DATE: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6; 8 p.m. Dec. 7-8; and 2 p.m. Dec. 9, 2007.

EVENT: A story that offers a stern test of faith, “J.B.” draws on the talents of some of the most competitive University of Michigan students accustom to performing at a high level on a public stage.

The drama, based on the Book of Job, features an ensemble of students from the U-M Department of Theatre & Drama, and football squad, including quarterback Chad Henne, team captain Jake Long, safety Jamar Adams and defensive tackle Will Johnson.

Written by Archibald MacLeish, “J.B.” won a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award for best play of the 1958-59 season. The modern-day adaptation of the story of Job takes place amid the mundane lives of characters in a traveling circus. The main characters take up the roles of god and the devil in a probing examination of the existence and nature of a higher force.

The play is directed by Philip Kerr, U-M professor of drama. Kerr has included U-M athletes in other productions. He notes that drama students and collegiate athletes have a lot in common, notably both are “devoted to training,” and seek physical and emotional challenges.

PLACE: Power Center, 121 Fletcher, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

TICKETS: Order by phone at (734) 764-25