Willimantic, CT. – The Performing Arts Department at Eastern Connecticut State University will present “Power Plays,” a showcase of international one-act plays, from April 14-18 in the Studio Theater in Eastern’s new Fine Arts Instructional Center’s Studio Theater. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
The shows will be the first productions in the new studio theater, and are being directed by Eastern’s most advanced senior directing students – Maggie Casto, Ty Collige and Caitlin McDonough.
The shows mark the culminating final project for these student directors, who have completed two years of directing classes, stage management and assistant directing duties and opportunities to opportunities to direct staged readings.
“Directing a main stage show my senior year was my goal for college. This play is an incredibly relevant show that warns against believing everything you hear,” said Casto, director of “Love of One’s Neighbor.” “I want to be sure the audience takes away the warning to maintain critical thinking in all situation.”
“I am most excited to see how the audience responds to what we have come up with over these few months,” said Collige. “I enjoy working with my actors, figuring out how I will stage the plays that I have chosen, and the messages that will be sent through our work with these plays.” Collige is the director of “Medusa’s Tale” and “The Man Who Turned Into a Stick.”
“All of these aspects really excite me as a director but most of all I always enjoy and get the feeling of accomplishment once I see how others respond to the final product.”
“I came into the Theater Program with the goal of being a director; I had my first opportunity to direct a show last spring. It was an exciting project and inspired me more to continue on this pathway,” said Caitlin McDonough, director of “Out Of Our Father’s House.”
“I’m excited to apply the skills I have learned as a theater major over the course of my college career. People who come to see ‘Out of Our Father’s House’ will be inspired by the story, but will also get a glimpse of my creative mind.”
Tickets are free for Eastern students; $5 for other students and groups of 10 or more; $10 for Eastern faculty, staff, alumni and senior citizens; and $15 for the general public. For reservations, please contact the box office at theatreboxoffice@easternct.edu.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut’s public liberal arts university, serving more than 5,300 students annually at its Willimantic Campus and satellite locations. In addition from 161 on Connecticut’s 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 25 other states and 18 other countries. A residential campus offering 38 majors and 55 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked in the top 30 public universities in the North Region, by U.S. News and World Report in its 2015 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded “Green Campus” status by the U.S. Green Building Council five years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.