Students in the West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance MFA Acting Class of 2015 are completing three years of intensive study and will soon begin their careers as professional actors.

The culmination of their years of study includes MFA Actor Showcase 2015, to be presented to invited industry professionals and guests in New York City. There will be two performances of the showcase at the June Havoc Theatre in New York on March 23, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Talent agents and managers, casting directors, and artistic directors of theater companies, as well as WVU alumni and other guests are invited to attend.

“For the past three years, the graduate acting students have studied in an intense conservatory-style environment at WVU with the goal of preparing them for a professional career in the theatre,” said Theatre professor Lee Blair, who is coordinating the event.

“They have taken classes in acting, voice and speech, and movement, as well as exploring a variety of genres, methods, playwrights and subjects—from Stanislavski to Meisner, from Shakespeare to Chekhov, and from Restoration to contemporary works.

“Musical theatre, stage combat, acting for the camera, voice-over instruction and clowning techniques were all a part of their graduate education.”

Blair said the MFA Actor Showcase is an integral part of the MFA curricular requirements for graduate students in the WVU School of Theatre and Dance. The location, booking of space, selection of material, marketing, invitations and all other aspects of production are handled by the students themselves.

“The MFA Showcase allows our graduate students to present themselves and their work to industry professionals in New York,” he said.

The MFA Acting Class of 2015 includes: Mya Brown, Brianne Taylor, Stephanie Freeman, Vincent Pelligrino, Nick Ryan, Landon Green, Kyle Walter and Beau Harris.

Each student will participate in two contemporary scenes representing their individual and marketable range. The scenes were selected by the students, and workshopped with approval by the graduate acting program faculty.

Receptions will be held after each showcase performance for invited industry guests to meet the graduate actors, as well as providing an opportunity for WVU alumni to connect with the current students and reconnect with old friends, faculty and colleagues.

The free showcase performances will be presented on March 23, 2015, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 2nd Floor, in the heart of New York’s Garment District, just a few blocks south of the Broadway Theatre district and just two blocks from the famed Madison Square Garden. This venue has been the site of previous WVU showcases and is a welcoming space for students, alumni and guests.

For photos and full resumes for each of the MFA students performing in the showcase, please visit the website at: http://mfashowcase.wvu.edu/

For more information regarding the MFA Showcase 2015 please visit theatre.wvu.edu, call 304-293-2020, or email theatre@mail.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

cl/03/20/15

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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