YOUTH THEATER SEASON 2007-2008
*Students must be enrolled in Beck classes to be eligible to audition for Youth Theater productions.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

A world premiere adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s novel.
Written by Dr. David White Directed by Dawn Youngs

Mackey Main Stage
October 26 and 27 and October 28

Alice explores the wonderful world down the rabbit hole, complete with the Mad Tea Party, the Cheshire Cat and all your favorite characters.

This adaptation was commissioned by the Beck Center for the Arts.

About the Playwright

David White has a B.A. from New College, Sarasota, Florida; an M.A. from the University of Missouri, Kansas City; and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia.  His dissertation Developing Playwright(s) provided perspectives into the process of new play development and self-dramaturgy.  White was an instructor at the University of Missouri, Columbia in the fields of playwriting and acting and has taught solo performance at the National Theater Institute.  He has responded to plays, presented papers and lectured at universities and regional conferences around the country on the topics of playwriting, playwriting as oral tradition, new play development, and dramaturgy.  In 2004, White was appointed to the position of Literary Manager and Director of Educational Outreach at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut and worked there for three seasons developing new works by student playwrights as well as internationally known playwrights at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Music Theater Conference and Cabaret Conference.  He also worked as dramaturg on Freedom of Speech, a one-woman show by Eliza Jane Schneider (from television's South Park) and directed her latest show Sounds of Silence for the 2006 Ignite Festival in New York City. 

As a playwright, White's play Trash has been produced at the University of Missouri,Columbia (2002), The York Theater, New York City (2002) and the New York International Fringe Festival (2005).  David's play Ain't Nothin' Quick 'n Easy was developed at WordBRIDGE Playwrights Lab (2003) received second place in the Mark Twain Comic Playwriting Awards at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C. (2004) and has been produced at the Greenbrier Valley Theater in Lewisburg, West Virginia (2004), the University of Missouri, Columbia (2004), University of Missouri, St. Louis (2004), and William Woods University (2005).  His play Watersheds had a reading hosted by Epic Repertory Theatre in New York City (2005).  Trash, Ain't Nothin' Quick 'n Easy, Watersheds, and Trailer form the beginning of a series of plays about the citizens of the rural town of Last Chance. 

White is a founding member and playwright-in-residence of Generous Company, a non-profit company focused on developing and producing works for stage, film and online media in a supportive, collaborative, generous environment.  With this company, he is working on several interdisciplinary programs focused on developing the work of collegiate writers and artists.

Lost for Words
Written and directed by Rachel Spence

Studio Theater
Performance dates:
December 1 and 15 and December 8

Have you ever lost your place in a book? Imagine what these characters feel when they suddenly lose their whole stories! Can Paige Turner and Warren Peace figure out the mystery of sinister story stealer before the "happily ever after?"

This comedy features familiar book characters and lots of wordplay. A novel approach to comedy performed by Beck Center preteens.

The Laramie Project
By Moises Kaufman
Directed by Dan Kilbane

Studio Theater
Performance dates: January 18 - 27
Talk-backs with special guests and the cast followed Sunday matinee performance.

Laramie, Wyoming became the center of a media storm when Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay college student, was found beaten and tied to a fence on the outskirts of town. Matthew died six days later. In November 1998, ten New Yorker actors set out to explore the town and the crime that occurred there. After interviewing more than 200 residents, they created a deeply moving play about bigotry and tolerance, fear and courage, hate and hope.

Sponsors:

The Wizard of Oz
Mackey Main Stage
April 18 - 27, 2008

Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg
Background Music by Herbert Stothart
Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company

Directed by Douglas Collier
Musical Direction by Larry Goodpaster
Choreography by Devon Shriver

Based upon the classical motion picture, little Dorothy Gale of Kansas, like so many girls her age, dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Come join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy's imagination.

Sponsors: