鈥淭he 39 Steps鈥� runs March 31-April 8 with 7:30 p.m. evening performances March 31 and April 1, 6 & 8, and 3 p.m. matinees Sunday, April聽2 and Saturday, April 8.

鈥淭his production is a mashup of Looney Tunes, Charlie Chaplain, Monty Python, and good old-fashioned spy thrillers,鈥� said director , professor of theater.

Poole wanted actors who take risks and are “great, generous collaborators.” In part, because the seven-character ensemble takes on over 100 roles, including inanimate objects 鈥攆loor lamps, telephones, armchairs.

At a recent rehearsal, it鈥檚 clear Poole got the cast he needed. Their commitment and enthusiasm are palpable. In addition鈥攖hey appear to be having fun.

鈥淚’m honored to be working with such a dedicated group of student actors and crew,鈥� Poole said. 鈥淭hey never cease to exceed my expectations.鈥�

Show grows out of research and improv

The ensemble鈥檚 preparation included watching favorite videos of old film clips, sketch comedy shows, and cartoons, following by a discussion on how their research could inform performance choices.

The show also has grown out of improvisations and the actors鈥� creativity and unique interpretation, said Clara Bush. The junior theater major plays the three main female roles. 鈥淚t isn’t like a standard play you would go to see. It is inventive, truly special, and absolutely hilarious. I have laughed harder working on this show than I have in a long time.鈥�

Comedies play an important role in building community, Poole said. 鈥淭hey remind us of one of the most vital aspects of our shared humanity: a sense of humor.鈥�

Make ’em laugh

The players take their work seriously, perfecting a frenetic pace of humorous antics and accents. Props suddenly appear and disappear; sets move constantly and an abundance of sound effects and Hitchcock鈥檚 atmospheric music come together in an intricate choreography, thanks to Poole鈥檚 staging and his competent cast and crew.

Senior theater major Jeremiah Hines moves flawlessly through the chaos as Clown Member 3. His job one minute is to move an interactive set piece and in the next moment, he becomes a floor lamp and telephone. In addition, his responsibilities include creating ambient sounds and sound effects.

鈥淭hroughout the entire play, I play a clown character that makes the world appear and disappear,鈥� he said.

Because the show isn鈥檛 meant to be taken seriously, audiences can 鈥渟it back and enjoy the ride,鈥� Poole said. 鈥淭his piece is pure entertainment. I think that people of all ages will enjoy the high comedic energy of the actors. It’s like watching a highly choreographed magic show with dynamic comedic performers.鈥�

Tickets are available through 黑料正能量鈥檚 box office online at or by calling 540-432-4582 between 10:30 a.m.-2:30 pm weekdays. Tickets vary from $9-14. 黑料正能量 students $5.

鈥淭he 39 Steps鈥� Cast and Crew

Collin Dutt: Hannay

Clara Bush: Pamela, Margaret, Annabella

Emma Roth: Clown 1

Abigail Greaser: Clown 2

Jeremiah Hines: Clown 3

Robert Weaver: Clown 4

Dylan Peachey: Clown 5 (assistant stage manager)

Jim Clemens: Musician

Ethan Eldred and Esther Ajayi: Sound and Foley

Ezrionna Prioleau: Stage Manager

and Phil Grayson: Lights and sets

Holly Labbe: Costumer

The production is based on the book of the same name by Andrew Carvin, a Washington D.C.-based journalist who covered the seismic political and cultural shifts in the Middle East via social media as they were unfolding from 2010 to 2012.

Carvin participates in process

The Carvin connection came through former 黑料正能量 professor Paulette Moore, who met him at a conference and invited him to Skype in the fall of 2014 with 黑料正能量 students in her social media class. , assistant professor of theater, was intrigued by the connection with Carvin.

Poole had worked with an Arab cultural organization in Philadelphia earlier in his career and had traveled to Egypt shortly before the Arab Spring took off. He鈥檇 thought for several years that those events would make for powerful theater.

and social media classes, led by Poole and , initially adapted the book for the stage in the fall of 2014. To this process, Poole brings years of academic and professional experience: One of his specialities is devised theater and ensemble play development.

