Students and faculty of the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University have been honored with 12 awards in direction, production, acting, and playwriting by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF).
The artists were recognized at the 2018 KCACTF National Festival, held April 9 – 14 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Commendation for Distinguished Achievement in Performance: Susie Young in Absence Makes the Heart by Sean Abley
Commendation for Distinguished Achievement in Directing: Lauren Brooke Ellis for She Made Space by Meredith Dayna Levy
Commendation for Distinguished Achievement in Performance: Meredith Dayna Levy for She Made Space by Meredith Dayna Levy
The KCACTF has served as a catalyst for improving the quality of college theater in the United States for nearly 50 years. Featuring a network of more than 700 academic institutions throughout the country, the organization celebrates the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs and encourages institutions of higher learning to give distinguished productions of new plays, especially those written by students. The KCACTF honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, dramatic criticism, directing, and design.
Photo caption: Todd Ristau (right), director of the M.F.A. program in playwriting at Hollins, is congratulated on receiving the KCACTF’s 2018 Outstanding Director of a New Work award.
The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) has presented its highest award to the director of the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University.
Todd Ristau, who has guided the M.F.A. program in playwriting since its inception in 2007, has received the KCACTF Gold Medallion, one of the most prestigious honors in theatre education.
The medallion recognizes “individuals or organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to the teaching and producing of theatre and who have significantly dedicated their time, artistry, and enthusiasm to the development of the KCACTF.”
In announcing the award, the KCACTF praised Ristau for having “demonstrated innovative leadership in the field of new play development and [making] a tremendous impact in the vitally important area of nurturing playwrights and new plays. Todd Ristau works tirelessly to bring quality instruction and experiences to students. An innovative and engaging teacher, he has developed a program that truly puts students at the center, fostering the individual growth of each playwright’s style rather than turning out a specific type of playwright.
“One salient example of the Playwright’s Lab’s contributions is student Meredith Dana Levy, 2014 winner of KCACTF’s National Student Playwriting Award for her play Decision Height, which has been published by Samuel French and has enjoyed over 40 productions to date.”
“To say we are proud of Todd Ristau and all the members of the Hollins Playwright’s Lab is about as big an understatement that one could make,” Ernie Zulia, director of the Hollins Theatre Institute, told The Roanoke Times. “Receiving such an honor brings a national spotlight to Hollins and Roanoke, affirming our goal to be an ignition point for new work in the United States.”
Hollins playwrights Meredith Dayna Levy, Wendy-Marie Martin, and Anne G’Fellers Mason will be featured at Atlantic Stage’s Fourth Annual New Voices Playfest in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Levy and Mason are pursuing their Master of Fine Arts degrees through the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, while Martin completed her M.F.A. in the playwriting program in 2014.
The goal of the New Voices Playfest is to discover and present through a weekend of readings some of the most dynamic and exciting new work for the stage. Atlantic Stage, a professional theatre, solicited new work in the categories of ten-minute plays, one-act plays, and full-length plays over the past year. All submitted work must have been unproduced at the time of submission, and playwrights may submit one play per category.
All readings are free and open to the public. Check the website for a complete list of readings, times and other events.
The New Voices Playfest is administered by Kevin Ferguson, playwright-in-residence, resident dramaturg, and literary manager at Atlantic Stage. He is also a graduate of the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins.
Atlantic Stage’s mission is to enhance the cultural landscape of the Myrtle Beach area by providing quality theatrical productions of classical, contemporary, and new works that are entertaining and enlightening.
Playwright’s Lab’s New Works Initiative Builds Artistic, Economic Partnerships Locally and Nationwide
From Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York City to Burlington, Vermont, and here in Roanoke, the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University is developing an impressive number of new stage productions by emerging student writers, thanks to a collaborative program described as “re-inventing Off-Off-Broadway.”
