WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 3, 2015 — The drama, “Under Milk Wood,” by Dylan Thomas, will be performed by West Liberty University students this February at Kelly Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, 13, 19, 20, 21 and 3 p.m., Feb. 22.
A 1954 drama by the famous Welsh poet, the play began as a radio performance, commissioned by the BBC and was later adapted for the stage. It features an omniscient narrator who invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of a fictional small Welsh fishing village called Llareggub (bugger all backwards, which is British slang meaning nothing at all).
Largely considered a play for voices, the poetic voice of Dylan’s writing is the star of the show, which is both funny and moving. The play begins its tale with the memories of an old sea captain and continues through the dreams and conversations of many of the town inhabitants, male and female, young and old.
“The production is going very well. It is a cast of 18 actors playing over 35 roles. The set, lighting, costumes, and sound, are all being created by student designers who are doing a stellar job. This has been and continues to be a beautiful work of collaborative art,” said Director Maggie Balsey, who also is an adjunct professor of theatre at WLU.
Senior Jaccob Trifonoff is stage manager for the production. Other student actors include: Elija Boyles, Michelle Campbell, Adrianne Castelucci, Elizabeth Conley, Jordan Connor, Maggie Dillon, Geena Diomedi, Brady Dunn, Doug Gouldsberry, Laurna Grubb, Andy Harper, Zac Morris, Maura Reiff, Ben Rogers, Jed Shook, Jordyn Smith, Christian Witt and Ingrid Young.
Balsey is an award-winning graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). She previously taught speech and voice for the actor and was director of the Saturday AADA program at Brandeis University, New York.
She was founder and director of Café Espresso, a small acting troupe in New York City. Other New York directing credits include Circle Repertory Theatre and the Gallery Players. Locally, she has directed full productions and staged readings at Off The Wall Theatre, Terra Nova, and Bricolage.
She currently teaches, among other courses, voice, directing, and communication in the WLU’s College of Art and Communications.
Advanced tickets can be purchased online wlumilkwood.brownpapertickets.com or call the WLU Ticket Office at 304-336-8277.
West Liberty University is a forward-looking, four-year public university steeped in a rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher education. For more information on WLU, please visit westliberty.edu or call 1.866.WESTLIB.
