Actor and writer Janna Tessman developed a self-written and starring role.
Graduating at 20, Tessman has worked hard to achieve success and demonstrated it in her one-act play, “Women of the Great Depression,” which ran April 5-7 in the Black Box Theatre in Warner Hall.
Tessman was inspired by the Great Depression during the late summer of 2011 after reading up on economics.
One of the biggest things that caught her eye was reading how former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt paid farmers to burn wheat fields while people around the country were starving. Tessman incorporated this, as well as many other interesting facts, into her short one-woman production.
The play covered several different perspectives giving the audience a wide view of times during the Great Depression. Tessman spent many hours working to perfect the concept and performance.
Regarding things she would do differently if she could go through the project again, Tessman said, “I definitely would not procrastinate.” She worked off and on the project since this summer and is now close to wrapping it up.
Tessman said she was relieved and offered a few words of wisdom to next year’s seniors.
“If you have not already started on your projects, then start tomorrow.”
The presentation about her project will be at 10 a.m. on April 25 in Warner Hall room 5. Tessman said she encourages anyone to come that is interested in learning a little about the women of the Great Depression.
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