Wednesday, June 25, 2008:

We’re on summer break right now, although Kittredge Theatre is busy with conferences, the Swannanoa Chamber Festival, and the Swannanoa Gathering.  A few of the Theatre Crew are working with Don Baker, our T.D./Designer/Building Manager, to keep things running.  People are scattered, but some are around working on other crews or doing theatre in Asheville.  Graham and Ron are planning a major revision of the acting and directing courses.  Disaster #2 struck with the partial collapse of Bryson Gym, where we teach dance and other courses (for a video of the controlled collapse, click here).  Exciting times all around.  Much change is in the air.  We’ve altered the order of plays for next season, so check it out here.

Wednesday, May 14. 2008:

Pan is over and we raised $1600.00 for the children.  The Directing II plays went very well.  Julie and John’s performance went off without a hitch.  Finally Dance/Act II was a spectacular festival of fun.  We are done for this season and we will see you after the Summer. 

Friday, April 25. 2008:

The play opened last night to a huge crowd.  We would like to thank everyone who came to the show and thank everyone planning to come tonight.  In other news: next weekend we will be presenting two plays directed by students in the Directing 2 class there will probably be more info on that come Monday. 

Friday, April 11. 2008:

Last night Arlin Geyer came and took some pictures of the cast some in costume some out of costume.  Those pictures can be found here. 

Wednesday, April 2. 2008:

We have made great strides in returning our theatre to its pre-flood state.  The costumes are making their way back into storage and we have repaired the holes we had to cut in the stage.  We will keep you up to date as more progresses. 

Monday, March 31. 2008:

On Thursday we had a crisis involving our sprinkler system going off and we had to evacuate most of our costumes from their storage area.  As a side effect of these events John and Julie’s performance will be postponed until May 10 and 11.  For more information regarding our flood check here.

Monday, March 24. 2008:

We’re back from the break and working hard.  This weekend we are presenting a production by Julie    Gillum and John Crutchfield (the link to it is in the previous post).  In other news we continue our work on Peter Pan and should have some more information about the sow up soon. 

Wednesday, March 11. 2008:

We go on break this weekend.  After the break there will be a performance by Julie Becton Gillum and John Crutchfield.  This will occur March 28-29 in Kittredge theatre and will consist of two pieces one by Julie and one by John.  We put up a page here. 

Wednesday, February 27. 2008:

Auditions for the directing 2 class plays are over and the cast lists should be up soon.  The Peter Pan cast has a meeting tonight at 7:30 and then real rehearsals begin on Sunday.  The play opens on April 24.

Wednesday, February 13. 2008:

Whiteness opens tomorrow night at 8pm it will be free for all WWC students $5 for WWC faculty and staff also $5 for area students and $10 dollars for anyone else we will continue to take reservations at lunch until Friday

Wednesday, January 30. 2008:

Welcome back to all returning students and other faithful theatre folk we are getting back up to speed as we wake-up from the laziness of the break.  We will be attempting to keep the site up to date with all information regarding the upcoming productions.  Until next time.   

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We’re on break but still updating this website:  If you haven’t done so already, check out the new stuff on the website, especially material about our next play, Description Beggared; or the Allegory of WHITENESS.  Before we left for break, rehearsals for WHITENESS (opening February 14) had progressed to the point where we could have a run-through––and we could see this strange, mysterious, beautiful play taking shape.  The cast and musicians are very strong, and it’s going to be a great show with a stunning set and costumes by our resident design geniuses, Don and Bev.  Meanwhile, Music Director Milt Crotts is currently leading a WorldWide trip to Micronesia during the break (he never stops)...

The cast of our subsequent production, Peter Pan, has had a couple of meetings and will continue to meet with their fearless director, Senior Theatre/English major Charlotte Lawrence.

We’re also eagerly awaiting the arrival of returning Guest Artist Ron Bashford (director of last year’s hit, Arcadia).  Ron will be teaching two courses and directing for North Carolina Stage Company––and he’s looking for actors from the Warren Wilson community to take part as chorus members in a staged reading of Oedipus Rex he’ll be doing there while he directs their mainstage show, Moonlight and Magnolias.  Ron won’t be directing a major production this season––though he’ll be back next year to direct and teach again––but he will be putting together a studio production of a small-cast show yet to be determined.

