College of Fine and Applied Arts

By Anna Rhodes

Appalachian State University’s Playcrafters, a student organization affiliated with the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance, will present their 2018 New Play Festival in the I. G. Greer Studio Theatre on Feb. 15, 16, and 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public and will be sold a half-hour prior to each performance.

The 2018 festival, which showcases one-act plays created and produced entirely by Appalachian students, will feature five original works:

• “Bunbury,” written by Kay Willis '17, an Engligh - creative writing alumna, and directed by sophomore theatre education majors Cameron Underwood of Chapel Hill and Maddie Coggin of Charlotte
• “Chit-Chat,” written by Jenna Tonsor ‘17, a theatre performance alumna from Archdale, and directed by Shane Buchheit, a sophomore theatre education major from Cape Coral (freshman studio art/technical theatre major Carson Rainey from Raleigh will serve as stage manager)
• “The Hurricane Party,” written by senior theatre arts major Matt Denney from Camden and directed by senior theatre performance major Finn Regan from Holly Springs
• “If You Don’t Stand for Something, Then Lie Down for Anything,” written by Glenn Ramey, a junior theatre arts major from McLeansville, and directed by Kat Butte from Charlotte and assistant director Daniel Herman from Atlanta, both sophomore theatre education majors
• “Strangers,” written by communication / creative writing alumna Paula Mandarino ’17 and directed by sophomore theatre performance major Daniel Adkins of Boone and assistant director Hannah Magee, a freshman theatre performance major from Lexington

Seventeen Appalachian students are involved in the 2018 New Play Festival productions as actors this year: Cameron Drummond, Sam Emmert, LJ Faircloth, Sean Flynn, Shelby Jenrette, Leslie Knight, Ian Lee, Matt Lore, Isabella Merchant, Alyssa Overton, Joe Perdue, Marissa Plondke, Kat Sokol, Connor Stack, Julia Urh, Andrew Wilson and Michele Zaremba. A panel of theatre students and faculty members selected the plays and directors from applications submitted during the 2017 spring semester. Each show has held rehearsals since casting in November.

Founded in 1933 by the late Cratis Williams and Rogers Whitener, Playcrafters is one of the oldest student organizations at the university. The student group fosters enthusiasm for theatre by providing opportunities for students of any major to increase their skills through production aspects such as writing, directing and acting. Along with the New Play Festival, Playcrafters presents the 24-hour Arts Festival in the fall of each year.

The I.G. Greer Studio Theatre is located on east campus underneath I.G. Greer Hall, located at 401 Academy Street in Boone. The theatre entrance is a large red door situated on the northeast side of the building on the lower level. Parking is available after 5 p.m. on campus in faculty/staff lots, and after 5:30 p.m. in the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.

Playcrafters is currently accepting student-written one-act plays for next year’s New Play Festival.  Questions regarding eligibility for consideration, as well as original student plays, can be submitted to appstateplaycrafters@gmail.com.

###

Media Contact
Daniel Adkins
adkinsdd@appstate.edu

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.

About Appalachian

Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Tags:

• Theatre and Dance