Aycock Auditorium was teeming with students shifting in their seats in anticipation of UNCG’s promised stellar readings of Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying on Wednesday, Nov 6.A Lesson Before Dying is the dynamic novel chosen for Greensboro’s fifth annual “One City, One Book” program.

The UNCG event was free to the public; the schedule offered scene performances and interpretive readings of the novel done by the Triad Stage Players.

“No, you not educated, boy.You know nothing.” Donna Bradley, a Triad Stage actress, began the assembly with an interpretive reading of the heated interaction between Grant and Reverend Ambrose in the novel.

Bradley’s introductory piece tantalized the audience enough to make us think that the performances to follow would be equally good, if not better.

Following Bradley, however, the curtains were lifted, the lights dimmed, and the television turned on. Yes, you heard me. For ten tedious minutes the audience was forced to watch the HBO version of the same scene that Bradley had just performed.

The so-called outstanding interpretive read of A Lesson Before Dying quickly disintegrated into a mind-numbing lecture by Eric Trader, a Triad Stage Player, on adapting a novel to the small screen or stage.

Afterward, Mrs. Irma P. Hall, stage and film actress in A Lesson Before Dying came onstage to answer any questions the audience had.

While initially the question/answer period with Hall appeared promising, it became just as tiresome as being forced to watch television with 100 people in a drafty auditorium.

Hall has acted in A Lesson Before Dying at least twice. She is currently playing the godmother to Jefferson in the Triad Stage adaptation of the novel. Her involvement with A Lesson Before Dying granted her great insight into the novel. However, Trader, the person in charge of fielding questions to Hall, seemed preoccupied with how Hall developed her characters as an actress instead of how she felt about the development of the characters as Gaines wrote them.

Trader’s line of questioning was unfortunate, because it seemed Hall had the sort of knowledge concerning A Lesson Before Dying that would have provided the audience (and UNCG freshmen required to read the novel) a greater level of understanding. Instead, we learned more about how Hall’s unfortunate real-life experience of having her teeth fall out affected her auditions than we did about the symbolism or underlying issues found in the novel.

The original intent of UNCG’s “Interpretive Readings” was only brought back into focus when an audience member asked Hall to recite some lines. Hall instantaneously delivered an impressive monologue from her character as Jefferson’s godmother.

I wanted to stand up and ask, “Can we start this whole thing over?” in the hopes that Bradley and Hall could take charge and read some selected scenes from A Lesson Before Dying as the program intended.

However, I did not. Instead, an hour into the assembly I began watching as audience members flocked to the closest exits. Most appeared to be UNCG students who shamefacedly darted from the gathering prematurely, unable to meet their professors’ disapproving glare.

Thankfully, I was able to join them not long afterward.

I attended hoping to be inspired by dramatic interpretive readings and maybe a little discussion about the book. However, I left with too much knowledge about acting techniques and HBO specials. Neither topic can compare to experiencing the novel (or stage adaptation of) A Lesson Before Dying.

UNCG may have planned to hold an event that would illuminate the audience and provide students with a greater understanding of an extraordinary novel. However, it only served to bore audience members who have little concern about theater issues, such as blocking, scenery, or how to get into character.