SETC 2014 - Theatre VCU showed up and won big!

The ENTIRE SETC Design Competition Winners

Undergraduate Costume Design Awards in Honor of Irene Smart Rains 
Honorable Mention
Emily Faulkner, The Comedy of Errors, Berry College

Third Place

Kiyoshi Shaw, Dracula, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Second Place
Matt Adkins, Miss Witherspoon, Francis Marion University 

First Place
Sophia Choi, Love Never Dies, Virginia Commonwealth University


Undergraduate Scenic Design Award Sponsored by Sculptural Arts Coating, Inc. 
Third Place
Jacob Sailer, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Second Place
Benjamin Burke, Other Desert Cities, Virginia Commonwealth University 

First Place
Matthew Buttrey, The Tempest, Southeast Missouri State University


Undergraduate Lighting Design Awards Sponsored by Electronic Controls, Inc. 
Honorable Mention
Tyler Rowe, The Sweetest Swing In Baseball, Centre College

Third Place
Elisabeth Becraft, Psycho Beach Party, Frostburg State University 

Second Place
Luke Cresson, Hairspray!, Virginia Commonwealth University 

First Place
Margaret Peebles, Legally Blonde, Kent State University


Costume Crafts and Technology Awards Sponsored by Norcosto
Third Place
Annie Rupprecht, 19th Century Hand Embroidery Silk Shoes, Florida State University 

Second Place
Grace Mimbs, Baroque Wired Whisk Collar, Savannah College of Art and Design 

First Place
Lindsay Austria, 18th Century Woman’s Gown, Virginia Commonwealth University


Properties Design and Construction Awards Sponsored by Friends of Props 
Second Place
Kristin Viola, Scenic Art for Dancing at Lughnasa, University of Southern Mississippi 

First Place
Christopher Foote, Confetti Canon for Hairspray!, Virginia Commonwealth University


Sound Design Sponsored by Shure, INC. 
Honorable Mention
Joseph Palermo, The 30 Steps, Stetson University 

Third Place
Andrew Crews, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Florida School of the Arts 

Second Place
Kurt Davis, Marisol, University of Mississippi

First Place
William Wacker, Sweeney Todd: The Melodrama, Virginia Commonwealth University


Graduate Lighting Design Awards Sponsored by Electronic Controls, Inc. 
Third Place
Cyndi Hoffman, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kent State University

Second Place
Jacquelyn Cox, Tribes, University of Arkansas

First Place
Kenneth Forster, The Whipping Man, University of Tennessee
(no VCU entries)


Graduate Scenic Design Awards Sponsored by Sculptural Arts Coating
Honorable Mention
Christian Hershey, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Third Place
Jason Ammons, The Whipping Man, Universityof Tennesse

Second Place
Christopher Rhoton, Chicago, Indiana University

First Place
Josafath Reynoso, The Hairy Ape, University of Tennesee


Graduate Costume Design Awards In Honor of Irene Smart Rains 
Three Way Tie For First Place


Alyssa Couturier-Herndon, Rocky Horror Show, University of Florida 

Isabela Tavares de Melo, Harspray!, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Poua Yang, Mary Stuart, University of Tennessee

Theatre VCU went up against schools from Florida to Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana to South Carolina.

TEN Theatre VCU students won awards. (the next closest school was Univ of Tenn with 4 awards total)

PLUS THESE GUYS WERE THERE:

LIGHTING & SOUND!!

SCENE DESIGN TECH!!

STAGE MANAGERS!!!

What's not to love!

We've got a hit here! People are raving about HAIRSPRAY!

No. I'm not talking reviews in the New York Times (we're a bit off their radar) or even the Richmond Times Dispatch (they won't review university productions")...

We're talking about the folks pouring out of the theatre at the end of the three shows of opening weekend (three SOLD OUT shows).

VCU Students love HAIRSPRAY! 

Pollack Society love HAIRSPRAY! 

Richmond loves HAIRSPRAY!

We know that parking is always difficult around Theatre VCU - to relieve the stress go to  https://vcu.clickandpark.com/event https://vcu.clickandpark.com/event  and pay in advance for a spot at the NN lot (across the street from the Broad St. Deck on Harrison St. - where the old Ukrops used to be). Affordable ($6.00) and stressless AND you will get to the show on time!!

If you are a VCU faculty or staff member Thursday, Nov. 14th is BOGO night! Buy one ticket - Get one FREE. Order your tickets now (they're going fast). In order to qualify you need a VCU ID, and because of popular demand it's only 2 tickets per customer. It's VCU Appreciation Night for all the hardworking employees from both campuses. 


Reminder to all our fabulous First -Year students - this friday is FIRST-YEAR FRIDAY. 

All first-year Theatre VCU parents are invited to spend a day with their student  with the grand finale  - FREE tickets for HAIRSPRAY! We even provide lunch for all of you!

This is a great opportunity for parents to find out what you are learning as a Theatre major. Special presentations with lots of time for parental Q&A's. This is a memorable day for every first-year student and their parents. It's not too late to make reservations!!  Email Bonnie McCoy at bsmccoy@vcu.edu or give her a call at 804-828-6026 and she will save a spot for you!

What a wonderful radio interview with John Ogle with the stars and director of Love Letters

Listen HERE for John Ogle's interview.


Join us this weekend for a love story.

Saturday - 7:30 pm

Sunday - 

A weekend of Love Letters at Theatre VCU - OPENS THIS WEEKEND FOR 2 NIGHTS ONLY!

Two Wonderful Nights of Theatre:

Starring the much beloved Nancy F. Langston, former VCU School of Nursing Dean, and internationally renowned expert in infectious diseases Richard P. Wenzel.

The emotionally intimate play covers the lifetime of its two characters without ever changing scene. Melissa and “Andy” sit at opposite ends of a table reading letters they have written to each other, starting in grade school and continuing through the subsequent decades. There’s no actual interaction between the two. It sounds like a personal and difficult play for even the most seasoned actors, which, paradoxically, is exactly why Leong cast Wenzel and Langston rather than experienced theater students.

“The (characters) are I’m guessing in their 60s maybe when they’re doing the play,” Wenzel said. “So it would be harder for a 20-year-old to do that role. I think just having life experiences that we share in a sense and recognizing the exchange that the two characters have — it’s very real.”

For Langston, who has not acted since high school, the role was a little daunting. But through previous collaborations, Leong knew she could take direction well and possessed the right kind of presence and sincerity for the role.

“I’m pretty good at delivering speeches, presentations and stuff,” Langston said. “I’ve never had to do anything other than speak from the heart.”

And that’s all that Leong wants from his actors.

Love Letters - A journey of the heart.