Ethard Van Stee

Three Plays: Cannibalsoedipus on 11th Streetgod's Will Ethard Van Stee

Art is, should be, like molten lead poured into your ears (Cannibals). If it isnt, it has probably failed, for artlike truthis not easy nor does it cater to the fainthearted. Yet underlining all art is the real joy of humanity, and any artist who concentrates on the facts of truth without illustrating the joy of illumination is also lacking. Ethard Van Stee is not lacking. Indeed, his strength as a writer centers firmly on his real understanding of community, of how the community can come together to celebrate the truth, or how it can often congeal in a collective and festering misunderstanding that ostracizes truth. Ultimately, though, the joy must be present if we are finally to perceive Gods will. Sheila Tombe, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina, BeaufortVan Stee has written a passionate indictment of a time and place that has enthralled and infuriated many of us who have come late to a land of incredible beauty and promise and meanness and ignorance, suspicious and hostile to anything new and different, especially any Art not light and frothy family entertainment. As you read these wonderful works about ancient Greeks and 19th century Southerners, welcome to Beaufort, South Carolina in the twenty-first century. Jon Sharp, Artistic DirectorBeaufort Repertory Company