CONWAY,
Ark. (September 1, 2016) — An award-winning new play will debut in a staged
reading in early September at Hendrix College in Conway. The reading is part of
the annual Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Playwright’s Theatre, during which Hendrix
alumni and students will present the play.
The reading of A Stupid Game
of Dungeons and Dragons by Eric Walker ’16, winner of the 2016
Hendrix-Murphy Student Playwriting Contest, will be presented on Friday,
September 9, at 7 p.m. in Cabe Theatre on the Hendrix College campus.
The event is open to the public and free of admission. No tickets
or reservations are required. The reading will be followed by an audience
discussion and a reception in Mills Lobby. The reading is co-sponsored by the
Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.
According
to the contest judge, Tearrance Chisholm, A
Stupid Game of Dungeons and Dragons “is a smart play about a group of
friends who meet up for a game of Dungeons and Dragons . . . Typical DnD
madness ensues, but the game has real-life ramifications for everyone
involved.”
Eric Walker ’16 from Cabot, Arkansas, graduated from
Hendrix with a B.A. in Mathematics and Spanish. He currently is pursuing a Ph.D.
in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas. He enjoys walking his
swell pup Walnut. This play marks his first experience with the theatrical
arts.
Hendrix
alumni, students, and staff will be involved in all other aspects of the
production as well. Tadd McCullough (class of 2000) of Dallas, Texas, will
direct the reading.
The
cast roles are divided into Humans, Characters, and Creatures.
The
Humans are: Megan Barker ’15 of Los Angeles, reading the part of Julia; Will
Tanner ’08 of Malvern, taking on the role of Jason (Younger Brother of Julia);
Hendrix student Ryan Wyre ’18, reading the part of Larry (Dungeon Master);
Hendrix student Sean Criswell ’18), reading the role of Jerry; and Hendrix
student Davis Gilson ’19 handling the role of Michael.
The
Characters are: Marie Mainard O’Connell ’02 of Little Rock, as Benes (Warrior
Princess), with her husband James Mainard O’Connell ’03 as Cosmo (Rogue); The
Rev. Dr. James H. “Jim” Robnolt ’64 of Sherwood, reading the part of
Chieftain/Gatekeeper; Pete Weber of Benton ’96, taking on the role of
Jorge/George (Swashbuckler/Bard); and Mike Mueller ’88 of Little Rock, reading
the part of Gerry (Lizard Mage).
The
Creatures are: Laura Sessoms Grimes ’04 of North Little Rock, who will read the
parts of Goblin/Humanoid Lizard/Destitute Joe; and Randy Peterson ’91 of Dover,
reading the parts of Beast/Richard (Lizard King).
An
annual staged reading series, Playwright’s Theatre evolved in 1999 from the
annual Alumni and Student Playwriting Contests first sponsored by the
Hendrix-Murphy Foundation in 1986. The program was designed to cultivate the
skills of fledgling playwrights who are current or former Hendrix students. A
professional playwright judges the competitions, one for students and the other
for alumni. Playwright’s Theatre, founded by Professor Danny Grace and Dr.
Rosemary E. Henenberg, Willis H. Holmes Distinguished Professor of Theatre
Arts, Emerita, extends the efforts of the contest by enabling winners of the
alumni contest to see their plays in staged readings that often involve both
alumni and students as cast and production crew.
This
reading is co-sponsored by the Hendrix College Department of Theatre Arts and
Dance and the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation Programs in Literature and Language,
which are designed to enhance and enrich the study and teaching of literature
and language at Hendrix College. For more information about this and future
events, please contact Henryetta Vanaman, 501-450-4597 or vanaman@hendrix.edu.
Following are brief bios of the alumni
cast members:
Megan Barker ’15 was born and raised in North Little Rock,
Arkansas. However, she moved to Los Angeles last fall after graduating from
Hendrix College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Psychology. During her time on
Hendrix’s Cabe stage, she most enjoyed her roles in For the Love of the Nightingale (Philomele) and The Typists (Sylvia). Since going to
L.A., she has been in several short films, a music video, a sizzle reel, and
several play productions. Most recently, she was a part of Hollywood Fringe
Festival, acting in two shows (A Better
You and Sweet Love Adieu) and
costuming a third. She most recently wrapped a Star Wars-themed short film, wherein she got to find the Force
within. Another hobby of hers is costuming, and she just finished assisting
with costumes on a show at Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles. Follow her on
Instagram (@meggieliz93) or check out her site, meganbarkeracting.com, to keep
up with her!
Laura Sessoms Grimes ’04 is a North Little Rock native and is so
happy to be returning to yet another Playwright’s Theatre! She holds a B.A. in
Theatre Arts from Hendrix and is a graduate of the Professional Actor Training
Program at NYC’s Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She was the
Associate Artistic Director of The Real Theatre Company in NYC and has acted in
numerous stage, film and television roles in NYC, Europe and locally. Favorite
productions include: Mrs. Miniver (Argenta Community Theatre); Hair
(Off-Broadway); Peter Gabriel’s US (Workshop); The Bride of
Olneyville Square (Off-Off-Broadway); The Red Coat
(Off-Off-Broadway); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Off-Off Broadway); Summer
and Smoke (Hendrix); Doubt (Miramax Films); and Julie & Julia
(Columbia Pictures). She is currently the Brand Manager for P. Allen Smith
Companies.
