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Acting, TDP and Film Students Attend Chesapeake Film Festival

Senior acting majors, along with a few students in the theatre design & production program and film department, attended the Chesapeake Film Festival from Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2 in Easton, Maryland. This event was the first entry into the world of film festivals for most, if not all, participants.

“Our students were outstanding at this film festival and made quite the impression on the artistic director and all of their supporters,” said Visiting Associate Professor of Acting Cedric Hill, B.A. “They were poised and knowledgeable about their craft.”

Shenandoah University was invited to return next year to screen a potential collaborative project between the film and acting departments followed by a Q&A with the students on stage during the festival.

The opportunity was supported by Associate Vice President for Student Leadership and Development Fritz Polite, Ph.D.

A Shenandoah Conservatory education can help students discover fulfilling career paths that didn’t seem obvious as their studies began. 

Case in point: Amy Kole ’15. Kole, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, has forged a career as an experiential storyteller and themed entertainment writer. 

But what’s that, you ask? 

“Experiential storytellers create immersive experiences (often in collaboration with marketing and branding) such as theme park attractions, museums, virtual reality, video games, and the list goes on!” Kole said. “Writing the script is a clear step of the process, but the narrative design implements additional facets including the character profiles, the universe’s backstory, and how the user and guest might interact with this world from an experiential perspective.”

It felt fairly natural for her to end up in such a career, even if it’s something that she, for most of her life, never knew existed.  

“I knew I wanted to go into writing after graduating from SU,” said Kole, who also earned a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design. “I did the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World, and I fell in love with working in theme parks. Once I learned that a person could write for theme parks, I felt like I’d discovered a trove of opportunities.”

Prior to working as a freelance writer in Orlando, she was a show writer for Universal Studios Japan. While she lived in Osaka, she wrote a script for a “Sailor Moon” 4-D attraction, working directly with the franchise’s creators. “I was also fortunate enough to write the scripts and narrative designs for several Halloween Horror Nights attractions at USJ, which was thrilling as I love Halloween,” she said. 

Kole began developing her writing skills at Shenandoah, even though her original focus was on acting. “I’ve always thought of acting as storytelling, but I realized that writing the text was more fun (for me) than performing it,” she said. “I was also active with the student organization Playwrights Performance –– which is still active and accepting submissions from SU students! Playwrights made me realize that I didn’t necessarily want to keep everything that I wrote to myself: it was exciting, cathartic, and terrifying to share something I wrote with other people, and it still is.”

By learning how to audition at Shenandoah, she also learned how to think on her feet and appear confident, which is essential in her line of work. “Pitching a concept to someone is pure performance,” she said. “I encourage younger writers who are still in school to take improv classes, because there will be plenty of days where you’re thrown an idea, and you’ve got to roll with it and creative-problem-solve along the way, often in front of an audience.”

So, what’s next? 

She’s parlaying her experience into an exciting new job with Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “I can’t talk too much about it, but I’ll be supporting the efforts of the writing team by helping bring to life some beloved voices for a virtual companion that will be available exclusively at the Walt Disney World resorts.”

Find out what’s next for you at Shenandoah Conservatory!

Chelsea Goode ’24 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was awarded first place with a $500 cash prize and Kennedi Roland ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was awarded third place with a $175 cash prize in the Black Theatre Network’s second annual StudentQuest Monologue Competition. Actors submitted self-recorded performances to participate in the competition and 10 were selected to move forward in the process. Those selected participated in two Zoom workshops to work on their monologues and went through a second round of self-recorded submissions to compete for the top five. The finalists traveled to Detroit, Michigan, to compete in the culminating round in-person at the Black Theatre Network’s conference.

“It was amazing,” said Goode. “We attended many workshops and met with so many industry professionals. I met so many wonderful people and the other competitors became friends.”

Goode also won third place at the inaugural competition in 2021 via Zoom.

