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Quilters to be Presented Feb. 25-29 released: 02/23/04 |
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| Throughout
history, few women have stood as strong or as proud as the pioneer women
of the 19th century. These pioneering women, along with their families,
went to explore and settle the wild frontier despite the hardships they
were forced to endure. They proved over and over again that being forced
to show a tough exterior does not eliminate the tenderness found in every
woman’s heart. The West Virginia Wesleyan College Department of Theatre
of Arts will present a dramatic retelling of their stories with their production
of Quilters. Quilters, directed by Wesleyan’s Assistant Professor Theatre Arts and Director of Theatre Barbara Burgess-Lefebvre, will be performed in Jenkins Arena during a five-day period from Wednesday, February 25 through Sunday, February 29. All shows from Wednesday through Sunday will begin at 8 p.m. with an additional Sunday performance at 2 p.m. This will be the second time in a three-year span that Burgess-Lefebvre has directed a play featuring an entirely female cast. Erica Scanlon, the lone senior in this production, believes there are benefits to doing an all-female show. “We are all incredibly close, maybe the closest cast I’ve ever been in at Wesleyan,” she remarked. “There’s something about a group of women coming together to make a show happen…it’s empowering. I’ve loved working with so many of the women that I admire in the theatre department on this campus.” Joining Scanlon are juniors Emily Gerbasi, Kelsey O’Sullivan, and Caitlin Rexrode, and freshmen Jessica Jenkins and Erin Wolford, as well as a feature performance by Bess Park-Reynolds, Wesleyan’s Associate Professor Theatre Arts and Dance and Director of Musical Theatre. The women portray a wide variety of characters, but the play focuses on one main theme—life experiences, like the squares on a quilt, are each unique in their own way, but eventually come together to form one beautiful whole. Though not Burgess-Lefebvre’s first attempt at directing musical theatre, she lists this among her favorites. A unique aspect about this production of Quilters is that students are handling both the music direction and choreography. Senior Josh Stubbs is serving as musical director, while senior Jason Jackson created the choreography. “Getting the chance to choreograph a full-scale musical was an honor and a challenge,” remarked Jackson. “ I could not have asked for a more cooperative and supporting cast to work with on this adventure. I must admit it was odd the very first time I found myself standing in the shoes of the choreographer while Bess (Park-Reynolds) was onstage as the actor.” Tickets are $4 for the public, $2 for students and senior citizens, and $1 for West Virginia Wesleyan College students. Tickets may be reserved by calling (304) 473-8037 or by e-mailing Burgess-Lefebvre at lefebvre@wvwc.edu. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. To learn more about West Virginia Wesleyan, please visit the College’s website at www.wvwc.edu. |