Adjunct professor Maggie Balsley is the guest director for the production. Balsley, a resident of Washington, Pa., is active in the Pittsburgh arts community and its “Off the Wall” theater.

“This play is a parody that imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. It is more than a story of teenage angst. It uses familiar characters in another context and places them in the harrowing position of today’s minefield of horrors. The play uses humor and even a touch of violence but ends with the thought that we shouldn’t despair. That in spite of all appearances it’s best to welcome life rather than cower and hide from it,” Balsley said.

The play begins with the character CB’s dog dying from rabies. CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend Van is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation; his sister has gone Goth; his ex-girlfriend, Marcy, was institutionalized; and his other friends are too inebriated to give him any sort of solace.

But a chance meeting with an artistic kid, Beethovan, the target of this group’s bullying, offers CB a peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that’s both haunting and hopeful.

“This play has proven one of the most popular of our season. The kids started getting excited about working on this play the minute they heard rumor that we might produce it. Most of the theatre majors bought copies of the script months ago to prepare for the audition,” said Michael Aulick, WLU theater director.

“Having Maggie come in and direct has been great for the program. She pushes them in ways that I don’t. She makes this program stronger and I am very glad we have been able to work her talents into the season,” he added.

West Liberty students in the cast include:

• CB, Derek Park, Wheeling
• CB’s Sister, Maggie Dillon, Athens, W.Va.
• Van, Andy Harper, Williamstown, W.Va.
• Van’s Sister, Meaghan Macey, Bunker Hill, W.Va.
• Beethoven, Mack Kale, Moundsville, W.Va.
• Matt, Carlito Gilchrist, Wheeling
• Tricia, Maura Reiff, Martinsburg, W.Va.
• Marcy, Alexandria Glotfelty, Cumberland, Md.

Technical Director for the production is Meta Lasch.

“Dog Sees God,” may not be appropriate for all ages due to language and subject matter. To make a reservation, please call 304-336-8277. To purchase tickets online, visit htpdogseesgod.brownpapertickets.com.

“Good grief! The Peanuts kids have finally come out of their shells.” —Time Out NY. “A welcome antidote to the notion that the Peanuts gang provides merely a slice of American cuteness.” —NY Times. “…easily identifiable with the Peanuts crowd yet with a distinctly ‘Royal’ touch…The way Royal builds on the foundation of Charles Schulz’s iconic comic strip actually results in a parody that’s also a stand-alone play apt to resonate even with anyone belonging to that small population segment unfamiliar with Peanuts.” —CurtainUp. “Inventive and raunchy…hysterically funny.” —NY Post. “Bert V. Royal is the playwright of the Off-Broadway show DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD and is he ready to confess all!” —Broadway.com. “DOG SEES GOD doesn’t feel like the same old high-school-warfare schlock. The characters—teenage and reckless—are both genuinely sympathetic and unquestionably cruel. Growing more hysterical—and more harrowing—as it flows to an inevitable, uncomfortable end, this taut comedy manages to make tired clichés about stoners and popular homecoming airheads funny and endearing.” —NY Magazine.

By Hannah Courtney, Staff Writer

The West Liberty University Hilltop Players kicked off their fall season with a sensational, eerie performance of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”; an act that was truly a tough one to follow. However, they’ve pulled it off, going out with a clamoring, comical and emotion-inducing bang in their rendition of Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan.”

The play is set in 1934 and takes place off the Western Coast of Ireland on an island known as Inishmaan. We follow the story of “Cripple” Billy Claven, given a name that speaks for itself as he has a disfigured arm and leg. Billy lives in a community that makes himself, and his condition, the butt of its ongoing joke, thus causing him to feel  like he belongs somewhere else. Billy’s ears perk up at JohnnyPateenMike’s first set of exciting news in twenty years: Auditions are being held for a movie to be filmed on Inishmore, a neighboring island. Viewers watch as Billy pursues acting, love, and understanding of what his parents were like prior to their death as well as searching for the real reason behind their death.

