Boston College Premieres Works by Student Playwrights

The Boston College Theatre Department and Robsham Theater Arts Center underscore their continued commitment to support "new work" this winter, when they present the second production of the spring semester, New Voices 2011, an evening of original plays by BC student playwrights.

The production-performed in Robsham Theater's Bonn Studio Theater-features two works: The Missing Piece by senior Riley Madincea and Chase 304 by junior Meghan Crosby. Under the direction of Theatre Department Chair Scott T. Cummings, a Theatre Department associate professor, NV2011 marks the second revival of the original project: Preliminary Stages, which was produced in 1999.

"This is a great opportunity not just for student playwrights but for student actors as well to learn about new play development," noted Cummings. "The crucible of rehearsal prompts lots of changes and adjustments in the scripts. It's an exciting process."

The Missing Piece tells the story of an estranged brother and sister who are reunited by their mother's funeral. Their encounter with a mysterious stranger leads each of them to a better understanding of who they are and what really matters in life. Chase 304 is a slice?of?life comedy about eight college women hanging out in their dormitory common room late on a Saturday afternoon. The play takes a tender look at campus life from a distinctly female point of view, as the characters deal with homework, social lives and the perplexing questions of love and romance.

"The two plays could not be more different in tone and style," Cummings said. "I think the audience will be pleasantly surprised."

Both Madincea and Crosby are undergraduate theatre majors who are active on campus. Madincea moved at an early age with his family from Florida to Surrey, England, where he grew up and where his family still resides. The director of My Mother's Fleabag, BC's oldest improv comedy troupe, Riley plans to return to the UK to pursue a career in acting after graduation. Crosby has taken the Theatre Department by storm. The Guilford, Connecticut, native is active in a number of campus cultural groups, including the University Chorale, Liturgy Arts Group and Artists Striving to End Poverty. She will appear in the Theatre Department's spring production of the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

For more information, visit http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/theatre/.

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