EXPANDING MINDS WITH DRAMA
Two professors stand as leading figures in the Tabor College drama department during the era of presidents L.J. Franz and Roy Just. Malinda Penner Nikkel and Jack Braun shared a passion to use drama to bring insight about faithfulness in Christ?s kingdom. This week we feature the contributions of Malinda Penner Nikkel, who joined the faculty in 1955 and served?with a couple of interruptions?through 1981. She directed ?The Miracle Worker,? ?The Cup of Trembling? (Dietrich Bonhoeffer), ?The Diary of Anne Frank,? ?The Wizard of Oz,? ?The Tempest,? ?A Midsummer Night?s Dream,? ?The Taming of the Shrew,? and two Christian musical dramas, ?Rejected? and ?Modern Jonah,? written by Nikkel with assistant music professor Paul Ratzlaff. The passion that fed Nikkel?s drama coaching and teaching was kindled during her years as a Tabor student. She wanted to open new vistas for her students on the stage and in the classroom. Her classes in English were among the most devotional?and thought-provoking?offered to students during her tenure.
The above anecdote is included in ?Tabor College: A Century of Transformation 1908-2008,? the history of the college commissioned for this year?s centennial celebration. The book can be purchased for $48.39 (tax included) plus $5 for shipping. Call 620-947-3121 ext. 1212 for information or orders.
