Students, Alumni to Share Spotlight for Theater Season Opening

BETHANY, W.Va. – Bethany College will kick off its 2021-2022 theater season with a partnership with the Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre.

Tim Thompson ’81, director of performing arts at the Towngate, will direct two one-act plays by Wheeling native and former Bethany student T.S. Stobart, “…EVER AFTER…” and “The Strap” at 7 p.m. Oct. 1-2 at Wailes Theatre in Steinman Hall.

In “…Ever After…,” an older man and a younger woman meet at a coffee shop and their relationship grows from casual acquaintances to lovers. Along the way, their differing interpretations of what love means presents obstacles in their relationship.

Theater majors Yasmeene Henderson, a senior, and Aidan Morgan, a junior, star.

“The Strap” follows a loving but volatile couple as they plan for a night out. They recently had dinner and are heading to the theater when the woman finds that the strap to her purse is broken and needs repair. Fireworks erupt and change their plans.

Evan Oslund ’11, adjunct professor of theatre, and Megan V. Dow ’09 star.

The production is part of the “Remember the Past, Embracing the Future” season.

“It is always incredible when students and alumni can collaborate on projects and to think that every person involved in the production is affiliated with Bethany in some way, either as a student, faculty member, alum, or staff, is simply remarkable to me,” Oslund said. “Networking and community involvement are integral to the growth of any program, and the theatre is no different. I’m just very thankful that everyone involved wants to be here and part of the process and the collaboration to continue to make theatre happen here at Bethany.”

The season will continue in the spring semester D.W. Gregory’s “Radium Girls” at 7 p.m. Feb. 24-26 and 2 p.m. Feb. 27. The drama is based on the true story of female laborers who were poisoned to death by their factory’s radium-based paint. Oslund will direct.

Auditions for “Radium Girls” are at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-12.

At 2 p.m. April 3, Bethany will host a one-day special showing of Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will,” presented by the Towngate Theatre. The comedy follows friends of William Shakespeare as they gather the playwright’s scattered masterpieces and preserve his legacy. Cathie Spencer will direct.

For tickets to “…EVER AFTER…” and “The Strap,” call 304.829.7124 or email [obfuscate_btn]theatre@bethanywv.edu[/obfuscate_btn]. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for students with payment due at pickup.

Refreshments will be available for purchase to benefit the Bethany chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theater honors fraternity.

The theater department also recently began a yearlong play-reading series that runs from the 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays in Renner Too. Upcoming readings include “The Revolutionists” by Gunderson on Oct. 10; “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller on Oct. 24; “Life Sucks” by Aaron Posner on Nov. 7; “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl on Dec. 5.

Anyone who would like to be part of the series should email Oslund at [obfuscate_btn]eoslund@bethanywv.edu[/obfuscate_btn] by the Wednesday before the selected reading.