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WAR AT HOME
FUDDY MEERS
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD
Now in their 19th year at the Joseph M. McDade Center for the Literary & Performing Arts, The University of Scranton Players have a longstanding contribution to the culural landscape of the campus. The Players continue to present works from a variety of genres: classic to contemporary, familiar to obscure. In collaboration with the Academic Theatre Program, the Players draw from a wide range of personnel to produce their work. All university students are welcome to participate: theatre majors and minors as well as students from a variety of disciplines regularly staff the productions both on and off stage. Additonally, theatre professionals are regulary infused into the mix as guest artist, serving as directors, designers and performers, to enhance the educational opportunities within the program.
Here's a look into pictures from The Players past productions!
Written by Nicole Quinn and Nina Shengold
Directed by Catherine Fischer
February 3 & 4
Performance Times:
Fridays & Saturday 8:00 p.m.
Ticket Prices:
Free
Join The University of Scranton Players for a staged reading of this one-act play.
A group of students in a New York State high school 100 miles north of Ground Zero responds to the events of September 11th, 2001. The text of this ensemble piece was created from journal writings of over 40 students, teachers, and community members in the weeks immediately following 9-11.
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Sheila Stasack
February 24-26
March 2-4
Fridays, Saturdays 8:00 p.m.
Sundays 2:00 p.m.
General Admission: $8
Faculty, Staff, Students, Senior Citizens, Children 12 and under: $5
Music by Robert Reale
Book and Lyrics by Willie Reale
Based on the books by Arnold Lobel
Directed by Bob E. Gasper
April 27-29
May 4-6
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS, CONCERNS PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL. WE LIKE HEARING FROM YOU.
University Players
Mc Dade Ctr for Literary &
Performing Arts
The University of Scranton
Scranton,PA 18510
Box Office
Telephone: (570)941-4318
Email:players_scranton.edu
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR FUDDY MEERS
The University of Scranton Players Box Office
(570) 941-4318
players_scranton.edu
Ticket Reserve
Season Pass
The major in Theatre offers a broad-based liberal arts degree for the theatre generalist. The Theatre major prepares the student for further, more focused training in the theatrical arts through a wide variety of courses in performance arts, technical theatre, design arts, directing, theatre history, playwriting and dramatic literature. Students may focus their programs of study to some degree toward specific interests in these areas of theatre through the use of electives within the major.
Professor & Director of Theatre Program
Larsenr1_scranton.edu
Bio coming soon!
Assistant Professor
Willenbrinr2_scranton.edu
Hank Willenbrink has received his BA from the University of Tulsa and his MA and PhD in Theater from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a playwright, his work has been produced internationally. 18 won the John Cauble Award for the Best Short Play from KCACTF. MIRANDA BRANSON BRANSON MIRANDA was produced by The Necessary Theater (Louisville, KY) in May 2009. It Came from Indiana! was commissioned and produced by Walden Theater in October 2009. A Single Event (co-created with Judy Bauerlein and Marc Shaw) was showcased at Performance Highways in Santa Monica in February 2010. In addition to his work as a playwright, Hank has created several solo performances including The Earthquake Predictor Rides the Bus, Crater, and The Adam Easton Letters. He has also participated in various play development workshops and laboratories including WordBRIDGE, World Interplay, and The Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive.
As a scholar, Hank's research interests include community performance, experimental theater, playwriting, performance studies, and religious theater. His dissertation Scaring the Jesus into You: American Hell Houses in Performance is the first full-length analysis of Hell Houses, a form of evangelical Christian performance. Hank presented at various conferences including the Association for Theater in Higher Education, the Mid-Atlantic Popular American Culture Association, and the Southeastern Theater Conference.