Jo Hott ’25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) recently competed in the Miss West Virginia competition as Miss Shenandoah. In her first time competing, she placed 4th runner up, was the Talent Preliminary Winner and received the Equality for All Award. Acquah Dansoh ’04 (Bachelor of Arts in Theatre) was the host of the competition.

Head of Acting Pedagogy and Associate Professor of Theatre Scott Hudson, M.F.A., performed to a sold-out crowd at New York City’s Joe’s Pub, a renowned venue where performers Amy Winehouse and Adele made their U.S. headlining concert debuts. Hudson is also an active member of LAByrinth Theater Company.

Hudson’s monologue from “Angels in America” and his direction of a scene from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis’ “Den of Thieves” was among several acts of the evening’s themed benefit that raised $40,000 for his company’s upcoming 30th season. Guirgis is a recurring guest artist with Shenandoah Conservatory’s Theatre Division. Other acts included Tony award-winning John Gallagher Jr. (“Spring Awakening,” HBO’s “The Newsroom”), Daphne Rubin Vega (“Rent,” “Anna in the Tropics”) and Felix Solis (Netflix’s “Ozark”). Hudson’s staging included actors Elizabeth Rodriquez (“Orange Is the New Black”), Liza Colon-Zayas (Drama Desk Winner), Trevor Long (“Ozark”) and LAByrinth Theater Company co-founder and veteran actor David Deblinger.

LAByrinth Theater Company, founded in 1992 as The Latino Actors Base, was created to deliberately interrupt the racial status quo by giving voice to artists of color and reflecting a world where color is the norm and not the exception. LAByrinth Theater Company is a diverse, impassioned, tightly knit ensemble of multicultural artists that empowers individuals and builds community by creating member-driven, incendiary, new works of theater.

Coleman David Campbell ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) recently graduated with a master’s degree in musical theatre from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, ranked the #3 performing arts school in the world. In a class of 22 students from all over Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada, Campbell was one of only three Americans accepted into the program. He currently resides in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is pursuing opportunities in theatre and film.

Film, television and Broadway actor Mueen Jahan (J. Ahmad) ’92 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) is featured in a recurring role in the original comedy “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” Jahan plays Nevaan Malhotra, the father of main character Bela Malhotra. The HBO Max television series premiered in November 2021 and will return for a second season. Visit  www.imdb.com/name/nm1763034 to learn more.

Rylie Butzbaugh-Patrick ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) and Alia Shahid ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) were featured on The Farm Theater’s Bullpen Sessions, a podcast by the company’s artistic director and former Shenandoah Conservatory guest director and faculty member Padraic Lillis.

“The Farm Theater’s Bullpen Sessions podcast is for ‘early career’ artists,” said Lillis. “I traditionally interview working artists on how they got to where they are in their careers. For the opening of season four, I thought it would be important to talk with artists that graduated in 2020 to hear how they spent the year and a half — and what they think they need as they re-enter into an in person theatre industry.”

Visit podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-farm-theaters-bullpen-sessions/id1456502499?i=1000539355276 to listen.

“This offers a great opportunity for undergraduate students to know that the connections they make at Shenandoah University further their careers and also helps boost both the company and recent graduates in their personal/professional efforts,” said former Shenandoah Conservatory faculty member Martha Wollner.

Scott Monahan ’11 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was awarded the 2021 German Independence Award for Best Film at the 2021 Oldenburg International Film Festival for his film “Anchorage.” Monahan directed and starred in his crime thriller/drama and also served as one of the producers.

It was also recently selected to screen at the San Diego International Film Festival this month. It is available on demand for virtual screening from Friday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 24.

Shenandoah Conservatory is excited to welcome two new visiting artists to its roster of faculty artists and educators.

“I’m delighted to announce the hiring of these exceptional artists,” said Shenandoah Conservatory Dean and Professor of Music Michael Stepniak, Ed.D. “Both are wonderfully positioned to enrich student learning in these interim roles and we look forward to them joining our faculty and community this fall!”