That’s all for now...more when we resume.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

The Explosive Theatre Weekend Free For All was a complete success and we give a hearty thanks to everyone that attended.  At the end of this week we go on break and we won’t be back until January; for now, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Chanukah, a Happy Kwanzaa, and a very Happy New Year. 

Tuesday, Dec. 11

This Thursday begins our “Explosive Theatre Weekend Free For All” which continues through Sunday.  This consists of Dance/Act I, Stage in Sage, and the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) every one of these events is completely free and all are welcome (for information on place and time click here). 

Tuesday, Nov. 6

Threepenny is coming up on tech week and opens next week.  As Threepenny ends we are getting ready for and excited about auditions for Description Beggared and Peter Pan on the 28 and 29 of November. 

Tuesday, Oct. 30

Anyone interested in taking a class about how the arts (performing, visual, and other) can be used to reinforce community--in this case, the community of Swannanoa and in particular the former Beacon Mill workers--are strongly urged to attend a one-hour meeting on Kittredge Theatre Stage Thursday, Nov. 1, at 6 pm.  Jerry Pope and Rebecca Williams of Serpent Child Ensemble, a Swannanoa-based organization, will be on hand to talk about the course and the project.  Perfect for Social Work/Sociology, Psychology, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and other students!

Thursday, Oct. 4:

Work continues on Threepenny, last night the cast got together and ran most of act one off book.  Afterwards the whole cast got together and worked on some of the songs with the music director Steve. 

Tuesday, Oct. 2:

Coming up on the twelfth we will be presenting More Midnight Madness which will occur at midnight in the amphitheatre or if the weather is bad it will be in Bryson gym.  In the spring the Theatre will be offering a new course with service credit for more info click here.  There are some interesting things goin on at NC Stage as well; currently they are presenting Almost Heaven a musical telling the story of John Denver’s life through a mixture of his music and staged excerpts of his autobiography.  On the seventeenth our own Ron Bashford will be directing a presentation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  David Mycoff is directing a staged reading of Shakespeare's KING HENRY THE SIXTH trilogy, to be performed the first two weekends in October, Part One on Friday evenings, Part Two on Saturday evenings, and Part Three on Sunday evenings. Warren Wilson senior Joe Nabholz plays the role of King Henry. Warren Wilson's Bobby Bailey plays Alexander Eden, the Son who has Killed his Father, and various small roles. Warren Wilson's Asa Jean plays Talbot's Captain, Vernon, Lord Hastings, and various small roles. Sharon Withrow of  Warren Wilson's International Programs Office plays Basset and various small roles, and has understudied the role of the conjuror Margery Jourdain. Bring folding chairs and  blankets against the evening chill, and enjoy these rarely performed plays. Or come early for a picnic in the open air.

Thursday, Sept. 27:

Today is Graham’s Birthday so everybody make sure to wish him a happy day. 

Tuesday, Sept.  25:

Tonight from 6:30 to 8:00 in Kittredge Theatre there will be a stage combat workshop presented by certified fight director/choreographer Joe Sturgeon.  Meanwhile the cast of Threepenny continues to work on the play and they will start to get off book this Sunday. 

Thursday, Sept.  20:

Work continues on The Threepenny Opera the leads have been meeting with our music director Steve Williams.  The theatre crew has built the thrust into the audience and is now working on other parts of the set. 

Thursday, Sept. 13:

Last night there was a workshop with renowned playwright and storyteller David Novak.  The Theatre Outside Theatre class is planning some surprise public performances for the wilson community.  In other news we will soon be starting a contest to design a new logo for the Theatre.  We have just updated the threepenny page to include a cast list. 

Monday, Sept. 10:

The cast for The Threepenny Opera met last night and read through most of the play.  Rehearsals will continue all week as the members of the cast get to know each other and the play. 

Tuesday, Sept. 4:

We apologize for the long break between updates, but things have been hectic here in recent months.  From this point onward we will attempt to update this page as often as possible.  In other news, we have just recently finished auditions and casting for Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and the rehearsals begin this Sunday at 7pm. 

