No Man's

September 25 & 26 @ 7:30 p.m.
September 27 @ 2:30 p.m.

Florence Busby Corriher Theatre

Set on the front lines of World War I, No Man’s follows Joe, a young Southern soldier, and Willa, a Red Cross nurse, as they find an unexpected connection amid the devastation of war. As their relationship deepens, both are forced to confront the expectations, beliefs, and identities they carried with them from home.

A story of love, war, and the fragile humanity that survives between them.

Place
The front lines of the Battle of Cantigny. In the countryside of Cantigny, France.

Time
Late spring to early summer, 1918.

From the Playwright

I wrote No Man’s because I am fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves about war. We often talk about war in terms of heroes, sacrifice, patriotism, and victory. We build monuments, write songs, and turn young men into symbols of courage. But I wanted to ask what happens when the person underneath the symbol begins to disappear.

At the center of No Man’s are Joe and Willa: two young people who meet in the middle of a war and, for a brief moment, find somewhere to be human. Joe has been taught that being a good man means being strong, faithful, obedient, and willing to sacrifice himself. Willa has been taught that being a good woman means caring for others, healing them, and eventually returning to the life that has already been designed for her. Both of them are trying to escape those expectations while simultaneously carrying them with them. Their love is not meant to be a solution to war. It is something much more fragile: a place where two people can briefly imagine another life. Joe wants Willa to become his reason for surviving, while Willa desperately refuses to become another thing that defines his life. Her question, whether she can love him without becoming his reward, his anchor, or his reason, is at the heart of the play.

I am particularly interested in the uncomfortable space between victim and perpetrator. Joe is not a monster. He is also not innocent. War does not excuse what he does, but it does force us to confront the terrifying ways violence can reshape a person. When Joe hurts Willa, the play refuses to let love erase the harm. Willa can understand why he broke without pretending that understanding makes her safe. That distinction is incredibly important to me.

I also wanted the world around Joe and Willa to feel almost impossible to escape. The letters from home, the church, the military, the hospital, and the Ensemble all become parts of the same machine. They love Joe, but they also place expectations on him. They encourage him, pray for him, praise his sacrifice, and slowly turn him into someone who no longer knows how to come home. Ultimately, No Man’s is not a play about whether war creates good people or bad people. It is about what happens when human beings are asked to become something larger than themselves.

- Adison Schwab

The Shuford School of Performing Arts
The Theatre Arts Department
Presents

No Man's

Written by

Adison Schwab

Directed by

Erin Dougherty

Scenic Design

David Pulliam

Costume, Hair & Makeup

Erin Dougherty

Lighting Design

John Wampler

Cast Members

Joe Brooks — Teddy Lepage
Willa Kelly — Katie Sosa
Historian — Rose Moore

Creative

Written by — Adison Schwab
Director — Erin Dougherty
Lighting Design — John Wampler
Scenic Design — David Pulliam
Costume, Hair, and Makeup — Erin Dougherty
Technical Director — Luca Narciso

Stage Operations

Stage Manager — MJ Trammel
Light Board Operator — Dixie Myers

Content Warnings: Depiction of PTSD, wartime violence, domestic violence, and suicide.

Run Time: This production runs approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

Note: The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, beepers, and watches.

About the Playwright

Adison Schwab is a playwright, actor, and theatre artist who holds a BFA in Performance from Catawba College. She currently tours with Missoula Children’s Theatre as an actor and director, bringing the joy of live theatre to young audiences across the country. Adison believes deeply in the power of theatre to make us feel a little less alone. She is drawn to stories about complicated people, messy relationships, and the moments that remind us of our shared humanity. She is especially grateful to Catawba College for believing in her work and for giving No Man’s the opportunity to be produced. Adison hopes audiences leave with something to carry with them long after the curtain falls.

About the Director

by Mak Petersen
BFA Musical Theatre & BS Theatre Arts Administration
Expected Graduation 2029

The director of No Man’s, Erin Dougherty, first had the idea of having a course that would bring a production to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh and later naturally thought it would be great to bring a student’s piece. She places a lot of value on making sure student work gets out there and viewed No Man’s as having a lot of potential from the very beginning. Erin is quoted saying “Adison added a few scenes and moved some things around during the process of rehearsal, but most of the script was already there through several rewrites. I wanted to help her realize it.”

When asked about how she sees the show and its relation to the rest of the world Dougherty said “No Man’s is about hope in the face of the impossible. Daring to dream when it seems the world is crumbling all around you. It’s also about mental health and PTSD and the horrors man creates for himself and others… We don’t all have the luxury of pacifism or turning a blind eye. Sometimes we’re forced to confront things head on and become lost in the problem. What happens next? How we change the story? How do we progress to an era where violence is unnecessary? I think we ask these questions a lot and the grey line between hero and villain is often blurred. Sometimes it’s hard to decide what side one should be on because, as our play states, we want our sacrifice to have meaning, to know what we’re fighting for. At the same time, I think we owe a debt to those who have fought for us and come home not altogether whole.”

The course was very collaborative between students with the common goal being to honor the script. In class, the playwright Adison Schwab was there as the stage manager and was able to be asked about how any scenes should feel. Classmates also had the opportunity to share any suggestions. A challenge Erin faced was that she knew from previously going to Fringe that the spaces are small. She attacked this issue by having the show be simpler and preparing the cast to pivot. This worked out amazingly as the performance venue ended up being “much smaller and intimate than anticipated.” Everything came together in the end though with audience members quoted as saying the play was very powerful. When it comes to the changes to be made going from Fringe to on campus there will be more in terms of projection and set pieces, but they will keep the same energy of wanting “to keep it simple to let the story tell itself.”

