by Becca Risley | Aug 25, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Several Lipscomb theatre students were named as 2015 Most Promising Actors for The First Night Honors, an annual celebration of all things theatrical held in Nashville every September. The First Night Honors, styled after the Tony Awards, is a ceremony held for the Nashville theatre community. Every September a gala recognizes the young Most Promising Actors, Star Award Winners and First Night Honorees for their performances and work produced. Lipscomb students selected as Most Promising Actors this year are sophomores MacKenzie Lewis, Rebekah Stogner and Scott Patrick Wilson, junior Bekah Purifoy, and 2015 spring graduates Tyler Russell and Lacy Hartselle. They are joined by 16 other young performers. “Being able to get my name out there in the theatre community in Nashville is great,” Stogner said. “Before this, I only knew of two theaters in the area and this process has opened me up to so much more. This was my first brush with the theatre world of Nashville.” To determine who this season’s young Most Promising Actors would be, Nashville writer, editor and performance art critic Jeffrey Ellis traveled throughout the region seeing several shows and scouting young talent. “If he sees someone, normally younger than 21 or 22, that is impressive to him, he’ll nominate them for the award,” Stogner said. “I was in Picnic earlier this year and I played a teacher. Jeffery directed the show and nominated me because of that.” In addition to performing at the First Night Gala later in September and being recognized at the First Night Preview Party in July, the Most Promising Actors took center stage at The Darkhorse Theatre...
by Jamin Craig | Jan 15, 2015 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s theatre department is quickly crafting its next main-stage show, bringing the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss to the Collins stage with Seussical. The story, guided by the Cat in the Hat, takes much of its plot from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who. Deep in the jungle of Nool, an elephant named Horton stumbles across the city of Whoville located on a speck of dust. Most of the animals in the jungle think he is crazy, and many conflicts unfold as Horton and the Whos try to convince the Jungle of Nool that Whoville really exists. The story is about friendship, acceptance and sticking to your word during hard circumstances. Kari Smith, an adjunct theatre and dance professor, is directing and choreographing the show. She explained that this production has much less rehearsal time than an average show for Lipscomb. “It’s five and a half weeks” Smith said. “For professional actors, that’s plenty, but we’re talking about students who have to go to school all day, get their homework done, have time to breathe and then go to rehearsal. It’s going to be quick, but I have a great cast. They’re all super committed and so great to work with.” The cast and crew might be made up of students only, but they are excited for the challenge. Elijah Wallace, a junior theatre major from Montgomery, Alabama, will be playing the role of Horton the elephant. In middle school, Wallace played the Cat in the Hat in a previous production of Seussical, but he says he has always wanted to play Horton. “I resonate a lot with what Horton believes and...
by Janice Ng | Oct 2, 2013 | News Slider
The Nashville Choreographer’s Canvas, an evening of choreography from Nashville’s emerging and New York’s established choreographers is set for Oct. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m., and Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. in Lipscomb’s Shamblin Theatre. The evening will be presented by Lipscomb University Theatre and New York City’s Group Theatre Too. Peter Fields, artistic director of Lipscomb’s Orchesis Dance Company, and Justin Boccitto, Lipscomb theatre adjunct professor and award-winning choreographer, curated the evening. Described by Boccitto as similar to Fox TV’s So You Think You Can Dance, The Nashville Choreographer’s Canvas will include many types of dance including tap, ballet, jazz, Bollywood, Cirque du Soleil-style aerial dance and Charlie Chaplin-style eccentric dance. One number will be dedicated to portraying the history of dance from the 1920’s Charleston to modern hip-hop. The original New York Choreographer’s Canvas, founded and coordinated by Boccitto six years ago, is an annual event that features the works of more than 15 choreographers each year, with a hundred submissions from around the world vying for a spot in the annual show. “I got the idea for the name from Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit, which talks about how all creators begin with a blank canvas,” Boccitto said. Now, Boccitto, who directed Lipscomb’s production of Hairspray in 2011, wants to expand the blank canvas to Nashville. “This is an opportunity for people from all different dance backgrounds, including those not so familiar with dance, to come together for one night and experience dance in all its forms,” Boccitto said. “Each choreography piece tells a story and highlights the importance of dance throughout the ages and in our lives.” Performers for the evening will include Lipscomb students...
