OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi instructor has
been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Mississippi Arts
Commission to produce a new play.
Veteran actor and writer George Kehoe of Oxford plans to
use the funds to present “Hungry.” Kehoe’s one-actor play
is based on the life of Bobby Sands, an Irish Republican
activist who, after a 66-day hunger strike, died in prison
in 1981.
“I am deeply thankful for this opportunity to bring to the
stage a subject in which I have long been interested,” said
Kehoe, adjunct instructor in the Department of English.
“While Irish politics, history and war are featured
prominently in the play, the real study is the human
response to suffering, how the soul can transcend horrific
pain and transform itself through sacrifice.”
Performances of “Hungry” are to be scheduled in early March
at the Powerhouse Theater in Oxford.
The grant is a portion of the $1 million MAC will award in
2007-2008 with funding from the state Legislature and the
National Endowment for the Arts. Established in 1968, MAC
also receives funding from the Wallace Foundation and other
private sources.
“Individuals across the state continue to offer their
support to prove the value of the arts in Mississippi,”
said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC. “Their
participation in local events and activities helps to
ensure the economic success of their community. The
Mississippi Arts Commission is proud to support their
efforts.”