After having canceled the first weekend run of the fall play “Measure for Measure” due to injury, The West Liberty University Hilltop Players are excited to kick off their 2023-2024 season with a production of one of Shakespeare’s so-called “problem plays”.
Performances will take place Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 20, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 3:00 PM (the Sunday matinee is a sensory-friendly performance with reduced sound and lighting effects and the house lights remain on for the run of the show).
Because of a generous gift from Thomas “TC” Cervone and Susan Creswell, all student tickets are free of charge. General Admission tickets are $12.50 each, with a Senior discount ticket of $10.00. All performances will be on the campus of West Liberty University on the Kelly Theatre stage in the Hall of Fine Arts.
Vienna is in turmoil after two decades of societal upheaval, and Duke Vincentio has abruptly decided to flee the city, leaving his faithful deputy, Angelo, in charge. Determined to put an end to moral corruption in Vienna, Angelo decides to strictly enforce even the most Puritan laws. When a young man named Claudio is sentenced to death, his sister Isabella pleads to Angelo for Claudio’s life. Many ethically questionable situations are present throughout the show, leaving the audience with much to discuss and process long after the curtain closes.
The show is directed by Michael Aulick, Professor of Theatre at West Liberty. “There is a reason this play is called a ‘problem play’. The story has some holes, the characters’ ethics are in question, and the verse is, at times, utter chaos” Aulick says. “The play is and should feel as uncomfortable as real life often does. Therefore, we don’t think that the play is a ‘problem’ that needs to be fixed, but rather one that we should see and contemplate. We should leave the theatre with questions the audience can mull over in the weeks to come.”
The production features a number of former Hilltop Players who have come back to lend their support to the program. Cassandra Hackbart (Class of 2013) is back on the Kelly stage playing the role of Mistress Overdone. Spencer Thomas (Class of 2016) is the technical director. Christopher Rees (Class of 2019) serves as the scenic designer. Alex Franke (Class of 2018) works as the lighting designer.
“It was a great experience returning to WLU and getting to work with some of my best friends all over again. It was like getting to experience a really great memory all over again and I look forward to having more opportunities to work with this team again soon,” Franke said.
The cast features theatre majors: Len Batson, Roman Hicks, Daisy Deaton, Isabella Costantini, Benjamin Mounsey, Traelynn Alton, Rowland Dodd, Aidan Kosol, and Eva Tennant. As well as theatre minors and non-majors: Asa Krinov, Oliver Marks, Joy Deaton, and Mason Stoll, and graduate Cassandra Hackbart.
The West Liberty University Theatre is a nationally recognized program with the mission of providing a transformative educational experience for undergraduate students of theatre where a personal approach creates a place where they can ‘find their light.’
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public university, and it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs, both online and on campus. Learn more at westliberty.edu.
