Two different student groups associated with the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University will open their spring 2016 productions the week of April 10. This display of talent illustrates the wide range of performance opportunities available to university students in addition to the main stage series produced by the department each season.
According to chair Kevin Warner, the seven clubs associated with the department provide students from all majors the opportunity to independently produce their own work, develop leadership skills and engage in service to the local community. “With ongoing support from the university’s Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) and faculty advisors from our department, these groups provide an important complement to the ongoing mission of both the department and university,” he said.
Krystopher Paschen, president of the Appalachian Musical Theatre Club, agrees. “Student-run organizations provide vital extra-curricular, hands-on experiences while creating opportunities for us to apply our training beyond the confines of a classroom.”
The upcoming productions are:
- “Miscast,” produced by the Appalachian Musical Theatre Ensemble,the performance arm of the Appalachian Musical Theatre Club
- “Wonder of the World,” the regional premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s play by Alpha Psi Omega (APO), a national dramatics honor society
“Miscast,” presented at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, at the Whitewater Café in Plemmons Student Union, is a variety show where students sing their dream roles from musicals in which they would never be cast due to their unsuitability for a given part. For example, the men perform songs traditionally intended for women, and vice versa. “Miscast” is directed by Krystopher Paschen and written by Bridget Mundy, with musical direction by Aaron Ames and guidance from faculty adviser Dr. Derek Davidson. The production features the talents of Savannah Bennett, Michelle Bucci, Elizabeth Galbraith, Bre Glosson, Hannah Daniels, Aaron Green, Laura Langston, T. J. Lewis, Taylor Neese, Sabrina Palazzo, Krystopher Paschen and Amanda Ufer, along with a couple of surprise appearances by theatre and dance faculty members.
Admission is free of charge, but capacity is limited with admittance on a first-come, first-seated basis when the doors open 15 minutes prior to the show.
“Wonder of the World,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, will be presented at7:30 p.m. on April 15 and 16 and 2:30 p.m. on April 17 in the I.G. Greer Studio Theatre on campus. The play is an imaginative comedy about one woman’s self-exploration in scenic Niagara Falls. Alpha Psi Omega members, undergraduate and graduate students and theatre and dance faculty members come together to put on this wild, fast and funny tale. The APO company includes Glenn Driskill as director, Ian Lawrence as assistant director and Leah Chandler as stage manager, with lighting and sound design by T. J. Lewis and David Sabbagh, respectively. The cast consists of Dylan Brown, Sarah Duttlinger, Alexxa Guerrero, Ian Lawrence, Mary Elizabeth Myrick, Aaron Scotch and Amanda Ufer.
Ticket prices start at just $5 for students and $7 for non-students and will be sold at the door one hour in advance of each performance. Proceeds will benefit local environmental charities in the High Country.
Plemmons Student Union is located at 263 Locust Street, while the I.G. Greer Studio Theatre is located on the east side of I.G. Greer Hall below the main auditorium, with a separate entrance down the stairway on the side of the building. Parking is available after 5:30 p.m. and on weekends in campus faculty lots and the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.
Warner noted that the other five clubs and student organizations associated with the department are theEntropy Dance Crew, Women and Inclusive Theatre Troupe, Momentum Dance Club, Playcrafters and the Technical Theatre Club. Their productions and activities occur at different times in the academic year, with Entropy’s annual “Dance for a Difference Charity Showcase” scheduled for later this spring.
About the Department of Theatre and Dance
The Department of Theatre and Dance is housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to provide liberal arts educations for the B.S. degree in teaching theatre arts and the B.A. degrees in dance studies or theatre arts. The department also values the opportunity to offer coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Vital to the support of this mission is a dynamic co-curricular production program that provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region. The departmental philosophy is to support the university’s liberal arts environment through a balanced and integrated emphasis on teaching, creative activity, scholarship and service.
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