LOGAN – The Department of Performing Arts at Utah State University will kick off its 2024-25 theater season with a low-key play reading session slated for Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21.
That event will take place in the Black Box Theatre in the Chase Fine Arts Center on the USU campus, beginning both nights at 7:30 p.m.
The department’s student actors will read two fairly recent one-act plays, according to Michael Shipley, an associate professor of acting, voice and speech.
Shipley explains that the USU Play Reading Series will feature three separate events throughout the 2024-25 academic year.
Student actors will rehearse the selected works for several days, but still rely on the script during actual performances. The plays themselves will be stripped down, without technical elements like sound, costumes and lights.
The one-act works to be performed this weekend will be 2201: Xibalba, a short space farce penned by Chris Anthony Ferrer, and Playground, a drama about a non-binary six-year-old by Benjamin Walton.
Shipley adds that the play reading format gives students the opportunity to work on their acting techniques and characterization choices in a reading situation that’s similar to a full production.
The reading format also gives aspiring directors and stage managers a chance to test their skills in a simpler form with a shorter time commitment.
2201: Xibalba will be directed by Ethan Shaw and Playground will be directed by Samantha Capener. Both student directors are bachelor of fine arts candidates expected to graduate in spring of 2025.
Shipley promises that audience members who attend the play readings will hear new material and enjoy a night of theater in a somewhat different format.
Admission to the Play Reading Series is free, but USU officials warn that seating in the Black Box Theatre is limited and patrons will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis.