Thursday, October 18, 2012

WOUB & OU Media Highlight 3rd Year Thesis Play

Jeremy Sony
When the third-year MFA candidates were pitching their thesis plays last year, there was one word on the front page every day in Athens: fracking. Hydraulic-fracturing, which is a way to extract natural gas from underground deposits, has become an international debate -- but most people outside of the 'frack zones' haven't been exposed to the onslaught of pro- and anti-fracking sentiments. With Athens County and Eastern Ohio sitting atop a large expanse of natural gas, Sony -- like many Athens residents -- decided to research the topic for himself.

From that research, an idea formed that would develop into his thesis play, FRACKTURE, and become the basis for his winning Anthony Trisolini Graduate Fellowship proposal.

Sony sat down with Taylor Evans from Ohio University Research Communications to talk about FRACKTURE, his work, and how a story about fracking was right up his alley.

The story was first published by Research Communications and subsequently picked up and released by WOUB Public Media. You can read the full story at WOUB or you can find the original article on the Ohio University website. The story is currently being highlighted on the Ohio University home page.

Sony's plays have been staged at Luna Theatre, Penobscot Theatre, Curtain Players, The Last Frontier Theatre Conference, and Ohio University. His screenplay, Separation Anxiety, was produced by Glass City Films and he is published by Outskirts Press under the pseudonym Jamie Rotham. He holds a bachelor's degree in Film & Television from the University of Notre Dame and is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild. Sony is the recipient of the 2012-2013 Ohio University Anthony Trisolini Graduate Fellowship and the 2012 Scott McPherson Playwriting Award. You can follow his projects at jeremysony.com.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Eric Coble Takes 'Velocity' to Broadway

Eric Coble
Eric Coble, OU alum, is heading to Broadway in 2013 with his play THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN. Led by director Molly Smith, artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, DC, the play marks the Broadway debut for the Ohio-based writer. Featuring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons and two-time Tony winner Stephen Spinella, the 90-minute dramatic comedy bows in Spring 2013.

Read the Playbill.com article for more details.

OU was thrilled to welcome Eric as a guest artistic mentor during the 2012 Seabury Quinn, Jr. Playwrights Festival. His play have been produced Off-Broadway, throughout the U.S., and on several continents, including productions at Manhattan Class Company, The Kennedy Center, Playwrights Horizons, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, the Denver Center, New York and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Florida Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory, Coterie Theatre, Curious Theatre, Actors Theatre of Charlotte, Oregon Children’s Theatre, People’s Light and Theatre Company,  Stages Repertory Theatre, Great Lakes Theater Festival, and The Contemporary American Theatre Festival.

Learn more about Eric at ericcoble.com.