College of Charleston SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Epic Corporate Scandal and Economic Collapse Dramatized in ‘ENRON’

Staged by the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance, “Enron” by Lucy Prebble will carry the production season’s theme, Sustain This!, as it brings to light the economic disparities and social injustices as a result of the epic scandal of the infamous American energy corporation, Enron. Turning the dry, complicated inner workings of the financial industry into a comprehensible play, British playwright Prebble wrote “Enron” shortly after the scandal, which took place in the early 2000s.

The play charts the rise and fall of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling as he uses his perceived intellectual superiority to convince the world that he is capable of producing billions on potential profit alone. Through greed and arrogance, Skilling brings state governments, steadfast banking institutions, and massive corporations (including Enron itself) to their knees on the verge of 9/11. Prebble’s surreal interpretation is brimming with behind-the-scenes palace intrigue, rogue traders, power-hungry CEOs, and a trio of raptors straight out of Jurassic Park. The world of Enron would be too over the top to be believed . . . except that it actually happened.

Interspersed with theatrical movement and music, as well as puppetry, the College’s production is directed by adjunct faculty member Rodney Lee Rogers, who is also a co-founder of PURE Theatre and an award-winning playwright and screenwriter.

The production is for mature audiences and will run November 2-6, 2017. Curtain times will be 7:30 p.m., with an additional Sunday show at 2:00 p.m. Performances will take place at the Emmett Robinson Theatre in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. 

Admission is $20 for general public; $15 for senior citizens College of Charleston employees and non-College of Charleston students; $12 for College of Charleston students. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 843.953.6306.