The New Works Initiative of the Playwright’s Lab was established in 2008 and has already helped provide production assistance and travel costs for dozens of student readings and productions in legitimate theatres nationally and locally. It enables student writers to work with guest professional directors and offers support for them to work as actors, dramaturgs, and designers on plays by prominent guest writers associated with the Playwright’s Lab such as Lucy Thurber, recipient of the first Gary Bonasorte Memorial Prize for Playwriting; television writer and playwright Jeff Goode; and Obie Award-winner W. David Hancock.
“We have been able to bring more than 70 top-tier artists to Roanoke to work with our students and build an energized, enthusiastic audience for new plays,” says Todd Ristau, program director of the Playwright’s Lab. “It is the perfect place to develop new work that can go on to productions in major theatre centers.” For example, The Arctic Circle and a Recipe for Swedish Pancakes, written by Playwright’s Lab student Samantha Macher, was produced at Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Theatre and then transferred with the original cast to the Playwright’s Horizon Studios in Manhattan.
“We’ve mounted more than 25 full productions of plays associated with our program, and we’ve staged dozens of readings, presented special touring events and workshops by nationally known theatre artists, and provided support for our students who are creating their own new companies and doing new work all over the country.”
Ristau notes that in many cases the biggest barrier to producing new work is finding adequate funding to cover the production and travel costs. However, he emphasizes that “the Playwright’s Lab feels it is an important part of our mission to sponsor our student writers when opportunities to realize their work on stage arise. That’s why we have established a separate fund for the sole purpose of offsetting costs associated with the production and presentation of plays by or involving our students,” a fund that depends largely on individual donors as well as local businesses and area arts organizations.
“It’s mutually beneficial,” he explains. “In exchange for financially supporting the work that we’re doing, businesses and organizations get exposure to a growing demographic of hip, smart, vocal audiences. The relationships we forge therefore have a profound cultural and economic impact on our community.” In addition, Ristau says these associations are helping make Roanoke more and more of “an ignition point” for new work that creates strong connections with the international theatre scene.
“Building partnerships like this and creating opportunities for the success they afford our students is nothing short of revolutionary.”
The Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University will present The Matador, “a one-act anti-play” by Robert Plowman and directed by Todd Ristau, on the Waldron Stage of Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Theatre February 6 – 10.
A Hollins Theatre original production, two of the university’s student playwrights, and three Hollins student actors have been recognized by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), a national theatre program dedicated to improving the quality of college theatre in the United States.
Hollins Theatre’s staging of Natasha Trethewey’s Bellocq’s Ophelia is one of five full productions from the southeastern United States chosen for performance at the Region IV KCACTF, which takes place February 5 – 9 at Darton College in Albany, Georgia. One of the productions will be selected to represent the region and compete for the top prize at the 45th annual national KCACTF in Washington, D.C., in April.
Bellocq’s Ophelia is based on the book of poetry by Trethewey, a 1991 graduate of Hollins’ master of arts program in English and creative writing, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, and the current Poet Laureate of the United States. Adapted by Associate Professor of Theatre Ernest Zulia, Associate Professor of English T.J. Anderson III, and Lexie Martin Mondot, a member of Hollins’ class of 2012, the play premiered at Hollins Theatre last February and was presented as a concert reading at The Kennedy Center’s 11th annual Page to Stage Festival of New Play Readings in September.
In addition, the KCACTF’s Region IV awarded its top playwriting honor to Meredith Dayna Levy, who graduated from Hollins last spring. Levy was recognized for her drama, Decision Height, which Hollins Theatre originally staged in October. The play will be presented as a concert reading at the Region IV KCACTF and as a full production at the festival in 2014. Decision Height has also been nominated for two major national prizes to be awarded at The Kennedy Center in April.
Kevin Ferguson, who along with Levy is currently a graduate student in the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, had two of his original scripts selected for the regional festival as part of the Region IV National Playwriting Program. Follies a Deux and Losing Sight were chosen for the Ten-Minute Play and One-Act Play categories, respectively. Both will be presented in staged readings and will compete for the top prize for Short Plays at the national KCACTF this spring.
“Naturally, all of us in the theatre department are proud and excited to have our work receive such validation,” said Zulia. “It’s highly unusual that one university should win so many honors. As the Region IV chairman said, ‘It sort of looks like it’s going to be an all-Hollins festival!’”