Marika Bournaki

Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance

Pianist Marika Bournaki has been dubbed “The Celine Dion of Classical” by the Huffington Post. As the subject of the feature-length award-winning documentary “I Am Not A Rockstar,” Bournaki has toured internationally as concert pianist and ambassador for the arts. She has empowered youth through her projects “Moi, J’en Parle” and “Let’s Play,” in addition to her work as a member of Piano Six – New Generation, bringing music to underserved populations in Canada. She is an artist-in-residence at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Canada and is a member of the Mile-End Trio, Frisson Ensemble, and collaborative piano faculty at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina. She is represented by Parker Artists, NYC. Visit www.parkerartists.com/Marika-Bournaki.html and www.marikabournaki.com to learn more.

Marika Bournaki“It is with great honor and excitement that I am joining the prestigious faculty at Shenandoah Conservatory. I look forward to immersing myself in its thriving, nurturing and enriching environment, as well as supporting the piano division in its pursuit of student growth, experience and excellence. As a proud Winchester resident, I will enjoy sharing great art with the community.” – Marika Bournaki

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Cedric Hill

Visiting Associate Professor of Acting

Cedric Hill has won multiple honors and distinctions as a writer, director, and producer of both film and theatre including being on the shortlist of the 2016 Academy Awards for short films. In 2005, he founded To and Fro Productions, a film company dedicated to telling gripping stories with depth and sophistication. As executive producer of To and Fro Productions he wears many hats, from developing scripts, creating budgets and casting to writing, engineering production strategy, and directing. Projects of note include “Noisy” (producer, director and writer), “Outwordly Fabulous” (producer and director), “Without Grace” (line producer) and “Dongmei” (producer and director). Visit www.cedrichill.us and www.imdb.com/name/nm2691995/ to learn more.

Cedric Hill“I am very excited for the opportunity to mentor new students and create new and innovative art — the kind of art that changes people’s lives. I believe that Shenandoah Conservatory is the institution where this kind of work happens and I look forward to not only being a part of making it happen, but helping students experience the most satisfying art projects.” – Cedric Hill

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Acting majors participated in a three-day devised theatre workshop from Friday, April 16, through Sunday, April 18. Devised theatre workshops are exciting explorations into a new style of storytelling. The workshop was an intensive, rigorous exploration of how the performer in an empty space can use the body to create characters, spaces, emotions, poetry and atmospheres, and ultimately tell stories without words.

This devised theatre workshop was led by Canadian guest artists Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava, founders and co-artistic directors of Quote Unquote Collective.

The workshop was offered as both an online and in-person experience in Glaize Studio Theatre; Ruebush Hall, Room 151; and the Harold Herman Lab Theatre. It focused on building specific techniques and exercises for creating devised theatre work, with the sessions carefully scaffolded to build upon one another.

ABOUT AMY NOSTBAKKEN

Amy Nostbakken is an award-winning director, writer, performer and composer. She is co-artistic director of the theatre company Quote Unquote Collective in Toronto, Canada, and core member of Theatre Ad Infinitum in the United Kingdom. She has created and composed numerous productions including “The Big Smoke” (2011), “Ballad of the Burning Star” (2013), “Bucket List” (2016) and “Mouthpiece” (2015) — which she directed, co-wrote, composed and performed. “Mouthpiece,” published by Coach House Press and Oberon UK, has been translated into Spanish, French, Turkish and Romanian. It was also adapted into a feature film directed by Patricia Rozema which opened the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. “Now You See Her” (2018), which Nostbakken co-wrote, directed and composed was published by Coach House Press. She is currently creating “Universal Child Care,” set to premiere in 2023. Nostbakken is a graduate of Concordia University and École Internationale de Théatre Jacques Lecoq.

ABOUT NORAH SADAVA

Norah Sadava is an award-winning Toronto-based writer, performer and creator with a background in devised physical theatre. A graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre and co-artistic director of Quote Unquote Collective, Sadava has been involved in the writing and creation of new work with numerous companies both in Canada and internationally. Sadava co-wrote, created and performed “Mouthpiece,” which toured internationally, and was published by Coach House Books and Oberon, UK. It has been translated into French, Spanish, Turkish and Romanian, and was most recently adapted into a feature film in collaboration with acclaimed Canadian director Patricia Rozema which premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. “Now You See Her,” which Sadava co-wrote, directed and performed premiered in Toronto in 2018 and was published by Coach House Press. She is currently working on Quote Unquote Collective’s next production, “Universal Child Care,” set to premiere in 2023.

