Theatre Professor Wins Major Playwriting Competition
Friday, December 8, 2006 An Emory & Henry College
theatre professor has once again been honored for his
playwriting.
Professor Don LaPlant recently was named the winner
of the Charles M. Getchell Award for his play, "Two Body
Problems." The award, which carries a $1,000 prize, goes
to the winner of a playwriting competition sponsored by
the Southeastern Theatre Conference.
As a result of his award, LaPlant will present a
reading of his play at the SETC convention this spring
in Atlanta and the play will be considered for
publication in the Southern Theatre magazine.
The award represents the third time in less than a
year that one of LaPlant's plays has been honored in
competitions. The same play was named a finalist in the
2003 Last Frontier Theatre Conference hosted by Edward
Albee in Valdez, Alaska. Over the summer, an extensively
revised edition of the play won the 2006 PlayWorks
Competition sponsored by the Association for Theatre in
Higher Education.
LaPlant's most recent honor carries with it
significant prestige as a result of the high quality of
the competition. Many of the finalists of this year’s
competition, for example, have won numerous other awards
and have had significant productions of their works in
major theatre centers.
LaPlant will pursue production of "Two Body Problems"
by sending the script to literary management departments
of select theatres across the country. "The first step
is finding the right theatre with the right mission and
a history of doing works similar to this one," LaPlant
said.
A four character play, "Two Body Problems" explores
the impact of the struggle to maintain family and
romantic relationships while seeking professional growth
and career advancement. Two couples in the play are
forced to decide what levels of compromise, sacrifice
and dissatisfaction are acceptable to them.
LaPlant, who will teach playwriting this spring at
Emory & Henry, praised students in the E&H Theatre
Department for their support. A current student, Will
Coleman, and a recent graduate, Sarah Crockarell,
offered constructive critiques of drafts of LaPlant's
script.
"I'm glad my teaching position here connects me with
a group of smart, literate, articulate threatre people
who provide thoughtful feedback on my work," LaPlant
said.
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Six E&H Students Advance in State Theatre Competition
Thursday, November 9, 2006 Six Emory & Henry students
have advanced to the final auditions of a major regional
theatre competition, which will be held in March.
Emory & Henry was the only private college in
Virginia to place students in the finals of Southeast
Theatre Conference competition and one of only a few
colleges or universities with more than five students
going on to the final round.
The six E&H students who have advanced to the SETC
auditions include Joel Collier of Miami, Fla.; Laura
Crockarell of Mount Juliet, Tenn.; Chandler Davis of
Louisville, Ky.; Meghan Kelleher of Roanoke; Kate Morton
of Lansing, N.C., and Mary Margaret Roberts of Raleigh,
N.C.
"Their success is due to the high quality training
and individual coaching along with the numerous
opportunities for involvement in college productions
that we offer to our talented and hardworking students,"
said Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, the chair the E&H
Theatre Department.
Among the schools participating in a state
competition sponsored by the Virginia Theatre
Association (VTA) were the University of Virginia,
Virginia Tech, Virgian Commonwealth University, William
and Mary College, as well as a large number of smaller
colleges and universities.
The VTA competition serves as a pre-screening for the
Southeast Theatre Conference, which will be held in
Atlanta, Ga., in March. The SETC auditions are held in
front of theatre company representatives from the
southeast region.
The auditions for both VTA and SETC consist of a
90-second introduction, a monologue and a vocal music
performance. Actors are judged on movement, acting
ability, communication and stage presence.
In 2004, Morgan Gengo, an E&H theatre major, received
the second highest score in Virginia.
In addition to the individual honors, the Emory &
Henry theatre program was noted for its continuous
support and dedication to the VTA.
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E&H Theatre Department Presents Blithe Spirit Nov. 16-19
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 The Emory & Henry College
Theatre Department will present Noel Coward’s “Blithe
Spirit” Nov. 16-19 at the College.
Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through
Saturday, Nov. 16-18, followed by a 3 p.m. performance
on Nov. 19. All performances will be held in the E&H
Studio Theatre.
This production features E&H students in a boisterous
and joyous theatrical classic penned by the
quintessentially English actor, playwright and composer,
Noel Coward. E&H theatre professor Dr. Donald LaPlant
directs this play, and Professor Richard Wolf-Spencer
supervises technical work and design.
Written by Coward to offer amusement and escape for
London’s population during the dark days of World War
II, the play was performed nearly 2,000 times during its
initial run.
Seating is limited, so reservations are recommended.
