Legal Community Assists Union College Theatre with A Case of Libel

Left to right: Nick Harris is Boyd Bendix, Katrina Belcher is the Judge, and Dan Covington plays Robert Sloane in A Case of Libel.

You are summoned to judge A Case of Libel. Greg Helton, Knox County Circuit / District Clerk, will be there to take roll.

Mr. Helton, and other members of the local legal community, is assisting Union College Theatre with its performance of A Case of Libel at the Rector Little Theatre on March 15, 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8:00 pm. Admission is $5 .00. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Based on the novel My Life in Court, the play is set in 1954 but deals with current, familiar themes. Dennis Corcoran, a liberal journalist who gained prominence as a war correspondent, launches a case of libel against Boyd Bendix, another prominent journalist who is the voice of the conservative viewpoint. Corcoran hires a high-profile lawyer, and what follows is a courtroom drama filled with rage, threats, and brilliant legal maneuvers.

The play is set in a courtroom, and the audience will be the jury. Several members of the Knox County legal community have agreed to represent the audience as the Foreman of the Jury. Circuit Judge Gregory Lay, Knox Circuit / District Clerk Greg Helton, Gary Brittain, Esq., D. Randall Jewell, Esq., and Samuel G. Davies, Esq., among others, will each read the verdict at a performance.

Rebecca Pettys, professor of theatre and the play’s director, was eager to involve local figures in the play. “I am grateful for their expert advice,” she says, “and for their generosity of spirit in the last two months.” To thank them for their involvement, a private performance is being held at the Knox County Courthouse for the legal community.

Dan Covington heads the cast as the high-profile lawyer, Robert Sloane. Two veteran actors from Corbin, Nick Harris and Lee Mundy, and several members of the local and Union College communities, round-out the cast.

Rector Little Theatre is located in the Fine Arts Building, adjoining Conway Boatman Chapel, on Union’s campus. For more information, contact Union College’s office of public relations at 606-546-1230.

March 2, 2007

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