Bemidji State University: BSU Voices of the Earth Short Play Festival Seeking Actors and Technicians

By Press release submission

Apr 5, 2022

Bemidji State University issued the following announcement on March 30.

Bemidji State University will host the third annual Voices of the Earth short play festival on April 24 and is looking for adult actors and technicians to participate.

The festival features readings of short plays written by national and local playwrights on a variety of topics.

Dr. Season Ellison, associate professor of history, and director of Bemidji State’s honors and liberal education programs, is the festival’s producer and artistic director. She is also one of three stage directors. She will be joined by two professional directorial fellows who specialize in new play development: Dr. Emily Rollie, assistant professor of theater studies at Washington State University, and Dr. Joe Stollenwerk, assistant professor of theater at North Dakota State University. Guest playwright Justin Maxwell, associate professor of playwriting at the University of New Orleans, will also be in attendance.

“Voices of the Earth explores our human connections to the earth and earth’s connection to us in a time when these connections feel especially pressing,” Ellison said. “We assist playwrights to learn about their plays and solicit feedback before sending them to producing companies.”

This year’s short plays range from two to 20 minutes and were selected by a blind review process. The selected plays include:

“What a Memory Looks Like” by Rachael Carnes.
“Blackjack” by Derek Davidson.
“The Voice from the Cold” by Ian Downes.
“Genesis” by Sam Friskey.
“A Paper Forest” by Claudia Haas.
“Hellbender: Live” by Valerie Work.
“No Two Snowflakes” by Dwayne Yancey.

Interested actors and technicians must submit a one-page resume, photo and a brief statement acknowledging the time commitment and potential conflicts of time to EarthVoices@bemidjistate.edu by April 8.

Rehearsal schedule for participating actors and technicians

April 22, 6:30 p.m. – Opening meeting & read through.
April 23, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. – Rehearsals. Lunch will be provided.
April 24, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. – Tech rehearsals. Snacks will be provided.
April 24, 2 p.m –Call for performance.
April 24, 3 p.m. – Performance begins to live audience.

The event is co-produced by BSU’s People for Theatre club, the Honors Steering Committee and the College of Arts, Education and Humanities. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

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