Eastern to Hold Play Readings

The Performing Arts Department and Drama Society at Eastern Connecticut State University will present the spring 2013 Phoenix New Play Series at 7:30 p.m. on March 16 in the University’s Student Center Theater. The public is invited. Admission is free.

The play series consists of rehearsed readings of student-written and directed one-act comic mysteries. These new works feature the outstanding talents of student writers, directors and actors. Four plays were written by current students; two were written by alumni.

Plays to be read include “It Was You… Right?,” written by Shane Kegler ’11 and directed by Amanda Conkey; “The Alien,” written by Kegler and directed by Shannon Erwin; “Sacrifices For The Sake Of Art,” written by Alex Renner ’11 and directed by Kelsey Guggenheim; and “It’s All Reich,” written by Christopher Herman and directed by Corey Welden.

The Drama Society’s Phoenix New Play Series began in the 1960s. Its mission is to feature student-written/student-directed new works using a bare-stage minimalist approach in order to focus on the dialog. “The present directors and their casts have worked diligently to bring the plays from ‘page to stage’ as rehearsed readings which will offer clearly defined characters, relationships, and situations in a manner that focuses on the writers’ words,” said Theatre Professor Ellen Brodie.

“The plays presented this spring may move to other venues as well,” continued Brodie. “In the professional world of theatre, rehearsed readings are the essential next step for a playwright to hear the text and audience response, in order to prepare for fully staged presentation in the future. The Phoenix New Play Series offers these new works for the audience’s delight and critiquing.”

For more information, please call the Performing Arts Department at (860) 465-5325 or visit the Performing Arts website at www.easternct.edu/performingarts.