If audience members found themselves walking away from the Hilltop Player’s previous performance of “The Crucible”             with a bit of a solemn feeling in their hearts, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is the comic relief they’ve been yearning for. This play was nothing short of comical genius. The jokes are deprecating, sarcastic, condescending, morbid, perverted, or in short: something like an episode of Family Guy laced with Irish tradition and dialect. And, let’s face it, this is an Irish sense of humor that easily transcends into the American border and our crude comical tastes. Now, this show isn’t one for those who don’t like their humor served crisped around the edges, but I say burn it around the edges and char mark the center; this is hilarious stuff!

West Liberty University Director of Theater Michael Aulick described “The Cripple of Inishmaan” as a show friendly to college students, ensuring that almost any student, whether they’re a fan of typical theater or not, could enjoy this show. Post having seen it, I couldn’t agree with him more. The room was ablaze with laughter, some people even seemingly having convulsions in their seats as they broke into cackling fits. And it was a very warranted reaction.

The show opened with Eileen Osbourne (Kacie Craig) and Kate Osbourne (Olivia Ullmann) setting an automatic mood for comedy. Craig delivered a string of flawless sarcasm and condescending remarks, which, when paired with the stern look of annoyance on her face, up-turned the lips of every viewer. Ullmann was the perfect complementing act, acting as the antagonist to Eileen Osbourne’s short patience with her repetitive phrases, often times ditzy behavior, and affinity for talking to a stone.

JohnnyPateenMike (Clayton Dunn) just might have been my favorite by a biased default due to the fact that he’s the journalist of the crew, but something tells me Dunn could have won me over either way. As with every performance I’ve seen him in to date, Dunn was absolutely wonderful. JohnnyPateenMike’s button-pushing ways delighted the nerdy little reporter in me. I can’t decide if my funny bone was tickled more by the fact that he encourages his “mammy” to drink herself into oblivion (in a humorous way, I promise) or when he refuses Eileen’s offer of canned peas in exchange for his news sharing and storms out of the house as an attempt of coaxing her to give him the eggs he wants. Only to make a come back for them when he sees she isn’t going to chase after him. And hey, props to the use of an edition of “The Trumpet” for the newspaper prop!

Babbybobby (Jaccob Trifonoff) came off as a serious character at first, so I was pleasantly surprised when he turned out to be equally as hilarious as the others. Between his admitted fright at the thought of sharing a kiss with the bully-esque Helen McCormick and his detailed descriptions of kissing a girl with green teeth only to follow up with “I was drunk,” Babbybobby is another character that sprinkles a zest of laughter over this play. A special hats off to Trifonoff for his perfect rendition of the look of guilt that goes with telling a drunken story. Oh, and also for being concerningly well at beating somebody with a lead pipe.

The McCormick siblings were nothing short of a hoot. Bartley McCormick (David Dudzik) is the truest personification of a pesky younger sibling, a younger sibling with an extreme obsession with telescopes. Dudzik pranced around the stage and poked fellow characters with not only his actions and words, but also a persistent tone and constant interruptions, pulling off the annoying little brother like a pro.

Helen McCormick (Cassie Hackbart) was the shinning star of the play. Helen is crude, blunt, harsh, and often times inconsiderate, yet we can’t help but adore her. She’s the character that speaks what we often times think in our minds, yet think better of voicing. I can’t help but appreciate the blunt honesty about her. Hackbart plays a great helping hand in creating an inevitable affection. She nailed the sarcastic, almost witch-like laughter and breathed life into her dialogue with the contortions of attitude in her face, cocks of her head and hands resting on her hips in a high-and-mighty fashion. And if all of that wasn’t enough, who couldn’t love watching Helen crack eggs on Bartley’s face? No hard feelings, Dudzik!

Aside from the healthy dose of comical relief this play offers, it also comes with plenty of serious moments that tug at the heart-strings and sometimes even punch us right in the gut.

The most riveting is the scene in which we’re led to believe “Cripple” Billy (Mack Kale) is dying of tuberculosis. If I could hand Kale an Emmy award right now, I would. His performance was breathtaking here. As if the monologue he delivers, which is targeted toward Billy’s deceased parents, isn’t emotional enough, he spoke with such a sorrow and passion in his voice that the words practically slapped my tear ducts and threatened to activate them. As his coughing fit increased, so did the desperation in his words, to the point where it seemed he was speaking in coughs with the occasional interruption of words. His body posture broke down in harmony with his voice, gripping for the bed frame, struggling to stand, treating the walk from one side of the bed to the other like an exhaustion; it literally seemed to cripple toward his death (no pun intended). It wasn’t too over-the-top, as some dying scenes can be, yet not too under-exaggerated, just the fine balance in between; essentially, it was real good acting. You die well, Kale.

