ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ú Department of Theatre and Dance New Works Festival showcases four student-written plays
ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ú™s Department of Theatre and Dance will present a New Works Festival, premiering four new plays written, directed, and produced entirely by college students. The plays will be presented over two weekends, Feb. 23 – 25 and March 1 – 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Shoolroy Theatre, located in the Freedlander Theatre building (329 E. University Street).ÌýÌýÌý
The New Works Festival will include a one-act play, two ten-minute plays, and a staged reading. On Feb. 23, 25, and March 2, students will perform the one-act play, titled Post Op, and a ten-minute play called Together, While Apart. Post Op was written by Co Clark ™25 and directed by Amy Falk ™24. With a cast of all transgender and nonbinary students, Post Op tells the story of teenagers trying to get gender-affirming surgeries amidst anti-trans legislation, while also celebrating the joy that comes with friendship and understanding from fellow members of the LGBTQ community. The show includes actors Li Winner ™27, Theo Johns ™26, Jess Link ™25, and Sam Elwood ™24.ÌýÌýÌý
Together, While Apart was written by Morgan Hunter ™25 and directed by Cam Love ™25. A ten-minute play, this piece follows two characters after experiencing a great loss, and they help each other to get through a difficult period of grief. It includes actors Sydney Chandler ™27 and Anna Whiting ™26.ÌýÌýÌý
On Feb. 24 and March 1 and 3, the festival will include a staged reading of a one-act play titled Permission to Live and a ten-minute play titled To Write a Play. Directed by Patrick Estell ™24 and written by Abigail Rahz ™25, Permission to Live is a period piece set on an 18th-century naval ship and follows the main character as he desperately tries to create a place for himself and forge a new identity on the ship. The show features Chrissa Baldy ™27, Amelia Guianen ™27, Oliver Regan ™27, Doug Slovenkay ™27, and Katie Koeppl ™26.ÌýÌýÌý
The cast of To Write a Play includes Hannah Reinicke ’26, Ada Wagner ’27, Tyler Buchanan ’27, and Sabrina Clinger ’27
To Write a Play, written by Ethan Juhasz ™27 and directed by Shannon Dunning ™27, is a ten-minute play that follows a college student attempting to write a play for a scholarship competition, while also dealing with writer™s block, financial pressures, and the beginnings of a romantic relationship. The play features actors Tyler Buchanan ™27, Sabrina Clinger ™27, Ada Wagner ™27, and Hannah Reinicke ™26.ÌýÌý
Students involved in the production come from a variety of academic backgrounds, with majors including theatre and dance, English, mathematics, geology, and more. For many students, the New Works Festival is their first college-level theatrical production.Ìý Ìý
All open to the public, each one-act play will run for approximately 35 minutes, and there will be an intermission between shows on all performance dates. Tickets are free for students at ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ú, $6 for seniors (60 and older), ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ú faculty and staff, and visiting students, and $9 for the general public. The Freedlander Theatre Box Office will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. weekdays beginning Monday, Feb.19, and will be open from 1 p.m. until the start of the show Feb 23-25 and March 1-3. Ìý For more information, or to reserve tickets, contact the box office at 330-263-2241 or visit . ÌýÌý
Posted in News on February 14, 2024.
