Story: Phillip Tutor | Photos: Dustin Prine
Fall showcase features 17 students in variety show of comedy, drama, music directed by students
Rhonda Wooley鈥檚 plans, had the Covid-19 pandemic not delayed them, were to take the baby直播鈥檚 theatre students on a tour of high schools and community colleges — a traveling showcase of musical and theatrical talent.
Like so many university activities during the pandemic, that tour didn鈥檛 happen. But Wooley, an assistant professor of theatre at the university, is ecstatic over the UWA theatre program鈥檚 first-ever Semester Showcase at the UWA Auditorium on Thursday night.
The doors open at 6:30 p.m. The program starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
鈥淔or so long at the beginning of this semester, things were wonky, and we didn’t know if we would be able to do a regular show or not,鈥� Wooley said. 鈥淔inally, we had to make a choice on putting something on that stage, and I thought, 鈥楯ust go for it.鈥欌��
So, she is.
Seventeen UWA students will either perform in or help produce the Semester Showcase, which will feature four one-act plays and two musical-theater performances. Wooley describes the event as a 鈥渧ariety show鈥� whose plays will be a mixture of comedies and dramas. Each of the one-act plays, directed by students, will run between eight and 12 minutes.
Wooley鈥檚 goal is for a semester-ending showcase to permanently reside on the theatre program鈥檚 schedule. Because Thursday鈥檚 event features students from three classes — Acting 2, Directing and Dramatics Lab — the night鈥檚 expansive schedule includes six different performances. Each semester鈥檚 showcase will vary in size and variety of acts because it will focus on the classes taught that term, she said.
Thursday鈥檚 program will include songs from 鈥淔unny Girl鈥� and 鈥淗amilton,鈥� and one-act selections from 鈥淐ain Town,鈥� 鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Think Of It Right Now,鈥� 鈥淭he First Fireworks鈥� and 鈥淗elp Desk.鈥�
Though she鈥檚 eager to spotlight her students鈥� talents, Wooley adamantly believes events like this will expose students interested in theatre studies to UWA鈥檚 program and, she hopes, lead them to coming to Livingston.
鈥淥h, absolutely, without a doubt,鈥� said Wooley, who has promoted the event to theatre teachers in baby直播 high schools. 鈥淭his is a good evening to come out, it鈥檚 not going to take up tons of your time, and you can see what we do here in theatre.”