Theatre Program Presents Festival of New Plays by Students

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 30, 2021) — Four one-act plays that were written, directed, stage managed and performed by students will be presented April 7-10 at this year’s FRESH ACTS: Festival of New Plays.

The festival, an annual event from the Theatre Program of UAlbany’s Department of Music and Theatre, will be digital this year due to the pandemic. Students worked under the mentorship of FRESH ACTS Artistic Director Kate Walat, associate professor and playwright-in-residence in the Theatre Program. The festival also will include a showcase of excerpts from student solo performance works-in-progress, presented by the writers, for the Friday, April 9, performance.  

“FRESH ACTS provides UAlbany playwrights with the opportunity to be in rehearsal with their new plays, as actors become the first to give voice to their characters and directors begin to envision the plays’ theatrical potential,” Walat said. “This year everything is happening over Zoom – but that doesn’t diminish the collaboration. In fact, in our current world, I think the students appreciate even more chances to connect and make theatre.”

The student plays were chosen through a competitive, blind submission process. The final play selection was made by Brooklyn-based playwright Amina Henry. Henry’s play, “Interstate,” had a Zoom reading and discussion last week as part of the Authors Theatre series, co-sponsored by the Jarka and Grayce Burian Endowment and the New York State Writers Institute.

This year’s FRESH ACTS festival includes two different programs of plays, presented by two ensemble student casts chosen by audition. The plays are: “Brewed Kindred” by Ryan Buchholz, “Please Listen” by Witnie Dupre, “Hope” by Christopher Guillaume, and “Face the Music” by MJ Johnson. Directors are Natasha Daniels, Billy Feerick, Colin Gioia and Liv Larson, respectively.

A solo showcase will take place on Saturday, April 10, featuring work by Deborah Brannan, JadeElise Brown, Ryan Buchholz, Natasha Daniels, Claire Dell-Priscoli, Jordyn Drue, Witnie Dupre, Christopher Guillaume, Vyanna Hill and Ben Sinkora.

Plays that appeared in the last two years of the FRESH ACTS Festival have gone on to be selected for Cap Rep’s NEXT ACT! Festival, offering students professional opportunities. This fall, two plays that were previously part of the FRESH ACTS festival went on to be fully produced with a faculty director in the Theatre Program’s New Works/New Ways.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. All of the performances will happen live via Zoom. There also will be a digital manuscript of the plays, together with interviews with the writers and information on the directors’ visions for the plays, available after the productions.

Admission is free with advance registration, and donations are welcome. For further information, contact the Theatre Program office at (518) 442-4200 or [email protected].