Zulia also announced that three Hollins students, seniors Kaitlin Heath and Maria Latiolais and sophomore Russell Wilson, have been nominated to compete for the national Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships, which provide recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue further education. Approximately 400 students vie for this prestigious acting award.
“This could not have come at a better time,” Zulia stated. “We now have fantastic, newly renovated facilities, and have earned a strong reputation for excellent productions, so we are poised to take the next steps to make Hollins a place where students want to come specifically to study theatre and playwriting on the undergraduate and graduate levels. This valuable recognition will definitely help advance the cause.”
Single by 30 comes from New Form Digital, the production company backed by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Discovery, and YouTube channel Wong Fu Productions. Singer Kina Grannis also stars alongside YouTube star Eric Ochoa, Hillary Anne Matthews and Alexandra Metz. YouTuber Ryan Higa guest-stars.
Created and directed by Wong Fu's Philip Wang and Wesley Chan, Single by 30 tells the story of two high school best friends who promise to get married to each other if they're still single by 30. Now that their 30s are fast approaching, Peter (Shum) reunites with Joanna (Grannis), and their attempt at upholding that high school promise goes in an unexpected direction.
"For Single by 30, it was important for us to cast a diverse group of actors to reflect the culture of Los Angeles, where the story is set, but to also show that being a single adult at 30 will almost always provoke nudges from friends and critiques from moms regardless of where you're from," said Chan.
A launch date for the series, which just wrapped production in Los Angeles, has yet to be announced. NewForm's Kathleen Grace and Melissa Schneider are executive producing alongside Wang and Chan and Untitled's Kendall Rhodes and Jason Newman. Todd Waldman serves as head writer on the eight-episode rom-com.
Single by 30 joins a growing roster of originals available on Red, the $10-a-month ad-free streaming service that YouTube launched last year. Red recently debuted high school-set Foursome, documentary A Trip to Unicorn Island and horror-themed reality series Scare PewDiePie, among others.
Kente cloth design originated from the Akan ethnic group of South Ghana. It used to be worn by Akan royals on important occasions, but has since become more widespread.
This bag is green on one side, turquoise on the other. With the diamond shapes on the bag, it naturally brought to mind the precious stones of emerald and sapphire.
Less than 1 1/2 Blocks to vibrant & hip U Street Metro (Green/Yellow lines). New listing - just had our first guests this weekend! Near Trader Joes, tons of restaurants & bars. In Heart of City - in trendy U St Corridor - 3 blocks from 14th St & 2 blocks from 9th St (lots of restaurants, bars, movie theatre) and Shaw & Bloomingdale. Not far from White House & Capitol. high ceilings, lots of light). I live in Main House - just bought many of the new items to furnish the large English Basement with a large bathroom (double vanity), (bed, couch (with sleeper mattress), 2 fireplaces, large tile flooring with some rugs, Stainless Steel Refrigerator High ceilings, freshly painted. Queen size bed and sleeper sofa that folds out - also have an air mattress that can be used if needed.
Hi - this is my home. I live in the main house & hope my guests enjoy my English Basement. My wife and kids live out of town, so I'm away a fair amount of time, and love the neighborhood, where I work and enjoy.
It's a nicely renovated basement that I lived for awhile when I first bought the home, and designed it where I would enjoy living. 2 brick fireplaces, large bay window, plantation shutters, recessed lights, double vanity, dishwasher, washer/dryer in the unit. So close to vibrant U St, 14th St & 9th Sts - full of restaurants & bars. A little over a block to U St Metro - Capital City Bikeshare, close to downtown. Fun, a centrally located home.
On a great area (U Street Corridor near Logan Circle, Shaw, Dupont & Adams Morgan. Easy to get downtown, White House, the Capitol and all around. 1 1/2 blocks to the Metro (U St/Cardozo), Capitol Bike Share or Uber, Lyft or Cab almost anywhere. It's such a fun neighborhood - U St, 14th St, 9th St & so many neighborhood bars/restaurants to enjoy.