Scott Krinsky, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) actor and teacher with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, recently spoke to the acting and musical theatre majors in the Survey of the Profession class taught by Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.F.A., regarding the union, the Los Angeles market and basic industry insights during a virtual session.

Krinsky is an actor, writer and comedian from the small town of Olney, Maryland. He is best known to audiences for his role as Jeff on five seasons of NBC’s “Chuck.” Film appearances include “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Jobs” and Sundance favorite “Tangerine.” Other TV appearances include “Togetherness” on HBO and “Maron” for IFC. Audiences can also catch him performing stand-up comedy at shows in Los Angeles and New York City and clubs and colleges around the country as well as appearing in Los Angeles theatre productions. He also teaches career education, enhancement and strategy classes through the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Foundation as well as private audition coaching and self-taping for actors.

by Kit Wilder, director, “Jeannette”

“Jeannette” is available for streaming on Conservatory Performs for You (CP4U) through Tuesday, April 6. Visit conservatoryperforms.org to learn more.

Shenandoah Conservatory’s video of my play “Jeannette” is the result of a promise I made to the talented young cast at our first meeting, not long before rehearsals began. They loved the play, they said — strange as it is! — and they wanted to immerse themselves fully in its world, its characters, its story. What they didn’t want, they explained, was simply to record a reading of the play on Zoom. They wanted something more — but what? That was, indeed, the question! What?

One thing was certain: we would be restricted by the Shenandoah Conservatory’s COVID-19 guidelines, and I was determined, no matter what we did, that we would follow those guidelines and stay safe. No one was getting COVID on my watch!

Ultimately, we came up with the idea that became Shenandoah’s video of “Jeannette”: we would rehearse the play completely, taking it apart beat by beat and putting it back together again, as if preparing for a stage performance before a live audience. But we would record that performance scene by scene, bit by bit, in a non-specific setting, surrounded by black — a “setting of the mind,” as it were. (This in itself is not original; my “inspiration,” I must confess, was the video of a 1979 production of “Macbeth,” starring Ian McKellen and Judy Dench, in which the play is performed in a black void). The actors would be fully costumed, but use only minimal furniture and props — a leather swivel-chair, a knife, a couple of coins, a bottle, a walking stick, blank “newspapers” suggested by hand-crafted headlines, etc. And everyone working on the production, at all times, would be masked and observe all COVID-19 guidelines. (Even the masks became costume pieces: neutral for the boy, black for the Keeper, red for the women and black for Mary Kelly — until the end, when she, too, wears a red mask.)

And so it began . . .

After four weeks of rehearsal, “Jeannette” took up residence in the Glaize Studio Theatre for a six-day “shoot.” The empty space was lit from above by the theatrical lighting already up and running in the theatre, carefully balanced to keep any view outside the circle of light to a minimum. No audience was present; only the cast and necessary crew were in the theatre. And the entire play was captured on my own iPhone SE, with no additional technical support whatsoever. (Even our “location” work, shot just off the walking mall in downtown Winchester, was captured with the same iPhone.) Some scenes or moments were captured “in one,” with no need for repetition; some required two, three, or even as many as 10 “takes” to get it right.

At a play, the actors perform on the stage while the audience sits “over there,” static, and watches the action. We could do more than that now! We could put the audience anywhere — at some distance, or up close and personal. We could explore the various effects of seeing the actors straight on, or tilted; we could, in essence, move the audience around anywhere we wanted — often in the middle of a scene, sometimes line by line, as in a film — to get the effects we were after, scene by scene and moment by moment. Just as a director works tirelessly to ensure that a live audience is looking at exactly the right moment at exactly the right time again and again throughout a single performance on stage, we were able to manipulate the audience’s “view” of the play by capturing it on video exactly the way we wanted, so that it would have exactly the effect we desired. And, in doing the play in this way, in the familiar comfort of a theatre but under the close scrutiny of a camera, the actors were able to fine-tune their performances in ways that wouldn’t even be noticed on a stage, and experience something of a “film shoot” as well.

