By Nancye Edwards, Danielle Kearns, Lauren Pavlacka and Julia Ridenhour
The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance will present “Love and Information” by Caryl Churchill in the I.G. Greer Studio Theater on campus. The play runs November 2–5 and November 8–11 at 7 p.m. with a matinee performance November 6 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $10 for the general public and $5 for students. To learn more, contact the Valborg Theatre box office at 828-262-3063, call the Schaefer Center box office toll-free at 800-841-ARTS (2787) or visit www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu.
“Love and Information” highlights the rate at which we acquire and share information in the 21st century. As part of Appalachian’s theatre season comprising all women playwrights, the play premiered in 2012 and is one of the most recent works by Obie award-winning playwright Caryl Churchill. The play is directed by Dr. Derek Davidson, a senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance, an award-winning playwright and co-founder of Boone’s In/Visible Theatre.
“The Appalachian community will experience a new kind of theatricality,” remarked Davidson. “Humans breathe in information all the time; the question is, what do we do with it?”
The play focuses on everyday topics that humans must take in and interpret. Davidson, along with dramaturg Sophia Mosby, an English and theatre arts double major, identified seven chapters in the play: Getting It, Giving It, Knowing It, Retaining It, Interpreting It, Feeling/Not Feeling It and Seeming vs. Being. “The style reflects the content of the piece” said Davidson. “By delivering information and content so rapidly, the audience is able to experience what the play is all about.”
The ensemble of 16 cast members, ranging from freshmen to seniors, creates a web of nearly 50 scenes through interaction, dance and music that will appeal to a variety of audiences. “Through the viewing experience, the audience will get a super-charged injection of the overwhelming amount of information surrounding, invading and consuming us,” said Davidson. “Amid it all, we continue the struggle to relate, to connect and to love.”
Tickets are available in person at the Schaefer Center for Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday 9 a.m. –5 p.m., by phone at 828-262-4046, at the Valborg Theatre box office Monday through Friday from 1–5 p.m., and online at www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu.
About I.G. Greer Studio Theater
I.G. Greer Studio Theater is located on the side of the I.G. Greer Building 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. on campus in faculty lots and the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.
About the Department of Theatre and Dance
The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region.
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Media Contact
Keith Martin
828-262-8179
MartinKT1@appstate.edu
Student rehearse scenes from "Love and Information"
Dr. Derek Davidson is directing the current stage offering at Appalachian State University, a modern work by Caryl Churchill entitled "Love and Information." The play focuses on everyday topics that humans must take in and interpret, and features an ensemble of 16 cast members—ranging from freshmen to seniors—creating a web of nearly 50 scenes through interaction, dance and music. Photo by Lynn Willis.