A Tough Act to Follow: New Student Plays to Be Shown Nov. 19

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"The Lake House" from last semester's readings.

The Playground will be showcasing student playwrights at their Fall 2023 New Play Readings at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at Global Campus Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

Despite their new status as an RSO, the Playground has been running biweekly meetings to workshop student writers's work, with semesterly readings since May 2022. The shows are 10-minute plays written, directed and acted by students in the area. 

"It's a wonderful opportunity for students, especially those outside of the creative writing or theatre majors, to get a foot in the door," says student leader Brianna Ifland. "It's a wonderful community, and it's helped me get over my fear of sharing work, as well as get hands-on practice in writing, directing, acting."

The plays include "The Play Reading" by Alex Ahuja, "Hot Dog… Hot Dog… Hot Diggity Dog" by Madelyn Wycoff, "The Candy Canes and the Wreaths" by Kenly Long, "The Disappearance of Brother Thomas" by Jackson Cook, "Do You Know ____" by Cordelia Wallace, "Diet Dr. Pepper 10" by Brooke Valentine, "The Visionary" by Adriana Peissel, "KFC" by Reese Edwards, "Saltines" by Genna Crafton, "Little Lynn" by Taylor Stowers, and "Split Second" by Madelyn Marks.

This semester, they've had the direction of graduate Sarah Loucks, including her "Anti-Perfectionism Crusade" workshop and one-on-one feedback. Meetings are every other week at 8 a.m. Monday and at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, and do not require registration. 

For more information on The Playground, visit their Instagram page (@theplayground402) or email them at theplayground402@gmail.com. Students may also join the GroupMe for announcements and updates, linked here.