With every moment captured on video, a “rough cut” of the entire performance was completed in December. In January I began working remotely from Virginia with a young composer in California to score the entire piece with original music, beginning to end. And by February, the work was done.

And there you have it: Shenandoah Conservatory’s production of “Jeannette.” Is it theatre? Or is it film?

Yes!

– Reflections by Adjunct Instructor of Theatre, Kit Wilder, B.A.

The acting program held a special virtual forum on Wednesday, Feb. 24, featuring actor Trevor Long, in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre and via Zoom. Long is known for his work as Cade Langmore in Netflix’s “Ozark” and is a member of the New York-based LAByrinth Theater Company.

In 2018, Long starred in Netflix’s critically acclaimed and award-nominated series “Ozark.” Created by Bill Dubuque (“The Judge”), the crime drama follows financial planner Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) who suddenly relocates his family from a Chicago suburb to a summer resort community in the Missouri Ozarks after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong. Introduced in season one, Long shone as Cade Langmore, the domineering force of the Langmore family who is incarcerated, feared around town and deeply motivated to steal Marty’s money. Season two launched with Cade out of prison, and fighting to win his daughter Ruth’s (Julia Garner) loyalty.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Jamestown, Rhode Island, Long discovered his passion for performing at the young age of eight. He was very involved with his high school’s performing arts program and went on to complete his undergraduate education at Brown University while continuing to hone his craft in acting. Upon graduation Long made the move to New York City to study with William Esper, and received his master’s degree at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. He took full advantage of the robust theater scene in New York City, getting his start through LAByrinth Theater Company alongside co-artistic director Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of his many theatre highlights was being directed by Hoffman (in his directorial debut) in “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings.” The role would go on to be reprised by Tom Hardy in London. Over the years Long has performed countless times on stage, working with various New York City companies, the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston and the Manhattan Theatre Club.

In television, Long’s big break arrived when he was cast in AMC’s crime drama “Low Winter Sun” opposite Mark Strong. Although the series only ran for one season, Long was a standout as Sean Foster, a homeless drug addict, ex-homicide detective brought back into the fold by his former partner (Strong).

Additional TV credits for Long include NBC’s “Blindspot,” FX’s “Unforgettable” and NBC’s “Blacklist.” On the film front, credits include “Killing Them Softly,” “What Maisie Knew,” “Jack Goes Boating” and the short film “Concerto” opposite David Zayas (Dexter) which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

On the charity front, Long is passionate about suicide prevention and has spent many years in Los Angeles and New York City working for the National Suicide Hotline. When he isn’t on set, you can find him with his nose in a great book or at the gym. Long currently resides in New York City with his wife and son.

Kennedi Roland ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was invited by Padriac Lillis, B.A., (former Shenandoah Conservatory visiting guest artist, adjunct associate professor of theatre and director of “Blithe Spirit” presented during the spring 2020 semester) to participate in the Mental Health Monologues virtual presentation benefit for Mood Disorder Support Groups sponsored by Chrysalis Theatre Co. Roland will perform with and be directed by professional theatre artists in this benefit.

Toshi Calderón ’15 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was featured in a voiceover role in the upcoming HBO documentary film series “The Lady and the Dale,” which debuted on Jan. 31. According to HBO, the film is a “genre-bending documentary series [that] details the rise and fall of 1970s transgender entrepreneur Elizabeth Carmichael and her radical car The Dale.”

Visit pressroom.warnermedia.com/ca/media-release/hbo-documentary-films-lady-and-dale-debuts-january-31 to learn more.

