Staged by the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance, “Enron” by Lucy Prebble will carry the production season’s theme, Sustain This!, as it brings to light the economic disparities and social injustices as a result of the epic scandal of the infamous American energy corporation, Enron. Turning the dry, complicated inner workings of the financial industry into a comprehensible play, British playwright Prebble wrote “Enron” shortly after the scandal, which took place in the early 2000s.

The play charts the rise and fall of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling as he uses his perceived intellectual superiority to convince the world that he is capable of producing billions on potential profit alone. Through greed and arrogance, Skilling brings state governments, steadfast banking institutions, and massive corporations (including Enron itself) to their knees on the verge of 9/11. Prebble’s surreal interpretation is brimming with behind-the-scenes palace intrigue, rogue traders, power-hungry CEOs, and a trio of raptors straight out of Jurassic Park. The world of Enron would be too over the top to be believed . . . except that it actually happened.

The U.S. Premiere of “Enron” took place on Broadway at the Broadhust Theatre in April 2010 and received Tony Award nominations for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) Written for the Theatre, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play. Prebble also authored “The Sugar Syndrome” and “The Effect,” as well as the television series “Secret Diary of a Call Girl.”

Interspersed with theatrical movement and music, as well as puppetry, the College’s production is directed by faculty member Rodney Lee Rogers, who is also a co-founder of PURE Theater and an award-winning playwright and screenwriter.

Rodney shares, “At the center of the wild theatricality and invention that dominates Lucy Prebble’s ‘Enron,’ beats the heart of a classic tragedy. Jeffery Skilling, a man ahead of his time and possessing enormous creative vision, is cursed with a simple fatal flaw that will topple corporations and shake the mightiest country on earth. The Enron scandal didn’t invent the injection of business into government, but was perhaps the most extreme example of how the cut throat world of business often interfaces poorly with the care of human beings. It’s a cautionary tale as our country marches forward toward business AS government. We tell our children to use their powers for good instead of evil. ‘Enron’ illuminates the cost of allowing our desires to throw out the compass to tell the difference.”

Associate Professor Vivian Appler is designing the puppets and leading the student puppeteers through training and choreography. She explains, “When I first read ‘Enron,’ Prebble’s suggestion for puppets and other Vaudevillian performance elements sparked my imagination. As a little kid, I wanted to be a paleontologist, only to discover in college that I had no patience for geology. So, designing dinosaur puppets for ‘Enron’ is kind of a childhood fantasy come true. It’s been a wonderful experience to lead a team of student puppeteers in the construction and performance of the puppets this fall.”

The production’s design team includes Department of Theatre and Dance students Ceili Hesselgrave (scenic design) and Natasha Cox (costume design), as well as faculty member Jessie Portillo (lighting design).

Principal characters/student actors include Jeffrey Skilling played by Nathan Cooper, Claudia Roe played by Haydn Haring, Andrew Fastow portrayed by Hunter Rizer, and Kenneth Lay played by Stavro Najjar.

The production is for mature audiences and will run November 2-6, 2017. Curtain times will be 7:30 p.m., with an additional Sunday show at 2:00 p.m. Performances will take place at the Emmett Robinson Theatre in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St.

Admission is $20 for general public; $15 for senior citizens College of Charleston employees and non-College of Charleston students; $12 for College of Charleston students. Tickets can be purchased online at theatre.cofc.edu or by calling (843) 953-6306.