A One Act Play Festival at West Virginia University will feature original works created by students in WVU’s School of Theatre & Dance April 21-23.
Each piece is set in a motel room along an isolated highway in the United States, bringing a seemingly mundane location to life. Each play tells the story of two characters who are passing through the same motel room, giving the audience a glimpse into their lives. Friends on a road trip, lovers having an escape and violent deeds unseen are just a few of the storylines audiences can expect.
Involved students are part of the school’s Vivian Michael Davis LAB Theatre.
“LAB Theatre opens opportunities for students to collaborate with other students,” said Joseph Gay, an acting graduate student on the LAB Theatre Committee. “It allows us to develop our own craft of storytelling and prepares us to take initiative to create our own work after we graduate.”
Students have worked with Assistant Professor Radhica Ganapathy throughout the semester to create their piece.
“Student were given the constraint of the setting of a motel room, as well as a limit of two characters per scene,” Ganapathy said. “Framing the stories in this way allowed our playwrights to focus on story, dialogue and character development. Students were able to collaborate with other playwrights and selected directors and actors to bring their vision to life.”
The one acts include: ‘What a Trip’ by Cassandra Hackbart, directed by Joshua Clevenger; ‘Reward System’ by Cody Hively, Brianna Wright and Sydney Yates, directed by Joseph Bussey; ‘Expiration Date’ by Corabeth Andujar, Micah Beachy and Joshua Short, directed by Dylan Lack; ‘Suspect’ by Savannah Aldridge and Zachary Michael, Directed by Andra Ward Jr.; ‘Domestic’ by Joseph Bussey, directed by Joseph Gay.
Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. April 21-22 and 2 p.m. April 23 in the Vivian Michael Davis LAB Theatre at the Creative Arts Center. Entry Fee at the door is $3 per individual. Proceeds go to WVU’s School of Theatre & Dance LAB Theatre to support student work.