korczak near the end of his life and he’s reminiscing.
“He begins to share stories with the audience and speaks directly to them about the things that inspired him to do the mountain,” Halverson said. “We see all of these people in his life and how they influenced him, and at the climax of the play, Korczak and Crazy Horse interact.”
Beyond the completion of a decade of her own dreams, Halverson is excited to tell the story of the monument and the men that made it monumental.
If you go
What: Original play “Dreams Carved in Stone” conceived by Nancy Halverson and written by Ric Averill
Where: Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park. A park entrance sticker is required to attend performances.
When: June 5-8 and 10-15 with evening performances at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and matinee performances at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Why: The show explores what it means to “have a passion that is larger than your own life and to pursue that dream no matter what.” Halverson said she hopes that people will come away from “Dreams Carved in Stone” thinking about their own dreams and passions. The play was commissioned by Children’s Theatre Company of Sioux Falls with the help of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: Call the playhouse box office at 255-4141.
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