Playwright Tom Sime will be on hand to discuss "All of the Above" following performances of it Tuesday, Feb. 7 and Wednesday, Feb. 8 in Hedrick Theatre at Catawba College.    

There are two opportunities for theatre-goers to engage the playwright.   On Tuesday, Feb. 7, The Blue Masque sponsors its usual Opening Night Reception in the Hedrick Theatre Lobby.   On Wednesday, Feb. 8, a Playwright's Reception will be sponsored by Catawba's Theatre Arts Department with a "Talk-Back" session hosted by Catawba's chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the dramatic honor society.

Sime and Playwright Liam Macik ("Bastards and Fools") were selected as the winners of the 2005-2006 Catawba College Marian Peterson Emerging Playwright Competition.   In its seventh and final year, the Competition was held in rounds last spring with theatre faculty and students pouring over hundreds of scripts sent in by aspiring playwrights from around the nation.   After the plays of these two men were selected, the playwrights traveled to Catawba for a workshopping of their respective play.   After hearing their play read aloud by actors (often the first time that a playwright has ever heard the play) and many discussions, the playwrights began a series of rewrites that continued through rehearsals: editing, adding and chopping the play into the beginnings of performance-worthy material.

When their respective plays are produced, each playwright returns to campus   and is on hand for several performances.   The process is as much a learning experience for the theatre students and faculty as for the playwright.   Past Peterson Emerging Playwright Competition Winners include Elizabeth Wong's "China Doll," a winner of the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award based on its development at Catawba; Kevin Brewer's "Island," a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Regional participant; and Macik's "Bastards and Fools," produced at Catawba last fall.

For additional information, contact the Catawba College Box office at 704-637-4481.

Playwright Tom Sime will be on hand to discuss "All of the Above" following performances of it Tuesday, Feb. 7 and Wednesday, Feb. 8 in Hedrick Theatre at Catawba College.    

There are two opportunities for theatre-goers to engage the playwright.   On Tuesday, Feb. 7, The Blue Masque sponsors its usual Opening Night Reception in the Hedrick Theatre Lobby.   On Wednesday, Feb. 8, a Playwright's Reception will be sponsored by Catawba's Theatre Arts Department with a "Talk-Back" session hosted by Catawba's chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the dramatic honor society.

Sime and Playwright Liam Macik ("Bastards and Fools") were selected as the winners of the 2005-2006 Catawba College Marian Peterson Emerging Playwright Competition.   In its seventh and final year, the Competition was held in rounds last spring with theatre faculty and students pouring over hundreds of scripts sent in by aspiring playwrights from around the nation.   After the plays of these two men were selected, the playwrights traveled to Catawba for a workshopping of their respective play.   After hearing their play read aloud by actors (often the first time that a playwright has ever heard the play) and many discussions, the playwrights began a series of rewrites that continued through rehearsals: editing, adding and chopping the play into the beginnings of performance-worthy material.

When their respective plays are produced, each playwright returns to campus   and is on hand for several performances.   The process is as much a learning experience for the theatre students and faculty as for the playwright.   Past Peterson Emerging Playwright Competition Winners include Elizabeth Wong's "China Doll," a winner of the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award based on its development at Catawba; Kevin Brewer's "Island," a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Regional participant; and Macik's "Bastards and Fools," produced at Catawba last fall.

For additional information, contact the Catawba College Box office at 704-637-4481.