Contact me for details - guests are able to get up to 14 day parking pass for no charge. Otherwise 2 hour street parking available on 1 side of street unless one has a DC Zone 1 sticker or pkg pass.
Window unit available for Bedroom, and Portable one available, yet most renters have not found it necessary in past as there is a nice ceiling fan in the Living Room.
There is one, but I use it. If it's something that is imperative, pls contact owner to discuss for an additional charge.
Refrigerator (with a 2nd smaller refrigerator if needed), Dishwasher, Stove not operable, but a hotplate is available and located on stove, microwave.
As noted by the host, this is an older building so beware. I didn't like the two shower heads in the shower or the AC system approach.
This was our first time trying a VRBO and we could not have gotten luckier. The bedroom and living room are large and have wonderful lighting; linens are of a very good quality; and the bathroom has a double vanity which was great. Even though we were close to U Street, we never heard any nighttime noise. Quick easy walk to the Metro. Kent was an amazing host - he provided thorough information for check-in, including specific directions from the Metro and recommendations for a couple of local night-spots worth trying. We had a few questions when we first arrived and he responded immediately. We look forward to staying here again!
My friend and I stayed in Kent's place for seven weeks and it was an absolute pleasure. The space was exactly as he described it. It was open, well-furnished, there was a lot of light, and it certainly didn't feel as it was a basement. The front room has three large windows with plenty of natural light and the bedroom itself has a nice window. There are two large fireplaces and shelves with plenty of books in case you want to read. The kitchen, although a bit small, has everything you need including a hot plate, stove, microwave, coffee maker, pots and pans, and cutlery. The bathroom was large and had a washer-dryer, which was incredibly helpful.
Beyond the excellent space--which was clean, spacious, and nice--Kent was lovely and helpful throughout our stay. Whenever we had questions or needed anything, he immediately responded. In fact, he went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed, including purchasing an additional mattress, bed frame, and dresser since we were there for seven weeks. Overall, we truly enjoyed getting to know Kent and staying at his home, and recommend it very highly!
Kent's place is perfect for a visit to DC! I will definitely stay here again. The home is clean, spacious, and comfortable. The location is perfect. It's close to 14th St. and U St. We enjoyed great restaurants, shopping, and visits to the historical sites. Also, Kent is a great communicator and responds quickly to our needs. I highly recommend Kent's place for a DC stay.
Trendiest part of city. 1 1/2 block to Metro (Gr/Yl) In heart of U St Corridor - 3 blocks from 14th St (Trader Joes, Yes! Organic - Whole Foods at 14th & P Sts NW) many restaurants. Close to Soul Cycle on 14th & many restaurants/bars - Vinoteca (wine bar), Sollys, 1/2 block away. Bin 1301 Wine Bar, Dino's, Al Crostino, Dukem & Etete (2 best Ethiopian restaurants in DC), Nellies Sports Bar, The Prospect (new sports bar), Archipelago, The Fainting Goat (new American - with several local farming options), Tico, Lost Society, Ben's Chili Bowl, Ben's Next Door, LOT Lounge, Oohs & Aahs (great soul food - featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), The Greek Spot (wonderfully authentic), Alero, Brixton, American Ice House, (all within 3 blocks away). 4 Coffee places - The Coffee Bar - 2 blocks away on 13th & S, Starbucks, The Wydown & Peets. Also nearby - Matchbox, Ted's Bulletin, Busboys & Poets, Marvin, new YMCA on W between 13th & 14th (with very nice swimming pool), Vida (very nice fitness center with swimming pool) on 1600 block of U. 3 Blocks to 9 30 Club (considered by many as one of best venues on East Coast), Lincoln Theatre, U St Music Hall (within a block) & Howard Theatre next to all the new restaurants on Florida and 7th St NW in Shaw. New O St Market with new Giant Grocery at around 9th & P. Capital City Bikeshare within 1-2 blocks. I am the owner and live in upstairs part of house. All Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.