Plays, Films Featured in Feb. 9-12 Festival of New Student Work

February 9, 2023 | Events, News, UToday, Alumni, Arts and Letters, Judith Herb College of Education
By Angela Riddel



The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film hosts its second-annual Festival of New Student Work Thursday, Feb. 9, through Sunday, Feb. 12.

The festival will feature the work of student playwrights, directors, actors, stage managers and designers. The production team will include UToledo faculty as directors, designers and mentors.

Oliver Marconi, left, and Zach Harris perform in Oliver Marconi, Zach Harris perform in the play “Garbage Thinking” by Jared Droesch as part of the 2023 Festival of New Student Work.

Students interested in writing plays were invited to submit their scripts during fall semester. The only requirement was that the play features a couch in some way within the action of the script.

Out of 18 scripts submitted for the 2023 Festival of New Student Work, seven were chosen for production:

•  “Two Sides of a Coin” by Hazel Penrose, a theatre major and music technology minor;

•  “Cheater Feeder” by Emile Wheeler, an English major;

•  “Garbage Thinking” by Jared Droesch, an adolescent and young adult education major and a stage and screen performance minor;

•  “Never-ending Goodbye” by Jordyn Beery, a theatre major;

•  “Knight’s Play” by Jeffery Enck, a theatre major;

•  “Writing Partners” by Seth Camiscione, a communication studies and political science major; and

•  “Detective Aside” by Karson Palmer, a theatre and English major.

Madileine Chase, left, and Gerardo Rosario perform in “Knights Play,” by Jeffery Enck, one of eight student-written plays performed at the second-annual Festival of New Student Work Thursday through Sunday in the UToledo Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre.

Festival performances consist of two acts, each approximately an hour long, and begin at 7:30 p.m. in The University of Toledo Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre. A 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled Sunday, Feb. 12.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online through the Tix.com UToledo website or at the box office before the performance.

Visitor parking to the festival will require payment via the ParkMobile app, a parking meter or by purchasing a daily permit via ParkUToledo. Visit the ParkUToledo website for more information.