McDaniel College Student-Directed Play Festival Begins 3/1

McDaniel College theatre arts students direct and perform one-act plays at the college's Student-Directed Play Festival. Performances are Wednesday, March 1-Saturday, March 4, 7:30 p.m., in WMC Alumni Hall at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, Md.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, seniors (over 60), active military members and veterans, as well as those with a McDaniel College ID. For ticket information, call 410-857-2448.

Tad Mosel's "Impromptu" about four unsuspecting actors asked to improvise a play that reveals their true selves is directed by McDaniel senior Brandi Weyers of Northfield, Mass.

According to Weyers, "Directing was always something that scared me; it seemed to be too big of a task for any one person to take on. As time went by, and I became a more experienced actor, I became more confident in my own abilities."

She added, "The first time I read 'Impromptu,' I knew I wanted to direct it. 'Impromptu' is one of those thought-provoking pieces that leaves an audience wanting to speculate about it afterwards. It really speaks to me and I can't wait to share the show with the College and local communities."

McDaniel junior BranDon Richards of Huntingtown, Md., directs "The Actor's Nightmare" by Tony Award-winning playwright Christopher Durang, which finds a man thrown on stage in a performance for which he has never rehearsed.

"I am so extremely excited to be directing officially at McDaniel College for the first time," said Richards. "It is a tremendous opportunity that I have been given and I hope to succeed in my goal of bringing 'The Actor's Nightmare' to life.

I chose this play because I am very familiar with Christopher Durang and I absolutely love his work. His comedic writing and wit are extraordinary. I wanted to showcase his brilliant writing with some of my own directing abilities. I hope that this process will help me decide whether or not I want to fully pursue directing in the future, and perhaps even direct another show here at McDaniel."

The casts also feature McDaniel Students.

"Impromptu" includes juniors Bryan Bowen of North Beach, Md., as Ernest, and Megan Smith of Federalsburg, Md., as Lora, while freshmen Colleen Clark of Highland, Md., plays Winnifred, and Kevin Tyson, Jr., of Baltimore, plays Tony. Laura Hawk, a junior from Monrovia, Md., is the stage manager.

In "The Actor's Nightmare," Torreke Evans, a junior from Atlanta, plays George Spelvin, Andrew Frascella, a junior from Rockville, Md., plays Henry Irving, Mary Guest, a freshman from Hampstead, Md., plays Dame Ellen Terry, Antoinette Martin, a senior from Cape Coral, Fla., plays Sarah Siddons, and Patsy Zetkulic, a freshman from Arlington, Va., plays Meg. Alexa Brenner, a junior from Tacoma, Wash., and Christopher Shatzer, a sophomore from Taneytown, Md., are also involved with the production.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu/theatre for more information about McDaniel College and the theatre arts department.