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Lycoming College students Tony Daily, Olivia DiFraia, Eliza Flanigan, Paige McCaffrey, Adriana Seiberlich, Joshua Sellers, Evelyn Stong, and Olivia Weaver, as well as theatre department faculty members Biliana Stoytcheva-Horissian, Ph.D., professor of theatre and chair of the department, and Matt Ripa, visiting assistant professor of theatre, participated in a jam-packed professional theatre trip to Canada Sept. 13-15.
Every fall, a group of theatre students and faculty travel to the Shaw Festival, one of Canada's premiere professional theatre companies and spend several days in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. They see productions, take tours, participate in specialized workshops and talk-backs, and engage in discussions with theatre professionals, including performers, directors, designers, managers, and technicians. The trip is at the core of the THEA 246: Fall Theatre Colloquium course.
“Our annual trips to the Shaw Festival provide exceptionally valuable experiences that perfectly complement theatre students’ studies at Lycoming College and allow them to immerse themselves in the world of professional theatre while viewing productions of remarkable quality.”
This fall, the Lycoming College group watched three theatre productions: “Wait Until Dark,” “Anything Goes,” and “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” In addition, they attended backstage tours of the large Shaw Festival Theatre, the intimate Jacki Maxwell Studio Theatre, and Spiegeltent; participated in a specialized dance workshop with ensemble member Alexandra Gratton and featuring choreography for the production of “Anything Goes;” and engaged in a post-show discussion with Sochi Fried (the blind protagonist Susan) and Martin Happer (Carlino), lead actors in “Wait Until Dark.” Students had a chance to discuss a variety of topics from rehearsal process, unique challenges in production and performance, professional training, and Shaw Festival production season.
Last year, Melody Blahut, Cassie Fritz, Thatcher Gunnells, Shantel Hill, Julia Martin, Evelyn Stong, Chayton Wesneski, and Rachel Wright-Miggett joined the group, and in fall 2023, McKayla Cobb, Douglas Dixey, Elizabeth Flanigan, Amber Fry, Gale Hall, Tara Wands, Nevaeh Wertman, and Rachel S. Wright-Miggett attended the festival. Productions from 2023 and 2024 included: “One Man, Two Guvnors,” “My Fair Lady,” “Witness for the Prosecution,” “Prince Caspian,” “Blithe Spirit,” and “Gypsy.” Students toured the scenic arts and construction shop and participated in conversations with Shaw Festival’s education director, among other activities.
“Our annual trips to the Shaw Festival provide exceptionally valuable experiences that perfectly complement theatre students’ studies at Lycoming College and allow them to immerse themselves in the world of professional theatre while viewing productions of remarkable quality,” said Stoytcheva-Horissian.
With 10 or more productions each year performed in four theatres for an audience of more than 250,000, the Shaw Festival has grown to become a major Canadian cultural icon, a gem in the country’s rich cultural heritage. Inspired by the wit and passion of Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival is a contemporary theatre that features a smart, provocative, potent, and diverse mix of plays from the past and present, performed by its celebrated repertory theatre ensemble.