TheatreFest! to Provide Region with Summer Theater

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- A new regional summer theater program will debut this June at Lindsey Wilson College.

Under the direction of theater veteran Robert Brock, the inaugural season of TheatreFest! will feature three dramatic productions -- Robin Hawdon's farcical Perfect Wedding, a one-man production of Mark Twain and a 75th-anniversary celebration of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

The shows will be performed at Lindsey Wilson College's V.P. Henry Auditorium, and the casts will include LWC students and members from surrounding communities, Brock said.

"TheatreFest! strives to challenge and entertain audiences through the production of the best from dramatic literature -- both old and new -- and also engage the communities of Southcentral Kentucky as audience members and participants in quality productions and educational programming," said Brock, who is a Lindsey Wilson assistant professor of theater.

Brock joined the LWC faculty as an assistant professor more than two years ago after a distinguished professional career in regional theater.

In addition to teaching theater classes at LWC, Brock also directs several plays each school year. His LWC resume includes Godspell, The Long Christmas Dinner, Don't Dress for Dinner, The Crucible and Steel Magnolias.

TheatreFest! will be supported financially by the college, and LWC students from the college's burgeoning theater program will help staff productions.

Brock said a big reason TheatreFest! is possible is because of a recent $200,000 renovation to the college's V.P. Henry Auditorium, which is more than 80 years old. The 350-seat theater received a new stage, a new sound and light system, and new seats.

"It's one of the more impressive renovations I've seen," said Brock, who has more than 30 years in professional theater. "After the space was renovated, I realized it would be an excellent home to a summer regional theater program. That will give our students another opportunity to build their resumes, and it will also offer the region another summer activity."

Brock added that TheatreFest! should also appeal to the thousands of tourists who visit Southcentral Kentucky's lakes and state parks each summer.

The schedule for the inaugural TheatreFest! season are:

* Perfect Wedding, by Robin Hawdon -- June 21-22, 27-29 (All performances will be at 7 p.m. CT.)
* Our Town, by Thornton Wilder -- July 12-13, 18-20 (All performances will be at 7 p.m. CT.)
* Mark Twain, performed by Robert Brock -- June 30, July 7, 14, 21 (All performances will be at 2 p.m. CT.)

All three productions will be at V.P. Henry Auditorium, 210 Lindsey Wilson St.For more information about TheatreFest!, contact Brock at brockr@ lindsey.edu or (270) 590-4803.