Marie Mainard O’Connell ’02, a Presbyterian Minister of Word and
Sacrament in Little Rock, graduated from Hendrix in 2002, with a degree in
Interdisciplinary Studies: Holistic Health. Born in Springdale,
Arkansas, Marie returned to Little Rock five years ago to serve as a Presbyterian
pastor. Mother of three really stinking fabulous kids, she enjoys reading,
writing and talking to people about important things, and hanging out with her
best friend and co-conspirator, her partner James. She does theatre things
when no one is looking.
James Mainard O’Connell ’03 graduated from Hendrix in 2003 with a
major in Theatre Arts and a minor in Education. He currently teaches theatre at
the Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock, while freelancing as an actor
in commercials and film, as well as local theatres, such as Murray’s Dinner
Playhouse and The Rep. Born in Holland, Michigan, he spent most of his younger
years divided between New Jersey and Texas before coming to Arkansas to attend
Hendrix, after which he completed an M.F.A. in Shakespeare and Renaissance
Literature in Performance from Mary Baldwin College. He has worked primarily as
an actor, technical director, and theatre educator in Virginia, New Jersey, New
York, New Hampshire, and here in Arkansas. James and fellow Hendrix theatre
alum, Marie Mainard O'Connell have been married for 14 years and have three
children.
Tadd McCullough ’00 is a Guild-certified Feldenkrais
Practitioner (GCFP) and member of the Feldenkrais Guild of North America. A
specialist in yoga, the Feldenkrais Method®, mindfulness and conscious
movement, he has a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Hendrix College (2000). He
continued his studies of acting and stage movement at the Neighborhood
Playhouse and Stetson Studios in New York City. After a creative revival
back home in Arkansas, he received his 200-hr. yoga teaching certification from
the Living Yoga Program (Austin, TX). Tadd has taught movement and awareness in
New Orleans, Austin, and Dallas. He has recently completed a four-year, 880+
hour professional Feldenkrais practitioner training with Movement Educators
(Santa Fe, NM).
Mike Mueller ’88, a "d**n Yankee" by most definitions
(his words!), was born in Chicago but attended high school in Hot Springs.
After graduating from Hendrix in 1988, he went on to receive an M.Ed. in
Secondary Education and taught high school theatre classes for over a decade,
directing shows from Shakespeare to musical theatre. He often acts in
commercials and occasionally performs in staged readings. He most recently
appeared in the Argenta Community Theatre's production of First Farewell, written by fellow Hendrix alum Judy Baker Goss.
Currently, he lives in Little Rock and is the Chief Marketing Officer for P.
Allen Smith Companies.
Randy Peterson ’91 was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew
up in Salem, Arkansas. He is a 1989 graduate of Hendrix College with a B.A. in
English, and he received his Master of Education degree from the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock in 1991. While in graduate school, he worked on a
freelance basis in technical theatre in Little Rock for the UALR Performing
Arts Center and for the IATSE local in Little Rock. His professional theatre
career peaked in 1992 when he was part of the local crew for Def Leppard’s
Seven Day Weekend tour at Barton Coliseum and helped set up the ballrooms at
the Little Rock Convention Center on the night of the 1992 election. He has
over 20 years’ experience in higher education using applied research methods to
evaluate programs and improve institutional effectiveness. In addition to his
work serving the administrative side of higher education, he also has extensive
experience as a classroom instructor, having frequently taught both high school
and college level writing courses throughout his career. He is currently the
Director of Institutional Research at Hendrix College.
The Rev. Dr. James H. “Jim” Robnolt ’64 of Sherwood, Arkansas is a retired U. S.
Army Chaplain and United Methodist Elder. He received his B.A. from Hendrix in 1964 and went on to earn an
Ed.M. from Harvard, an M.S.Ed. from Long Island University, an M.Div. from
Vanderbilt, and a D.Min, from Southern Methodist. Born and raised in Stuttgart,
Arkansas, he has been a licensed preacher since 1954. He retired from the North
Arkansas Annual Conference in 2002, after serving under appointment from the
U.S. Army as an active duty chaplain for 25 years.
While attending Hendrix, he was in two productions and part of a third. In The Mikado, the first musical attempted
at Hendrix, he was the Honorable Chang; in Macbeth,
he was King Duncan; in the production of J.
B., he was the off-stage “voice of God.” All of his other experience has
been as a public speaker, preacher, and teacher.
Will Tanner ’08 graduated from Hendrix College in 2008
with a degree in Religious Studies.Currently
employed by the Mary Cheatham Public Library in Malvern, Arkansas (his
hometown) as a circulation clerk, he has also worked as a cook at Camp Tanako
in Hot Springs and has interned at the J.A. Funk Funeral Home in Malvern. He
volunteers as a production assistant for KUAR Public Radio (FM 89.1) & KLRE
Classical Radio (FM 90.5). KUAR uses Will’s voice to promote “Science
Friday with Ira Flatow.” Another fun fact is that he is an avid fan of D&D
and other role-playing games and has been for eighteen years—so this role is
perfect for him!
Pete Weber ’96
grew up on the stage. Born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Pete began
acting at the age of six when he landed his first part as a member of the
Lollipop Guild in Westark Community College’s production of The Wizard of Oz. From that point
through graduating high school, Pete averaged participation in three shows per
year in local community theatre and school productions. As a student at
Hendrix, Pete continued to participate in theatre by acting on stage, as well
as working in the set construction and lighting department. Since graduation,
Pete loves to take part in the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation’s Playwright’s Theatre
and to write readers’ theatre productions and musicals for his local
congregation. He is currently the Youth Pastor and Assistant Pastor in Bryant,
Arkansas.
About Hendrix College
Hendrix College
is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges That
Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation,
and value. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.