Herman BlackBox Theatre New Play Festival Oct. 29-30 Features Original Student, Alumni Work

The University of Central Missouri Richard Herman BlackBox program presents the 2022 New Play Festival in the Nickerson BlackBox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29- Oct. 30. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is free.

The New Play Festival is no stranger to the BlackBox program. After taking a short hiatus, it returns to showcase original scripts through staged readings. UCM Theatre and Dance students were invited to write, direct, and act within original plays for the weekend festival. Many students take on multiple roles in this production as writer, director, and actor to present their peers’ works. The festival will also feature two one-act plays written by UCM alumnus AJ Johnson who participated in the first New Play Festival in 2021.
 
Playwrights featured include 2022 Playwriting Class members Grace Clark, Day’Shawna Courtney, Riley Given, Luke Habjan, Stephanie Heathcock, Isa Jackson, Keyvon Lewis, Jace Nielsen, as well as Johnson and other student writers Cameron Morrison, Jace Nielsen, and Hollie Neumann. The directors include Grace Clark, Jake Collins, Luke Habjan, Katie Marshall, Cameron Morrison, Stephanie Heathcock, Dr. Aaron Scully, and Lily Wade. The crew includes Katie Marshall, production manager; Lilly Wade, stage manager; Luke Habjan, BlackBox production manager; Hollie Neumann, BlackBox assistant production manager; Gracie Heath, BlackBox technical director; Rosalyn Schuster, BlackBox assistant technical director; Tijhhana Hines, BlackBox publicity manager; and Ryan Verheek, BlackBox assistant publicity manager.
 
The Richard Herman BlackBox program charges no admission fee for any of its shows. For more information on the upcoming BlackBox season, please visit the program's Facebook page.