Opportunities
Theatre at Alderson-Broaddus is open to anyone with interest and a willingness to work. During the past several years, over ten percent of the student body at the college has participated in at least one production.
At Alderson-Broaddus, opportunities will be open to you that wouldn't exist at larger colleges. Our small size gives everyone a chance to experience all facets of theatre: acting, stage managing, technical work, even directing and design. You needn't be a theatre major to display your talents.
Casting and staffing for A-B productions are generally done on an "open audition" basis, with selection based on talent and willingness to work, not experience or class rank. Even freshmen fill leading roles and serve as heads of technical crews.
Theatre classes are also open to anyone. Lecture and lab courses in theatre history, acting, and stagecraft are small, allowing for personalized instruction and much hands-on experience. Many times classes are assigned work directly involved with the current theatre production. Learning doesn't stop in the classroom. By volunteering to help, onstage and off, you will learn about theatre from the inside.
Productions
Recent productions have spanned the entire range of theatrical styles, from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to Moliere's Tartuffe to late nineteenth century plays such as Shaw's Arms and the Man and twentieth century plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and To Kill a Mockingbird to contemporary post-modern one-acts of Christopher Durang.
The spring shows are often joint productions of the Theatre and Music Departments. Musicals produced at Alderson-Broaddus in the past include Godspell, Oklahoma, Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, Kiss Me Kate, and Crazy For You.
Facilities
The main working area for dramatic productions is Funkhouser Auditorium, a proscenium theatre seating over six hundred people. Other staging areas for smaller productions include the Hawker Dining Room for dinner theatre productions, Withers-Brandon Lecture Hall for rehearsals and small productions, and Wilcox Chapel for dramatic chapel services.
Organizations
The official theatrical organization is the Alderson-Broaddus College Players. Eligibility for membership begins after participation in only two productions. Aside from at least three theatrical productions per year, the College Players offer theatre workshops to local public schools, and provide technical assistance to all performing groups, musical and theatrical, that come to entertain the student body.
The Delta Gamma Cast of Alpha Psi Omega National Honorary Theatrical Fraternity rewards students for dedication to the theatre. Membership is offered based on amount and quality of theatrical work.
Students may also have an opportunity to work with the Covered Bridge Playhouse, Philippi's community theatre. This group has at least one production each summer, and A-B students are always welcome to participate.
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