The Three Sisters
Sharon Andrews kicked off the semester by directing one of Anton Chekhov’s most celebrated plays, The Three Sisters, which illustrates his brilliance at portraying human beings as they really are. With intricately woven relationships, fiery passions, and dreams of a different future, the lives of three women living on the cusp of the fall of Russian aristocracy came to life on the Tedford Stage.
As a long-time lover of Chekhov’s work and dedicated patron of our work, the production was dedicated to Dr. Edwin Wilson, who celebrated his 100th birthday with us at one of the performances.
Back story
Back Story is the hilarious and moving story of the adventures of brother and sister Ainsley and Ethan Belcher dealing with the disappearance of their father, who never returned from a fishing trip. Back Story is based on a short story by playwright Joan Ackermann. Its unique theatrical feature is that its 19 scenes are written by 18 different playwrights, each of whom chose a specific moment in the short story to expand upon, thus creating the back story of Ethan and Ainsley.
Back Story marked the first time Michael Kamtman directed a production at WFU with this production taking place in our Ring Theatre. Student designers Zachary Atala (lights), Sean Jones (set), Vir Gupta (sound), and Michael Votto (props) worked alongside Mary Wayne-Thomas (costumes) to create the world of the Belcher siblings.
Silent Sky
Silent Sky, Lauren Gunderson’s vivid astronomy origin story about Henrietta Leavitt, was directed by Cindy Gendrich on the Tedford Stage. Leavitt’s early work at Harvard taught us how to measure the universe. This story of family, friends, and choices, of persistence, love, and longing, make for a delightful night in the theatre.
The production was the vehicle for WFU Theatre’s first international design competition, aWAKEn, and featured the dazzling work of Egyptian scenic designer Héba Hicham Elkomy. Héba visited campus to oversee the creation of her design and worked directly with students on the set and in the classroom.
Three post-performance discussions were held featuring Héba Hicham Elkomy and the design team about the competition and creative process; Dr. Susan Wente, Dr. Rebecca Alexander, Dr. Carol Milligan, and Dr. Lauren Lowman on Women in Science; and playwright Lauren Gunderson about stories that inspire her writing.
Spring student Choreographic concert
The Spring Student Choreographic Concert featured the work of nine student choreographers under the direction of dance faculty. Chris Martin organized the concert with seniors Gretchen Castelloe, Emma Brooks, Sophia Marcheli, Graysen Hasty, Elizabeth Moore, Sarah Leary, Amelia Baker, Emily Hodge, and Ashlyn Odenwald choreographing. Forty-five dancers performed in the concert.
faculty news
On April 28, Rob Eastman-Mullins and Christina Soriano received notification they have been promoted to full professors! Their titles will change to Professor of Design and Professor of Dance respectively on July 1.
Dr. Cindy Gendrich was named the inaugural recipient of the Gladding Artist Faculty Award. Established by the beloved late Professor of Counseling Dr. Sam Gladding, '67, '71 , the Gladding Authors, Editors and Artists award is presented to members of the faculty at Wake Forest who are book authors or editors, or fine or performing artists and whose works have been published or produced more less within one year preceding the awarding of the prize. Last year, Cindy directed Up and Away at the Rose Theatre in Omaha, a delightful play that honors and provides a neurodiverse theatre experience for children.
Congratulations to Rob, Christina, and Cindy!
First Annual wakeville
An interdisciplinary arts festival and celebration, Wakeville was a huge success in its inaugural event! Organized by senior students Roscoe Bell and Gretchen Castelloe, the festival showcased hidden talent on campus and embraced sustainability through eco-friendly promotion methods. Over 800 participants enjoyed an explosion of all disciplines of art, delicious food from Que Vivia and Dusty Donut food trucks, live music performed right under Scales Breezeway, and a sense of joy and community shared by all.
The arts festival kicked off at noon with a performance of Seussical the Musical, a student-directed show which had been rehearsed for only 24 hours before the performance. A capella groups Innuendo and Minor Variation took to the outdoor stage next. A series of concerts took place on the Brendle Stage next; the Dance Showcase, featuring performances by Ballroom Club, Deacon Dhamaal, and WFU Dance Company, followed by an excerpt of WFU Orchestra’s Star Wars concert, and finally a performance by Schola Cantorum. These performances were punctuated by piano solos and duets in the Upper Lobby of Scales and a panel in which directors, designers, and actors discussed the WFU Theatre show, Silent Sky. The Anthony Aston Players brought us two comedy sketches in the Ring, including one from their annual comedy show LaughTracks. The festival was rounded out by a Gospel Choir performance, a bouncy house brawl, and an Open Mic in which artists were invited to share poetry, song, and words of wisdom.
Throughout the day, guests could explore an exhibition of student art displayed in the Lower Lobby of Scales, interact with local vendors and student groups in Upper Scales, watch student-made films, listen to live sound design by Dr. Hood and his students, and jam to ten student solo artists and bands on the outdoor stage.The inaugural Wakeville Arts Festival brought together artists of different disciplines, as well as students, faculty, staff, and Wake Forest community members to celebrate the excellence and diversity of arts on our campus. Wakeville has set a new standard for celebrating creativity and collaboration at Wake Forest University for many years to come.
Student Organization Spotlight: Anthony Aston Players
Over the past year, the Anthony Aston Players have put together an array of productions in varying scale. We began with Haunted Tunnels, a short horror themed walk through in the basements of dorms in South Campus. Following this, Accidental Death Of An Anarchist in November featured as the AAP show. As this entirely student produced production gave an opportunity to students in the department to learn and practice their craft. Lastly, in April, the players performed LaughTracks, an annual, sketch comedy show. The troupe featured eleven performers who each played a part in writing the show.
student News
The play Killing Gilderoy by senior Cameron Michles was among six winning 10-minute plays featured in Barter Theatre’s College Playwrights Festival. The competition celebrates undergraduate students in southern Appalachian states with winners having the opportunity to have professional stage readings of their works and attend workshops with professional playwrights. The festival was held February 17-19 in Abingdon, Virginia. Congratulations, Cameron!
In March, sophomore Vir Gupta won Honorable Mention in the Sound Design competition at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Lexington, Kentucky for his design on our fall production of This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing. Congratulations, Vir!
Sophomores Vir Gupta and Riley Shanaghan were named the recipients of the inaugural Dodding Theatre Award. Vir and Riley will both travel to Prague this summer to participate in the Prague Quadrennial along with Rob Eastman-Mullins. They were celebrated in a ceremony in the Ring Theatre.
in case you missed it
Emmy and Tony award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth visited campus as a part of the university’s Face-to-Face Speaker Forum series on April 12. During the student-led portion of her visit in Wait Chapel, she was interviewed by seniors Ian Davis-Huie and Josh Knight. Ian and Josh were selected to lead the conversation as scholars with the Program for Leadership and Character, which co-sponsored the event.
The public event at the LJVM Coliseum in the evening featured a surprise duet of “For Good” from the musical Wicked with sophomore Ellie Howell. Ellie is a History major with a Theatre minor. Previously, Ellie has performed in our productions of She Loves Me and Silent Sky, was one of the dramaturgs for The Three Sisters, and is an active member of AAP. You can see their performance on YouTube at this link.
Congratulations to our Class of 2023! Join us in congratulating them on their achievements. Here’s a video montage celebrating our seniors.