Tickets for the play are at $8 in advance and $10 at the
door. E&H faculty, staff and students are admitted free
of charge. Students from other institutions may purchase
a ticket for $3 with ID.
Call 276-944-6866 or 276-944-6846 for reservations.
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Eleven theatre students to compete at a theatre
conference
October 24, 2006 – Eleven
Emory & Henry students will compete with more than 200
students from VA, at the Virginia Theatre Association (VTA)
conference.
The VTA conference, which
is the largest annual theatre conference in Virginia,
draws hundreds of participants from high school and
college programs, community theatres and professional
theatres.
For college students, VTA
serves as a prescreening for the Southeast Theatre
Conference (SETC), which will be held in Atlanta, GA in
March of 2007. Actors who perform well in VTA auditions
have an opportunity to audition at SETC in front of many
theatre company representatives from the southeast
region.
The audition for both VTA
and SETC consists of a 90-second introduction, a
monologue and a vocal music performance. Actors are
judged on movement, acting ability, communication and
stage presence.
In 2004, Morgan Gengo a
theatre major from Emory & Henry College received the
second highest score in Virginia. Gengo was honored for
her high score following an audition at the conference
held in Reston, Va.
“I am confident that our
students will continue the trend from the last several
years and will perform well and earn spots at the SETC,”
said Dr. Stoytcheva-Horissian, head of the E&H Theatre
Department.
Theatre majors auditioning
at the conference are Brandon Bentley, Carey M. Bowman,
Joel Collier, Laura Crockarell, Jamal Crowelle, Chandler
Davis, Eric Eteuati, Meghan Kelleher, Caitlin Morgan,
Kate Morton, and Mary Margaret Roberts.
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Thursday, August 24, 2006 The recently formed Paradocs
Ensemble Theatre will present staged readings of Anne
Nelson’s critically-praised 2001 drama “The Guys” at
Jonesborough Repertory Theatre Sept. 10t at 2 p.m. and 7
p.m. and in Emory & Henry College’s Wiley Auditorium at 7:30
p.m. Sept. 11.
Nelson’s play, based on her own experience helping a New
York City Fire Captain write eulogies for eight firemen lost
in the collapse of the World Trade Center, was originally
presented as a script-in-hand staged reading in December
2001 at a theatre just seven blocks from “ground zero.”
Critics hailed the play as poignant, riveting, and
cathartic, with surprising elements of humor and humanity.
Since its premiere, the play has been performed in at least
45 states and 10 foreign countries, and was turned into a
feature film starring Sigourney Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia.
“On one level,” says Don LaPlant, one of the actors in
the Paradocs production, “the play depicts the conversation
between a grieving fireman and the journalist who volunteers
to help him write eulogies for his fallen colleagues. On a
deeper level, though, it’s about the human need to connect
with one another after tragic events, and the value of
reaching out to people—even strangers—who need help.”
LaPlant, playing Fire Captain Nick Flanagan, will share
the stage in this two-character drama, with Biliana
Stoytcheva-Horissian, who plays Joan, a journalism professor
who spent much of her career reporting on international
conflicts. Joan volunteers to help the Captain put his
feelings into words, not only out of a desire to help the
families of lost heroes grieve, but also to come to terms
with the horrific events of Sept. 11 and to find personal
comfort through giving comfort to others.
“I think that, with time, people tend to forget important
events that impacted our history,” says
Stoytcheva-Horissian. “This play asks us to remember a time
when the lives of so many people around the world changed in
an instant. It serves as a remembrance and a tribute to the
work and sacrifice of brave people who gave their lives to
save the lives of others.”
As a means of honoring the bravery of firefighters on the
fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the
Paradocs Ensemble Theatre will donate collected
contributions and a portion of ticket revenue to fire
departments in the Jonesborough, Tenn. and Emory, Va areas.
Tickets are available at the door for $10 at Jonesborough;
students, faculty, and staff of Emory & Henry College will
be admitted for free on the Sept. 11 performance in Emory.
This staged reading will be the first in a planned series
of performances by the Paradocs Ensemble Theatre.
Stoytcheva-Horissian, the Chair of the Theatre Department at
Emory & Henry College, has performed professionally in her
native Bulgaria and on stages across Europe, Africa, and
North America. LaPlant, also a Theatre professor at Emory &
Henry, has worked professionally as an actor, director, and
playwright at theatres in New York, Maine, Arkansas,
Nebraska, Oregon, and California.
For more information, contact the Emory & Henry
coordinator for the arts at (276) 944-6846 or Paradocs
Ensemble Theatre at paradocstheatre@hotmail.com.
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