Guest artist Michael Carlsen (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “30 Rock,” Tom Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia,” Lincoln Center) spoke with the Acting for the Camera class in November. Carlsen’s visit was coordinated by Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.F.A.

“Heaven is Overrated,” a new work by Carmen Burbridge ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting), was featured in Shortcuts, an apprentice company mini-series produced by Portland Playhouse that premiered on Friday, Oct. 16. She performed in the absurdist comedy set during a Zoom wake. Burbridge currently serves as an acting intern with the organization. Visit www.portlandplayhouse.org to learn more.

In early September, Alia Shahid ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) participated in a reading for the LAByrinth Theater Company’s online company member intensive. Over the course of two weeks, participating artists read new works by playwrights which the company was interested in developing. Shahid met playwright Dipti Bramhandkar in 2019 during the acting program’s Playwright Actor Project, an initiative produced by Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.F.A., to introduce conservatory actors to professional playwrights. For LAByrinth, Shahid was asked to perform the lead in a new coming-of-age story by Bramhandkar, “Feet in the Forest Leave No Mark.” Wollner read opposite of Shahid as her grandmother during the intensive. The reading was directed by Padraic Lillis, former Shenandoah Conservatory guest director and faculty member. The intensive also featured former Shenandoah Conservatory guest artist professor Charles Goforth.

Senior acting majors collaborated with playwrights to produce their senior capstone Playwrights Actor Project which was livestreamed via Facebook on Saturday, May 9. The night of performances featured 11 original works created by 11 award-winning professional playwrights. The seniors hosted a Q&A after the performance and a special surprise prerecorded address was shared featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley (also a Tony and Academy Award winner) who welcomed the graduating seniors into the professional community.

Because the senior acting majors were unable to have a live capstone presentation in the theatre, the Shenandoah Conservatory acting program decided to find a way to take the focus off the losses in their final semester by initiating the Playwright Actor Project. This creative experience, spearheaded by Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.A., was a one-on-one collaborative pairing of a professional playwright and a senior acting major to create a personal monologue for the actor. The duo connected via some form of communication (phone, Zoom, Skype, etc.) to share ideas and get to know one another. Once a first draft was produced, the two came back together again to ‘listen together’ to the draft. When the piece was finished, the actor started to work on their performance of the piece. The actors planned and produced the one-night performance of the pieces for Shenandoah Conservatory and family on the online platform. Playwrights were also invited to join the performance for a post-performance talkback after the show.

Participating playwrights and screenwriters ranged from a Pulitzer Prize winner to film and television screenwriters, to members of New York’s Ensemble Studio Theatre’s famed Youngblood Writers Group.

“It is truly an exciting mashup of dramatic voices, personally paired to match up with the actors,” said Wollner.

Connor McLean ’19 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was accepted to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RSC) and will pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Classical & Contemporary Text (Acting). RSC is currently ranked #9 in the world for performing arts education in the QS World University Rankings and as recently as 2017 it was ranked #3. Actors David Tennant, James McAvoy, Ncuti Gatwa, Alan Cumming, Sam Heughan and Richard Madden are graduates from this school.

The Playwright’s Performance, a student-run group that produces student-written, directed and performed pieces on a weekly basis, presented its first Virtual Playwrights: A Workshopping Initiative on Thursday, March 26. With the COVID-19 pandemic preventing students from being on Shenandoah University’s campus, the group’s production team explored a number of ways to keep everyone connected. This project in particular is a virtual means of sharing readings and workshops of students’ pieces on Zoom.

This week’s virtual meeting presented “Newspaper and Peppermint,” a piece written by Elena Doyno ’21 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) and performed by Rylie Butzbaugh-Patrick ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) and Carlyn Head ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Art in Musical Theatre). The piece is about two sisters struggling with the pressures of perfectionism that their family puts on them.

Nearly one hundred theatre students and faculty participated in the first gathering.

Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Kit Wilder, B.A., served as the faculty director for this week’s event. Typically, Playwright’s Performance is entirely student-run, but the group wanted to use this virtual medium as an opportunity to invite theatre faculty to join as well.

The group plans to continue these throughout the rest of the semester and is exploring digital ways to present its annual awards show at the end of April.

The Playwright’s Performance production team includes one student from each graduating class. This year’s team consists of Nicolette Minella ’20 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre), Miranda Schnoor ’21 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting), Spencer Lynn ’22 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre), and Claire Ballard ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre).

Theatre, film and television actor Raúl Castillo presented a virtual workshop, “On-Camera Auditions and Making the Camera Your Friend,” on Wednesday, March 25. He is known for his role as Richie Donado Ventura in the HBO series “Looking,” and he received an Independent Spirit Award for best supporting actor in “We the Animals” (2018). Castillo is also a member of LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. Visit www.indiewire.com and www.imdb.com to learn more about Castillo. His workshop was made possible by Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.A.

Sidney Rubino ’17 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) created “Storytime with Sid,” a video series where she reads classic fairy tales for kids. The stories are the classic versions and tend to be a bit darker than the modern adaptations. Her work is presented to raise funds for Save With Stories, a charity established by celebrity actors Jennifer Garner and Amy Addams in congruence with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry.

Kiana Johnson ’21 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting) was accepted into Signature Theatre’s Overtures summer program in Washington, D.C. According to the organization’s website: “Designed for college students and recent graduates, Overtures is a two-week intensive, professional training program that provides rigorous and comprehensive instruction in vocal technique, performance technique, dance, acting and audition skills. Students participate in classes, private sessions and master classes from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week from June 22 to July 4. The experience culminates with an audition for local professional casting directors and a showcase for the public.” Visit www.sigtheatre.org to learn more.

The Shenandoah Conservatory acting program hosted two senior showcase workshops and welcomed New York City-based casting agents Jeffrey Dreisbach of McCorkle Casting, Ltd. on Friday, Feb. 21, in Ruebush Hall, Room 151, and Sean McKnight of The Hybrid Agency on Monday, Feb. 24, in Glaize Studio Theatre. Senior showcase workshops provide opportunities for acting students to meet, interface with and learn from industry professionals, including casting directors and talent agents for New York or other major industry markets.

Director, actor, writer and producer Rodman Flender presented a workshop for acting and film studies students on Friday, Feb. 14, in Glaize Studio Theatre. Flender is known for his directing work with “The Office” (2012 to 2013), “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop” (2011), “Eat Brains Love” (2019) and more. His visit to Shenandoah was made possible by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Winchester Promotions Director Andy Gyurisin; Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre Martha Wollner, M.A., and Director-in-Residence Blayne Weaver. Flender also participated in a live Q&A at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester following a special Psycho Cinema screening of “Eat Brains Love.”

“A Peregrine Falls,” a play directed by Visiting Guest Artist and Adjunct Associate Professor of Theatre Padraic Lillis, B.A., received critical acclaim in a recent review by The New Yorker. The play, written by Leegrid Stevens, was presented Thursday, Feb. 6 through Saturday, Feb. 29, at the wild project in New York City.

“. . . Padraic Lillis’s controlled and sensitive direction are what carry this Loading Dock production’s emotional weight,” said The New Yorker contributor David Kortava. Visit www.newyorker.com to read the full review.

Lillis is directing Shenandoah Conservatory’s upcoming production of “Blithe Spirit” and teaching a specialty topics course for junior acting majors. The Theatre Division will host a stage reading workshop of his latest play in development, “Remember Me When I Come into Your Kingdom,” at 5 p.m. on March 16 in Goodson Chapel – Recital Hall.

American actor Matthew Modine visited Shenandoah Conservatory on Monday, Nov. 4. During his visit, Modine worked with senior acting students, led a scene study for sophomore acting majors and participated in a Q&A forum moderated by Director of Acting and Associate Professor of Theatre Scott Hudson, M.F.A.; and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Promotions Director Andy Gyurisin. Modine is known for his work in “Full Metal Jacket,” “Stranger Things,” and more.

Photos  by Ardy Wunder