Each summer at the end of July, we present a three-day event showcasing readings of student work from the Playwright’s Lab. Normally, these eight readings are minimally staged at Mill Mountain Theatre’s Waldron Stage for the general public and close to a dozen guest professional responders from all over the globe. On Sunday at 8 pm (Eastern) there will be a panel discussion when our guest respondents will introduce themselves, talk briefly about their own background, and then give a moderated response to the festival as a whole. Get acquainted with these plays and playwrights before they are famous, and engage in a conversation about theatre with our students, faculty, and some established theatre professionals. This event is always free, but due to limited seating, advance tickets are required. Tickets available online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com (search by play title). Please note: Due to Hollins University’s Culture of Care protocols regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, all audience members will be required to show proof of full vaccination (either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson) and at least one booster AT THE DOOR to attend a performance. Everyone is also required to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times while in the theatre.
The Playwright Festival will take place on Mill Mountain Theatre’s Waldron Stage
Friday, July 23
8 p.m.: To You and Back, by Gwyneth Strope
Saturday, July 24
11 a.m.: When the Light Gets Loud, by Rachel Graf Evans
2 p.m.: Happy Accidents Inc, by Tatiana Durant
4 p.m.: Death of the Dead, by Stephen Baltz
8 p.m.: At the Hour of Midnight, by Chris Kaminstein
Sunday, July 25
11 a.m.: The Hand of One, by Ami Trowell
2 p.m.: Mud Summer, by Richie Cannaday
4 p.m.: Red Curtain Rivalry, by Amy Lytle
8 p.m.: Festival Guest Respondent Round Table
Monday Night Guest Speaker Series
Each Monday night at 7:30 p.m. the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University and Mill Mountain Theatre present a talk by a prominent working professional theatre artist or artists. Please note: Due to Hollins University’s Culture of Care protocols regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, all audience members will be required to show proof of full vaccination (either two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson) and at least one booster AT THE DOOR to attend a performance. Everyone is also required to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times while in the theatre.
Monday Night Guest Speaker Series will take place on Mill Mountain Theatre’s Waldron Stage.
June 27 Dale Savidge – director, educator, entrepreneur
Savidge holds a Ph.D. in English and theatre from the University of South Carolina and is a registered drama therapist under the guidelines of the North American Drama Therapy Association. He is the executive director of the Applied Theatre Center in Greenville, SC. Savidge also coauthored the book Performing the Sacred.
July 5 Megan Gogerty – playwright, comedian, educator
Gogerty’s solo show Lady Macbeth and Her Pal, Megan played the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won the Audience Pick of the Fringe at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. A WordBRIDGE alum, Gogerty earned her M.F.A. in playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently teaches playwriting at the University of Iowa and is a regularly returning visiting faculty for the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University. https://www.megangogerty.com/
July 5 Chris Rich – technical director, lighting, scenic, sound designer
Rich works as technical director for Riverside Theatre overseeing the completion of their new theatre in downtown Iowa City and managing the design teams for the inaugural season in the Crescent Building. He also works in production and design with Theatre Cedar Rapids and Pyramid Theatre Company of Des Moines. https://chrisrichdesign.com/
July 11 Katie Coleman – playwright, composer, director
Coleman’s work has been produced or developed at Mill Mountain Theatre, Rising Sun Performance Company, Tesseract Theatre Company, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Rose of Athens Theatre, Auburn University, and The New Coordinates. She was the director of the 2021 Hollins Trans [Play] of Remembrance Festival and hosts a podcast (Totally Trans) about trans representation in media. She lives in Chicago and has an M.F.A. in playwriting from the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University.
July 18 Shaun Landry – performer, director, producer
Landry is a native of Chicago currently living in Los Angeles, and is highly respected for her work in the field of improvisation. She produces and performs with The Seniors Improv is a current company member of Company of Angels with Angel City Improv. Landry is the founder and CEO of The Ledge Theatre: A nonprofit theatre and organization producing and performing improvisational, sketch and classic theatre reimaged by voices of color. https://shaunlandry.com/
July 18 Hans Summers – performer, director, producer
Summers is a graduate of Indiana University and a Second City Training Alumnus. He created the ensembles Fooglewoogle, The Underground Theatre Conspiracy and was an original member of Oui Be Negroes with Shaun Landry. With Landry, he also has produced The Seniors Improv Comedy, and during the pandemic also performed and served as technical consultant creating Theatre in The Home.
July 25 Edward B. Smith – director, actor, producer
Smith holds a B.F.A. in performance and an M.A. in leadership/administration from Ohio University. Over the course of his career, he has performed and directed across North America at theatres such as The Cleveland Play House, Canadian Stage, and The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. With over 20 years of experience in the worlds of theatre, print, film, and television, Smith has always approached his work with an eye to developing strategies to eradicate oppressive practices.