鈥淚 would come in with an outline, we would improvise some pieces, I would go back and write, and it just started to evolve,鈥� Poole says. 鈥淲e took recordings Andy Carvin did and blog posts outside his book and combined them to make the actual performance. The students have been a huge part in helping to shape what this piece has become from the beginning until now.鈥�

A , with student actors reading from scripts, took place on campus in May 2015 with support from the Arts Council of the Valley and 黑料正能量鈥檚 . Carvin was on hand to provide comments and suggestions. Poole made adjustments after that, including some changes in the script and the addition of a second video camera on stage.

Multi-media

The resultant play is framed via a reporter who is interviewing Carvin, while a Greek chorus-style group speaks the Tweets from Carvin鈥檚 reporting and video images flash on three screens and even on the floor. Actors often speak directly to the cameras and sometimes go through the audience. A live score by Jim Clemens, which whom Poole has collaborated on a number of projects, helps to balance the intensity with more reflective moments.

VACA professor Jerry Holsopple鈥檚 motion graphics class created the cyperspace visualizations that play on two screens.

鈥淭his adds to the complexity of the show, as we experience the constant flowing information, much of which we don鈥檛 understand,鈥� Holsopple says. 鈥淭his confluence of information, confusion and intensity should keep the viewer on edge. The third screen will be a live camera from the stage itself, so in a way everything is mediated with screens.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very immersive theatrical piece,鈥� Poole adds. 鈥淭he audience should feel very much in the midst of it as Andy Carvin was as he was following all these events. All the people who appear in the play are real people, and 90 percent of the dialogue is from tweets, blog posts, and other sources. It鈥檚 kind of a big, epic piece.鈥�

The play runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, and a 15-minute talkback session follows each performance. The show includes some profanity and violent imagery due to its real-life content.

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. except Sunday, April 10, which will be a 3 p.m. matinee. Tickets are available at the 黑料正能量 Box Office or by calling 540-432-4582.

Cast and Crew

Director and Adaptor: Justin Poole

Video Design: Jerry Holsopple

Music Composition: Jim Clemens

Scene Design: Phillip Grayson

Costume Design: Holly Labbe

Lighting Design: David B. Vogel

Sound Design: Ethan Eldred

Stage Manager: Ezrionna Prioleau

Assistant Director: Rachelle Kratz

CHARACTERS

Makayla Baker: Reporter

Clara Bush: @angryarabiya

Bryce Hagan: Mo

Jeremiah Hines: Tom MacMaster

Caitlin Randazzo: Perditta

Rose Sanicola: Asmaa

Celeb Townsend: Andy Carvin

Rachel Cardwell,聽Macson MacGuigan,聽Kara Painter, Damon Pyles:聽 Camera Operators

Kaylin Richardson: Video Switcher

PRODUCTION ARTISTS

Assistant Stage Managers: Hailey Holcomb, Kara Painter, Katie Taylor

Technical Director: David B. Vogel

Dramaturge: Derrick Turner

Assistant Costume Designers: Grace Eldred, Belen Yoder, Cela Hoefle

Cyberspace Creative Team: Jacob Brown, Jonathan Bush, Rachel Cardwell, Claire Fry, Madeline Martinez, Kaylin Richardson, Caleb Townsend

Master Electrician: Jonathan Nofziger

Lighting Crew: Jeremiah Hines, Elisha Keener, Yesly Lim, Caitlin Randazzo, Rose Sanicola, Isaac Tice, Rein Wenger

Light Board Operator: Luis Longo, Angel Mallard

Live Sound Mixer: Josh Miller, Evan Knappenberger

Sound Board Operator: Ethan Eldred

Construction Supervisor:聽 Shannon Dove

Construction and Technical Crew: Jeremiah Hines, Hailey Holcomb, Elisha Keener, Yesly Lim, Kara Painter, Ezrionna Prioleau, Caitlin Randazzo

Public Relations Coordinator: Ezrionna Prioleau

Cast Photographs: Kara Painter

House Manager: Christian Parks

The work is “a kinetic and reverent retelling of the Gospels that takes as its inspiration the Baroque art of Rembrandt and Caravaggio,” according to Poole.

It was commissioned by Asbury鈥檚 and will be performed in the church’s recently renovated Slaven Hall, utilizing for the first time its new state-of-the-art theatrical lighting system.

In addition to Poole and Clemens, the creative team includes adjunct faculty members , costume designer and movement coach, and , lighting designer, and student Ezrionna Prioleau, stage manager.