Sunday, May 20: 

Commencement was yesterday, so we’re on our break.  Theatre/English Major Katie Anne Towner was awarded the Theatre Award, and you can read about her many accomplishments here.  Dance/Act II and Butoh, Redux...PLUS! were strangely wonderful.  We were graced with some Very Young Performers for Dance/Act II (kids of WWC staff who’ve been taking a dance class taught by two of our students), as well as Asheville performance artists who joined with students and Julie Gillum to present an evening of butoh and performance art (Butoh, Redux...PLUS!) in and around Bryson Gym.  Bunches of fabulous stuff.  We’ll spend the summer preparing for next season while Don Baker and his Skeleton Theatre Crew work like crazy providing support for The Swannanoa Chamber Festival, The Swannanoa Gathering, and other events.  Check out our 2007-2008 Season!  And have a great summer!

Thursday, May 2:

Whoa, far too long since we wrote anything here:  We’ve had our One-Shot Theatre Festival (first ever, but maybe not the last...) and it was quite a success:  an amazing amount of work by student directors and actors resulting in an amazing range of plays.  Audiences were enthusiastic, to say the least.  And now we’re closing in on the end of the season.  Things are a bit quiet, but it’s just the lull before the storm.  We’ve got two things happening back-to-back:  Dance/Act II (Thursday, May 10) and Butoh, redux . . .PLUS! (Friday and Saturday, May 11-12.  Don’t forget:  Butoh, redux. . .PLUS! is in Bryson Gym, not the theatre.  And...it really will blow your mind.

Sunday, March 4:

Forgot to add (in all the excitement about ARCADIA (see entry below):  The Directing II class is gearing up for AUDITIONS!!! for the upcoming ONE SHOT ONE-ACT THEATRE FESTIVAL.  We need LOTS OF ACTORS because we’ll be presenting ten plays in three nights (only one shot to see each play: get it?).  Auditions will be held:

Monday-Tuesday, March 12-13 at 7:00 (come either night or both)

Kittredge Theatre

You can audition for as many plays as you like:  So get ready!

Saturday, March 3:

ARCADIA is about to open!  Dress rehearsals and then opening night this Wednesday.  Things are pretty busy around the Kittredge Theatre, as you can imagine.  This play is going to be amazing:  great script, great director, great actors, great crew--all whom have been working night and day to bring you a great production.  Seating is limited, so MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!  Call us at 771-3040 or send us an email with your name, the performance you plan to attend, and the number in your party, and we’ll email you back to confirm.  Click HERE to do it!

Thursday, Feb. 8:

It's not too soon to start marking your calendars for the Theatre 

Event of the Season!  Warren Wilson Theatre's production of Tom 

Stoppard's brilliant play, ARCADIA, will be presented Wednesday-

Sunday, March 7-11.  Visiting Professional Director Ron Bashford, 

Designers Beverly Ohler and Don Baker, and a large cast and crew are 

hard at work on this most challenging and entertaining comedy, one 

the New York Times called "Tom Stoppard’s richest, most ravishing 

comedy: a play of wit, intellect, language, brio and emotion."

Curtain times are Wednesday-Saturday, 3/7-10 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, 

3/11 at 2:00 p.m.  Mark your calendars now; we'll be taking 

reservations in a couple of weeks!

In addition to Warren Wilson Theatre's ARCADIA in March, there are a 

couple of other theatre events a bit sooner that you won't want to miss:

ARCADIA's director Ron Bashford is also directing David Ives' ALL IN 

THE TIMING at North Carolina Stage Company at their downtown 

Asheville theatre February 21-March 11.  "All in the Timing" is a 

collection of short plays that are often strange and always 

hilarious.  If you haven't seen a show at NC Stage (several of which 

have been directed by Ron), you'll want to start with this one; if 

you have been to their theatre before, you'll know how high the 

quality of production is and will probably have made reservations 

already!  (Call 350-9090 for reservations or go to their website at 

www.ncstage.org)

Also:  The W.C. Reid Center will be presenting "Take Me Back to 

Harlem", a play with song and dance with a cast made up largely of 

high school students (helped out by musicians from UNCA) Friday-

Sunday, Feb. 16, 17, and 18.  Service-Learning and the Theatre 

Department have been helping out a bit with sets and lights, and some 

of us will be going to the Saturday evening performance (7:00 Feb. 

17).  Join us there!

DVD's are now avaliable

We are now ready to start selling DVD's of past performances.

If you would like to purchase a DVD please come by the Theatre Office, or send us an email with your name, the name of the show, and how many copies you would like.

It will be ready within the week, and can be picked up at the Theatre Office. Each copy will cost $1.00, which can be paid upon pickup.

Theatre Office ext. 3041

theatre@warren-wilson.edu

February 1:  Lots is happening!

ARCADIA is in rehearsal and in production!

The cast and crew of our next production, Tom Stoppard’s comic masterpiece, Arcadia, is hard at work day and night for hours and hours and hours (really!).  The production is being directed by our own personal New York City-based professional director, Ron Bashford (who directed Our Town for us last spring, and who’s also directing two other plays at the same time at North Carolina Stage Company in downtown Asheville (how does he do it???).  We’ll try to post some rehearsal photos here soon.

In other news:  Thanks to our new speedy dvd copier, we can now give cast members of former productions (and other interested parties) dvd’s of those shows.  The current price is one buck!  Email us if you’d like one.

Though we’re not producing it, we’re providing the space:  The latest edition of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, 7:30 February 9 and 10, Kittredge Theatre.  $5 Warren Wilson students, $8 all others.  It’s a worthy cause:  They’re doing it to raise money for HelpMate, Inc. and Our Voice, two Asheville organizations working to end violence against women in our area.  Come help out!

Finally, Warren Wilson Theatre Crew members and staff are helping the W.C. Reid Center for Creative Art get ready to present Take Me Back To Harlem on February 16, 17, and 18.  We’re doing  a little painting, hanging lights, and whatever they need.  Don’t miss their show--they do great stuff!

January 16:

NEW:  PHOTOS FROM THE OROONOKO PROJECT (Bill Mosher, photographer)

Warren Wilson Professor Bill Mosher took photos from our most recent production.  View a selection here!

January 1, 2007:  Happy New Year!

Coming soon:  an announcement of our 2007-2008 season (as soon as we can decide)!

Currently:

We’re on our winter break right now, having recovered from our last big production, The Oroonoko Project, as well as our evening of work from the acting and dance classes, Dance/Act I.  It’s been a good and adventurous first semester.  When we get back (January 20), we’ll be going into rehearsals for our next production, Tom Stoppard’s celebrated play, Arcadia.  We’re excited to welcome back our Visiting Guest Artist, New York-based director Ron Bashford.  Ron served as Acting Chair of the department last spring while Graham was on sabbatical, and he directed an extremely well-received production of Our Town.  Ron will be teaching a voice for the actor course as well as directing Arcadia while he is here in Term 3--and he’ll be directing two other plays at NC Stage Company, our professional theatre partner in downtown Asheville!

--------------

Season summary (so far):

To start off this year’s “Season of Light and Dark”, Asheville-based dancer/choreographer, butoh performer, and long-time Warren Wilson dance instructor Julie Becton Gillum put together an evening of butoh-inspired performance, Butoh and Beyond.  A highlight of the evening was her solo, “Butap,” a piece in which she portrayed a tap-dancing, Stetson-wearing character while accompanied by Elvis hits; her performance was by turns hilarious, shocking, and moving.

The first production, Katie Anne Towner’s senior project directing Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, came off very successfully.  A Beckett play is always a challenge, and we like to think that Mr. Beckett himself would have been pleased with this staging of his modern classic. 

Graham directed The Oroonoko Project, a performance piece which combined:  (1) various late seventeenth and early eighteenth century texts (primarily the 1694 dramatisation of Aphra Behn’s novella Oroonoko: or, the Royal Slave); (2) a commentary on the 1710 vist to London by four North American Iroquoi Indians billed as “The Four Indian Kings;” (3) short silent scenes of racial encounters created by the cast; (4) projected photo montages and spoken word/music mixes; and (4) large posters on the auditorium walls giving historical context.  The point was to examine early Anglo-American roots of Black and White racial identity.  The staging was highly unusual, to say the least, and the project as a whole was highly experimental.  The experiment seems to have been a success, although it’s too early too say in what ways it will contribute to an ongoing conversation about race at Warren Wilson.

Finally, we ended the semester with our traditional Dance/Act program which saw the Modern Dance Technique class performing one ensemble and one solo piece (by Reem Disu), the Acting I class performing scenes from Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera, and the Modern Dance for the Actor class shocking everyone with some outrageously hilarious performance pieces!