Tacoma, Wash. (October 10, 2006)— The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art will present a delightfully scary stage adaptation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy in the Museum Hot Shop for two weekends in October.  Performances will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 20 – 22 and 27 – 29 at 5:30 pm.  This marks the third season of this popular performance.

Staged in the Hot Shop Amphitheater, Dante’s Inferno has become a Halloween favorite for Museum of Glass visitors.  The story traces Dante’s journey through the torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory and on to Paradise.  Actors and glassblowers lend their talents to the production, accompanied by chilling images on the Hot Shop Big Screen, to create a unique interpretation of Dante’s classic Italian masterpiece.  The theatrical interpretation was adapted for the stage by David Francis, Cornish College of the Arts professor, and artists and screenwriters Sam Vance and Dashel Milligan.

Ticket prices are included with regular Museum admission or $5 per person for the performance only.  The play is suitable for ages 10 and above and is approximately 45 minutes in length.

About Dante:

The son of an Italian nobleman, Dante Alighieri, (1265 - 1321) is considered one of the greatest poets of the Western World. After publishing a series of love poems to his beloved Beatrice (who died in 1290), he became deeply embroiled in Florentine politics, eventually leading to exile from the city in 1302. During his exile, he composed The Divine Comedy, an epic poem that featured the poet himself as a character and imagined Hell in intriguing and descriptive detail.