鈥淭he Gospels still have the potential to challenge and surprise,” says Poole. “Showcasing these stories through a blend of sculptural poses, atmospheric lighting, and mood-setting music allows audiences to experience the life of Jesus with fresh eyes.鈥�

Poole says the performance will appeal to “believers and doubters, church goers and non-churchgoers, theater enthusiasts and non-theater enthusiasts … I think what really comes through in this production is the humanity of Christ.鈥�

In the process of translating the Gospels into a two-person theater piece, Clemens has composed music spontaneously. He’ll perform on a variety of instruments during the production.聽 The process “has allowed me to experiment,” Clemens says. “When I respond to something he’s doing or saying, it often triggers a response from him, so that the piece grows organically. We’re free to tell each other 鈥楳ore of that鈥� or 鈥楾hat doesn’t work, try this.鈥欌��

Snow dates and times: Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

The Tony-nominated Broadway musical 鈥淎 Year with Frog and Toad鈥� is based on author/illustrator Arnold Lobel鈥檚 鈥淔rog and Toad鈥� children鈥檚 book series. The musical, directed by professor opens Nov. 20. Additional performances are Nov. 21 and Dec. 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Nov. 22 and Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the 黑料正能量 box office at 540-432-4582 or聽.

鈥淥ur production聽is set here in the Shenandoah Valley and the animals are the kind you would find in the woods and ditches right here in western Virginia,鈥� says Vogel. Her vision was to have the actors portray human characters with animal qualities instead of being in animal costumes. 鈥淭he actors have studied the way the animals move and are using that in their portrayals. Also, the characters reflect folks you might meet here too.鈥�

For history major Derrick Turner, assistant director and dramaturg, the show brings back memories. 鈥淚 loved those books. My mom read them to me when I was a child.鈥�

To spark the actors鈥� imaginations, Turner conducted extensive research with 黑料正能量 professor and conservation photographer . He then compiled movement videos and information on each portrayed animal for the actors, including habitat, food and skeletal structures.

黑料正能量 hasn鈥檛 done a children鈥檚 play in at least a decade, Vogel says, but the play meets the ‘s educational goals. 鈥淭heater for Young Audiences (TYA) is a hugely important genre of theater that our students should have experience performing and producing. Children are a different audience than adults.鈥�

The cast will perform three additional matinees for students from six local schools and three home school groups, says Turner, who made study packets accessible for K-5 grades.

鈥淎dults are much more well-behaved, but I find performing for children is a much more interactive experience,鈥� says actor Josh Helmuth, a music composition major who performed for elementary students while in high school.

Helmuth portrays four animals, including a showy bird and a straight and narrow lizard. 鈥淵eah, I don鈥檛 get a break,鈥� he says, smiling.

Playing animals has never been a favorite role for English and theater double-major Makayla Baker. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like when people portray animals. It鈥檚 so weird. But here I am鈥擨鈥檓 a turtle,鈥� she deadpans. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 been great.鈥�

Baker鈥檚 turtle is a laundry woman carrying a basket on her back and a scrub board around her neck.

Myriam Aziz, a graduate student in the master鈥檚 conflict transformation program, was cast as Frog. 鈥淎 female playing a part for a male, I think that鈥檚 really funny,鈥� says Aziz, who is active in theater in Lebanon. But having a male as a pal, she says, 鈥渞eminds me of my friend back home. We鈥檝e been friends for 13 years.鈥�

The cast and crew agree that even though 鈥淎 Year With Frog and Toad鈥� is based on a children鈥檚 book series, adults will also appreciate the cheerful upbeat musical.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of comedic effect in it,鈥� Helmuth says.

鈥淚t is funny,鈥� says Baker, noting that the 黑料正能量 community is inviting younger family members and people from their church to the show. 鈥淎 lot of 黑料正能量 students were raised on these books.鈥�

Cast

Myriam Aziz, Christian Parks, Ezrionna Prioleau, Bianica Baker, Esther Ajayi, Josh Helmuth, Makayla Baker, Zoe Parakuo, Hailey Holcomb

Crew

Director 鈥� Heidi Winters Vogel
Choreographer and Costume Designer –
Accompanist 鈥� Jim Clemens
Stage Manager – Caitlin Randazzo
Assistant Stage Managers – Lydia Hales and Belen Fernandez
Props Designers – Alex Rosenberg and Kevin Clark
Assistant Lighting Designer – Sierra Comer
Assistant Director and Dramaturg – Derrick Turner
Music Director –
Set Designer –
Lighting Designer –