In essence, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. One moment I found myself feeling hopeful for Billy, the next I’m worried for him, and then I’m laughing. And that’s what’s so beautiful about this play. I walked away feeling alive, feeling full of emotion, feeling something or anything at all. There are plays that we watch for the sake of watching a play and forget about a few days later and then there’s plays that plant an emotion inside of us that can be accessed at any given time. “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is the latter. It was a great play and it was brought to life by a great cast. And I won’t be forgettin’ it.

By Hannah Courtney, Assistant Editor

While the majority of West Liberty University’s students were still rubbing the sleep from their eyes, dusting off their backpacks and trying to slap themselves awake, 16 WLU students were competing among various other student actors in the region for a chance at the Irene Ryan Scholarship.

According to Kennedy-center.org, the Irene Ryan Foundation is an Encino, Calif. based scholarship opportunity for student performers at each of the regionalKennedy Center American College Theater Festivals (KCACTF). The scholarship descends from the late Irene Ryan, best remembered for her portrayal of gun toting, firecracker Granny Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

KCACTF is a national theater program that aims to improve the quality of college theater in the United States by running state, regional, and national festivals.

“It’s basically like this theater wonderland. There’s workshops to go to, shows to see and great contacts you can make. And you get to make a whole bunch of new friends. It’s just kind of like rejuvenating yourself in theater or learning stuff that you’ve never known about. And it’s not just for actors, but as well as scene designers and a whole bunch of technical theater people,” said Cassie Hackbart, WLU student actor.

The competition took place from Jan. 12 until Jan. 16 at Towson University in Maryland. For Hackbart in particular, it was a three-step process. In the preliminary round, she and acting partner Greg Gust performed a scene from Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.” In the semi-finals, this scene was performed again along with a scene from Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan.” Finally, for the final showcase, both scenes were performed along with a solo musical performance of “The Life of the Party” from Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party.”

Joining Hackbart were 15 more WLU students and four WLU faculty members. Of the 16 student attendees, Cassie Hackbart, Derek Park, David Dudzik, Kacie Craig, Alexandria Glotfelty and Mack Kale were Irene Ryan nominees and Spencer Thomas was a Design Technical nominee.

Acting as acting partners were Meghan Macey, Doug Gouldsberry, Greg Gust, Maura Reiff, Maggie Dillon, and Jed Shook. Finally, the faculty to schlep them all around consisted of Theater Director Michael Aulick, Assistant Professor of Theater Meta Lasch, and Theater Adjuncts Richard Deenis and Maggie Balsley.

Hackbart in particular earned herself quite a lot of bragging rights during the competition. Not only was she an Irene Ryan Award nominee (for her role of Elsa Von Grossenknueten in the Hilltop Player’s production of “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940” last spring) and not only a semi-finalist, but ultimately a finalist. This means that Hackbart survived a cut from 280 down to 32 and then another down to 16. There she stood among 15 contestants from all walks of the region including New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“I just thought it was such a feat to go through all these rounds. I thought it was awesome. When I heard my name called for the semi-finals round, I cried. They called my name and tears came out of my eyes because that was such a huge cut from 280 nominees to 32,” Hackbart said.

Standing up next to contestants from places such as New York was a surprisingly humbling experience for Hackbart.

“They’re my best friends that I met up there. They’re from New York and they’re awesome people. They’re just like any student you find in West Virginia or a little liberal arts school. They’re people. They know their stuff just like we do here. It’s cool to be on the same level and to know that.”

After gaining the opportunity to compare herself to students from places as seemingly prestigious as New York, Hackbart returns reassured that her West Virginia education stands just as high to the bar.

“I don’t know where I would be without Mr. Aulick and Meta Lasch’s help. They introduced me into this whole new spectrum of acting and pushed me to my limits because when I came here from high school I didn’t really know exactly what I was doing as much. I’ve learned so much here.”

