69Φ±²₯βs 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 β 25 and March 1 β 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Shoolroy Theatre, located in the Freedlander Theatre building (329 E. University Street).
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 β25 and directed by Amy Falk β24. 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 β27, Theo Johns β26, Jess Link β25, and Sam Elwood β24.
Together, While Apart was written by Morgan Hunter β25 and directed by Cam Love β25. 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 β27 and Anna Whiting β26.
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 β24 and written by Abigail Rahz β25, 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 β27, Amelia Guianen β27, Oliver Regan β27, Doug Slovenkay β27, and Katie Koeppl β26.
The cast of To Write a Play includes Hannah Reinicke β26, Ada Wagner β27, Tyler Buchanan β27, and Sabrina Clinger β27
To Write a Play, written by Ethan Juhasz β27 and directed by Shannon Dunning β27, is a ten-minute play that follows a college student attempting to write a play for a scholarship competition, while also dealing with writerβs block, financial pressures, and the beginnings of a romantic relationship. The play features actors Tyler Buchanan β27, Sabrina Clinger β27, Ada Wagner β27, and Hannah Reinicke β26.
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.
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 69Φ±²₯, $6 for seniors (60 and older), Wooster 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. For more information, or to reserve tickets, contact the box office at 330-263-2241 or visit wooster.edu/tickets.