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. back to top

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. back to top

E&H players present “Candida” Feb. 22 to Feb. 25

Thursday, February 15, 2007 Emory & Henry College will present the George Bernard Shaw “Candida” during four days in February at the E&H Studio Theatre.

The play begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 24. The cast of E&H student actors will present a final performance of the play at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25.

The first play of Shaw’s to find success on the British stage, “Candida” is a thought-provoking comedy focusing on the attractive, strong-willed wife of a clergyman and would-be social reformer, and the idealistic young poet who seeks to rescue her from her mundane domestic life. It offers an early example of the type of writing that spawned the adjective “Shavian” to describe the combination of verbal wit and sociological insight demonstrated in the fifty-plus plays Shaw wrote over the course of his 60-year career.

Tickets for the performance are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Emory & Henry students, faculty and staff are admitted free of charge; students from other institutions are admitted for $3 with ID. Advanced tickets are honored until five minutes prior to the performance. After that time, vacant seats become available to those waiting in line.

For tickets and more information about the concert, contact the Box Office at 276-944-6866 or 276-944-6846. back to top

E&H Students Direct Middle School Theatre Productions

Monday, February 26, 2007 Area middle schools in collaboration with the Emory & Henry Theatre Department will present the Third Annual Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Theatre Festival Thursday, March 1, at the College.

Student directors Eric Eteuati, Meghan Hawkins, Meghan Kelleher and Kate Morton will help stage these theatre performances beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Wiley Hall Auditorium.

This marks the third year of collaboration between Emory & Henry and the local GATE program to help local middle school students produce their own plays.

An overwhelming interest on the part of the E&H theatre majors in this year's program led to a competitive application process for would-be student directors.

Seniors Morton and Kelleher were placed in E.B. Stanley Middle School in Abingdon and Wallace Middle School in Bristol. Eteuati and Meghan Hawkins, both of whom have served previously as directors, were sent to Glade Spring and Damascus middle schools.

During the Thursday performances, the middle schools will showcase their final product after nearly two months of preparation.

"Service learning empowers our students to gain deeper understanding of course objectives, acquire new knowledge, and engage in civic activity while gaining gain hands-on work experience in the community. It also allows Emory & Henry students to teach middle and elementary school students appreciation of theatre while allowing them to develop and reveal their creative and artistic potential." said Stoytcheva-Horissian.

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. back to top

Theatre Professor's to Present at Major Conferences

Monday, March 15, 2007 Emory & Henry theatre professor Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian has been chosen to deliver a paper at the International Theatre Symposium 16 “Comedy Tonight!” as well as to conduct master classes and workshops at the South East Theatre Conference (SETC) and Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).

These selections carry with them significant prestige as a result of the high quality of the competition. For the ATHE conference, there were only four acting workshop proposals selected nationwide. Many of the scholars who submitted proposals represent large research institutions and have significant artistic and scholarly credits.

“Presenting my research and innovative pedagogical approaches before some of the most established theatre scholars, educators, and professionals will not only help my research and further my scholarship, but it will constitute a great honor for me personally. Participation in the ATHE conference brings great recognition to me and the Theatre Department at Emory & Henry College.” Stoytcheva-Horissian said.

ATHE is the largest theatre conference in the U.S. Its panels, seminars and workshops are designed to serve as forums for innovative research, mutual criticism, and pedagogical experimentation among members with specialized interests and areas of expertise. back to top