Associate Professor
Osteenm2_scranton.edu
Michael O’Steen is currently Associate Professor of English & Theatre whose expertise and main teaching is in Acting and Directing. Professor O’Steen also teaches classes in Stage Combat and Voice and Speech and is the resident director for the Academic Theatre Program. When not teaching or directing at the university, Mr. O’Steen directs and choreographs professionally and holds workshops and seminars nationwide. Known to his students as Michael, his direction and choreography credits include the Off-Broadway BC/EFA production Just Feet From Broadway as well as Hey God? Off-Off-Broadway; both Guys and Dolls and Little Shop of Horrors at Struthers Library Theatre where he was at one time Artistic Director; Sugar, Anything Goes and The Sound of Music at Westchester Broadway Theatre; A Tribute To Michael Bennett at the Uptown Theatre and Kansas City cable television; Quick and in my Arms, Aporia and The Whistleblower for The Kennedy Center’s National Playwrighting Program; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at Pittsburgh Musical Theatre; Annie Get Your Gun at Cidermill Playhouse; Big River at Hammons Hall Theatre; Little Shop of Horrors and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? at Missouri Summer Tent Theatre; Sound Bytes: Classical Scandals for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and L'Histoire du Soldat at the Carnegie Music Hall of Pittsburgh among others; including dozens of productions from Shakespeare, Brecht, and Chekhov to Ludwig, Rudnick, and Steve Martin at The University of Scranton. As an actor, Michael performed on Broadway in Meet Me in St. Louis originating the role of Lon Smith, and in Starlight Express; Off-Broadway in Hamlin and Malcome and Silverstar; and in the National Companies of Cats, Sayonara, Fame: The Musical and Guys and Dolls. While starring at many of the country’s most renowned regional theatres including The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Goodspeed Opera House, Papermill Playhouse, The Walnut Street Theatre, The Studio Arena, Theatre Virginia, and Geva Theatre as well as some of the most prestigious Equity summer stock theatres, The St. Louis MUNY, Kansas City Starlight, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera he was once named Best Supporting Actor in Los Angeles by Back Stage West along the way. Furthermore, along with the Meet Me in St. Louis original cast album, a New Jersey Symphony Concert, many industrials, live and filmed, and commercials both on-camera and voice-over, Michael’s film and television appearances include Woody Allan’s Everyone Says I Love You. Michael formerly taught at The Lee Strasburg Theater Institute for New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, NYC’s Musical Theatre Works, Missouri State University (where he also directed) and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama (where he continues to guest teach and where he’s directed as well) and holds both a BFA in Drama and an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. He also holds memberships in The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, The Southeast Theatre Conference, former memberships in the Association of Theatre Movement Educators and the Society of American Fight Directors, and he’s been a long time union member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the Screen Actors Guild, and is a proud 30+ year member of Actors Equity Association.
Fabiana Vargas
vargasf2_scranton.edu
Fabiana Vargas is a Junior French language and Francophone studies major with a minor in Theatre at the University of Scranton. Along with Public Relations for the University players, she also keeps busy as an actor, stage manager, light board operator and many more projects. She has stage managed in the community for both Broadway Theatre League and The Ballet Theatre of Scranton, and hopes to continue stage managing in the future. Fabiana has been involved with the University of Scranton Players since her first semester at the University and considers the program along with the faculty and staff, her home.
Sam Dzirko
dzirkos2_gmail.com
Casey Kelly
kellyc9_scranton.edu
Casey Kelly is a Senior Theatre, English and possibly Philosophy Major from Scranton, PA. She is also a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program (SJLA). Aside from working with the University of Scranton Players on various productions (The Underpants, The Chairs, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Mans A Man, and currently Wait Until Dark), she has been involved in many Scranton Community theatre productions, mostly at the former 411 Studio where she helped with the development of new plays. She was born and raised in Scranton and started off as a Communications major at the University, but after ushering a few theater productions, she soon switched her major. The University of Scranton Theatre program has helped develop and broaden her love of the theatre, and aside from now simply wanting to act, she also has interests in directing and dramatic literature. As Special Events Coordinator, she hopes to make the Studio Theater a more trafficked area by the students who want to create, direct and enjoy theater outside of the classroom and the Royal Theater.
Catherine Fischer
fischerc4_scranton.edu
Catherine Fischer is a junior double Communication and Theatre major from Long Island. Her time with the Players has been a wonderful experience. She has acted in many shows, such as Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing and A Man's A Man by Bertolt Brecht. She is currently in rehearsal for The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. She has also Assistant Stage Managed for two productions, as well as ran the light board. She plans on Stage Managing the upcoming musical. Edward Ross, the Technical Director, and Catherine have designed the Players website. Catherine is also in charge of the Players social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc...) She has learned so much from the Players and cannot wait for what is yet to come.
Vanessa Relvas
relvasv2_scranton.edu
Vanessa Relvas is a senior Psychology major with a minor in Theatre and a Human Development Concentration. Vanessa has been involved with the Players both on and off-stage since Spring semester of 2009. She has performed in several Players productions such as columbinus, The Seagull, Redwood Curtain, Flora the Red Menace, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Eleemosynary, Tiny Alice, and Speech and Debate, and is currently in rehearsal for Sarah Ruhls The Clean House. She has also filled the position of Assistant Stage Manager for The Water Engine and The Underpants, and was a member of the props crew for A Mans a Man. In addition to her involvement with the Players, Vanessa is also a member of the Psychology Club and has been nominated as President of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society of Psychology. This semester, she is serving as both a Research Assistant and a Teaching Assistant for two classes, and is completing her practicum at a mental-health facility in Scranton.