Now that she’s home sweet home, Hackbart returns a changed person. “I do feel like I’ve come home a different person. I feel like I can do more than I think I can. I never thought that I’d pass on to the semi-finals round, and then I made it. Then I never thought I’d make it to the finals round. So, just really trusting myself as a performer and what I bring to the stage, people notice that and I think that’s pretty cool.”

It was a five-day trip that took Hackbart along with the 15 other West Liberty student attendees from WLU’s campus life, which can sometimes feel as though the real world is a figment of the imagination. In all actuality college isn’t just classes, projects and homework; it’s preparing you for real life. And now that she’s had a taste of it, Hackbart walks away with a realization of confidence.

Adding, “You can do anything you set your mind to do.”

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1, and 3 p.m., Dec 2.

The play begins as word arrives on Inishmaan that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island of Inishmore to film the movie, “The Man of Aran.” The one person who wants to be in the film more than anybody is young Cripple Billy, if only to break away from the bitter tedium of his daily life.

“This is a very interesting production in several ways,” said director Michael Aulick.  “McDonagh has a way to keep the plot moving while constantly shifting the audiences expectations.  The last 5 minutes of the play, he moves from happy-ending to sad-ending and then back several times.  The cast and crew have LOVED working on this show and we just hope our audience will enjoy Inishmaan just as much as we do.”

Aulick, director of the theatre program at WLU, is directing the play and playing the role of town gossip, Johnnypateenmike.  This is his first experience directing while onstage every night.

The WLU production is entered into the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

“We want to showcase the work of our students so most of the design has been handled by the WLU students, under the watchful eye of Meta Lasch.  Lasch is the technical director/designer at WLU who teaches a variety of courses including costuming, makeup, lighting, drafting and stagecraft.

“The Cripple of Inishmaan” opened on Dec. 12, 1996 at Royal National Theatre in London. In 1998, it opened at Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York City and later in Los Angeles. In Dec. 2008, it was produced in New York City by the Atlantic Theater Company in conjunction with

The Druid Theatre Company of Galway, Ireland.

Martin McDonagh said of his play, “I hope someday they’ll be regarded as true Irish stories; I don’t think they are at this minute. It will take a long time for the baggage of me being a Londoner to be in the past.”

WLU students in the cast include: Mack Kale, Cripple Billy Claven; Cassie Hackbart, Helen McCormick; David Dudzik, Bartley McCormick; Kacie Craig, Aunt Eileen; Olivia Ullman-Wright, Aunt Kate; Derek Park, Dr. McSharry; Samantha Alkire, Mammy O’Dougall; Jaccob Trifonoff, Babbybobby Bennett.

Others include: Meaghan Macey, stage manager, Miranda Pellicano and Maggie Dillon, assistant stage managers; Nathan Dunn, light design; Spencer Thomas, set design; Carlito Gilchrist, sound operator; Alex Glotfelty, props; Michael Blatzer, props master; and Jed Shook, lightboard operator.

To make a reservation, please call 304-336-8277. To purchase discounted tickets online, visit

htpinishmaan.brownpapertickets.com.     Tickets at the door are $12.50 each.

The show continues to entertain audiences this weekend and the WLU Hilltop Player faculty hope you come and join us for a grand night of entertainment.

PERFORMANCES:

Oct. 25-27 at 7:30pm

Oct. 28 at 3:00pm

TICKETS

hilltopplayerstc.brownpapertickets.com

The Crucible

By Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller may be best know for Death of a Salesman, but some claim that there is no greater tragic protagonist than John Proctor.  This play focuses upon the effects of his affair with a young servant-girl on his family and community. The girl, Abigail Williams, maliciously accuses his wife of witchcraft causing her arrest and the destruction of a town. Proctor finally brings the girl to court to admit the lie—and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.

Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play. This exciting drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society. “A powerful drama.” —NY Times.

PRODUCTION DATES

October 18-19; 25-27 at 7:30pm

October 28 at 3:00pm

Click Tickets to purchase tickets online.  To make a reservation, call 304.336.8277.

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30 – Sept. 1 and 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 2 at Kelly Theatre and all performances are open to the public.

Adjunct professor of theater John Hennen ’70 is the director of the comedy that promises to be a comic romp. Written by John Bishop, the play pokes fun at the more ridiculous aspects of “show biz” and the corny thrillers of Hollywood’s heyday, as the cast untangles the mystery of the “Stage Door Slasher.”

Cast includes: faculty members Michael Aulick, Linda Cowan, and Melinda Kreisberg; current students Matt Dougherty and Kevin Hensley; alumni, Joshua Fromhart ‘04, Judith Hennen ‘73, Karissa Martin ’12, Melody Meadows ’91 and Gretchen Schneider ‘08.

As the play opens, the creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the “Stage Door Slasher”) assembles for a backer’s audition at the estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways and a German maid who is apparently four different people (all diabolical). The infamous “Slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again—and again.

General admissions tickets are $10; students with I.D.s are $5. For reservations, please call the Hilltop Players box office at 304.336.8277.

“This was the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to direct a play at the Midtown International Theater Festival was unbelievable,” said Aulick, who has been with West Liberty for three years. Written by Wheeling playwright Jeremy Richter, the show revolves around a character named Jared Finn. Much of the action takes place in Jared’s head as he ponders what is happening behind the door of his fiancee’s home when he hears another man’s voice.

“This is my first experience directing a New York production and it has allowed Spencer to get his first New York credit on his resume before he turned 23.  It was a huge element to add to his professional resume! He’s my first student in 15 years of teaching to get NYC experience while still a student,” added Aulick, who teaches acting and directing, as well as some of the theatre’s theory and criticism classes.

A resident of Weirton, W.Va., Thomas is in his junior year at WLU and is a theater major. He was the sound and light designer for the musical and enjoyed the experience tremendously.

“I learned things by doing that I couldn’t have learned in the classroom or working on school shows. The New York experience helped me to see how things work professionally. It was an invaluable experience,” he said. “Because it was a new show it was hard work but the audience seemed to enjoy it.”

Thomas has designed many shows at West Liberty including the recent “Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” produced this past spring as a student production. This production will be reprised with an all-alumni cast Aug. 30 – 31 and Sept. 1 – 2 in Kelly Theater as the new school year opens on the Hilltopper campus.

“Wh@tIf,” was performed five times over three weeks in the Midtown Theatre Festival that included 20 productions of new plays and musicals, presented to New York audiences this summer. The annual summer festival cultivates theater in New York and beyond and is in its 13^th year.

“We travelled back and forth from Wheeling to New York over the summer, working on the show so we had numerous hours on the bus, sleeping in cheap hostels and getting lost on the subways, so the experience was important in more ways than one,” added Aulick.

While in NYC, the WLU group worked with many New York actors, stage managers and theater pros. Plus, they had a chance to see a few Broadway shows.

They also met up with Broadway actor and Wheeling Park High School graduate Aaron Galligan-Stierle, who stopped by and watched a rehearsal to give them a few tips.

Also experiencing the New York theater scene in a slightly different way was WLU junior Cassie Hackbart, another theater major from Masontown, W.Va. She was accepted into the summer intensive program with the prestigious Stella Adler Studio.

While there she also auditioned for American Idol and The Voice. Though she didn’t advance past the auditions it was a great career experience for her. She also volunteered as an usher for New World Stages and enjoyed a lot of great theatre.

Just as valuable was Hackbart’s experience living in New York since she had to find and sublet an apartment in the city for 10 weeks as she got her first taste of big city life.

“It was really a once in a lifetime experience and I intend to go back next summer and make theater my career,” Hackbart said.

“The training she received was top notch and has added to the educational foundation she is getting at WLU,” said Professor Aulick. “New York is like artistic steroids. These summer opportunities will allow our students to get better faster.” Aulick is a faculty member in theCollege of Arts and Communication, which was created in 2010 and is comprised of the departments of journalism, communication studies and visual arts, music and theatre.

For more information on the programs offered by the college, please email Dr. William Baronak, the dean of the College of Arts and Communication, at wbaronak@westliberty.edu.

Several students asked their teacher if they could usher the entire run of the show because they wanted to come back every night.  If you like to laugh, then make sure you make reservations today.

For reservations, call 304.336.8277.