Who’s Who — Cast

	Teddy Lepage (He/Him) (Joseph Brooks) is a Junior Theatre Arts major with a minor in Creative Writing. This will be Teddy's sixth performance at Catawba College! You may have seen him in, Carrie: The Musical (Tommy Ross), A Midsummer's Night Dream (Demetrius) , Urinetown (Officer Lockstock), Hand to God (Jason Stephens). Teddy is the Treasurer for the Where Are The Diamonds? improv group , and a carpenter in the Scene Shop (Work Study). Enjoy the show!
	Katie Sosa (They/She) (Willa Rose Kelly) is happy to be working on her fourth show at Catawba College! They are a Junior with a Major in Film and a double minor in Theater Arts & Creative Writing. After taking this show to Edinburgh Fringe, she’s very excited to share this show with you all back in the States. You may recognize her from No Exit (Estelle), Breadcrumbs (Alida), or David Ives (Maria/Dr.Fritz/Dawn Devito). She hopes you enjoy the show!
	Rose Moore (She/Her) (Historian) is a junior at Catawba College and a theatre arts major. She’s been interested in theatre since she was very young, when her grandparents took her to see shows at a local theatre. She is very excited to perform No Man’s at Catawba.

Who’s Who — Creative

Luca Narciso (Technical Director) is a sophomore here at Catawba College and is beyond excited to be a part of this production’s first time being put on. He has had a blast making things happen, and hope you too have a blast enjoying the show!

Who’s Who — Stage Operations

	MJ Trammell (She/Her) (Stage Manager) is a first year Design and Production Major from High Point, NC. She is super excited for her first show stage managing, and her first show here at Catawba! Some of her favorite shows she's worked on have been Dear Evan Hansen and Hadestown, where she did sound with Community Theatre of Greensboro. She hopes you enjoy this production!
	Dixie Myers (She/Her) (Light Board Operator) has worked wardrobe/run crew for Hand To God and Front of House/Marketing for Wizard of OZ. She is working Box Office for Sweet Charity. She is an Orientation Leader, the Campus Activities Board Executive Vice President, SGA Junior Secretary, Honors College Student, member of Blue Masque, and President of The Ultimate Car Club.

More Information

Production Leadership
Students who wish to practice high level leadership, management and craft skills may apply for production specific leadership positions. Proven leadership is important in theatre. Significant leadership roles can make the difference between a decent post graduation job and a stellar one. Catawba Theatre Student Leaders are resourceful, good problem solvers, idea-contributors, dependable and persons who exemplify positive attitudes about life - in other words, model thespians.

Rehearsal & Performance
The Rehearsal & Performance provides opportunities for students to practice procedural skills in a setting where they can observe, explore, solve problems, and gain mastery through hands-on use of tools and techniques in running a show in front of a live audience. In Rehearsal & Performance students perform onstage and run the stage operations of a show. Each student completes five semesters of Rehearsal & Performance in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements.

Production Studios
In the Studios students work toward successive approximation of expert practice in the four major areas of preparing a show for performance; scenery, costume, electrics and management. Each student completes four semesters of studio in three areas in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements.

Scenic Studio
Costume Studio
Electrics Studio
Management Studio

Work Based Learning/Work Study/Campus Employment
The Work Based Learning, Work Study and Campus Employment Programs provide support for part-time student employment on campus in jobs that help students practice professional skills.

President — Dr. David P. Nelson
Executive Vice President & Provost — Dr. Monica Cowart
Dean of the Shuford School of Performing Arts — Dr. Phillip Burgess
Theatre Arts Department Chair & Costume Director — Prof. Erin B. Dougherty
Music and Theatre Arts Office Manager — Mr. Sacha Witt
Scenic and Visual Art — Prof. David Pulliam
Acting, Directing and History — Dr. Beth Homan
Visual Art — Prof. Ashley Pierce Love
Musical Theatre Performance — Prof. Nicholas Fuqua
Dance — Prof. Kristin Kavanagh
Lighting Designer/Technical Director — Prof. John Wampler
Adjunct in Business of Acting — Mr. Tom Lapke
Adjunct in Music & Theatre/ Collaborative Pianist — Mrs. Susan Trivette
Adjunct in Theatre Arts Management — Mrs. Heather Wilson-Bowlby
Adjunct in Technical Direction/Lighting — Mr. André Lancaster
Archival Photographer — Mr. Sean Meyers
Faculty Emeritus — Prof. Dayna Anderson
Faculty Emeritus — Dr. Kurt Corriher
Faculty Emeritus — Dr. Jim Epperson
Faculty Emeritus — Dr. Hoyt M. McCachren

Land Acknowledgement
The Theatre Arts Department acknowledges the land on which Catawba College sits as part of the traditional territory of the Catawba Nation. We make this statement as a step toward honoring the truth and achieving healing and reconciliation. Such statements become truly meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and sustained commitment. We therefore commit to move beyond words into programs and actions that fully embody a commitment to Indigenous rights and cultural equity.

Named after Myrtle, the nearly 70-year-old mascot of the Blue Masque, Myrtle’s Club is a distinguished group of individuals who support Catawba College Theatre and enjoy VIP ticketing services and invitations to private events with the Catawba Theatre ensemble. In addition to tickets, membership gives you hassle free exchanges, easy booking, presale access, special discounts and other exclusive benefits.

Season tickets include admission to all four mainstage shows for the price of three:

$48 for adults
$33 for seniors
$33 for non-Catawba students
Myrtle’s Circle membership includes two(2) season tickets and two(2) Blue Masque Hall of Fame tickets.

Treat yourself to a season of theatre and become a proud member of Myrtle Nation.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein.

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels.

Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance.

Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.

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