The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Students are coming together to create a theatrical performance unlike any other on campus with this year’s fringe festival.
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Players Artistic Alliance is producing their annual fringe festival: a production consisting completely of original, student work.
This year’s title and theme is “Lost and Found.”
The production consists of six original plays, a dance piece and a devised theatre piece. Each piece is written, directed, designed and performed completely by students.
Brandon Bogenschütz, senior acting major and chief project director of “Lost and Found,” said that this year’s fringe festival has allowed for students to test their idea of perspective and collaboration.
“With the theme ‘Lost and Found,’ students have had the ability to take that phrase and create performances off of their interpretations,” Bogenshütz said. “Some have taken the theme literally, like a lost and found box that you would find at an airport, others, for example, have taken a different perspective with talking about the loss of a family member.”
Bogenshütz hopes that audiences attending this year’s fringe festival will be impacted by the performances and develop their own perspective on what “lost and found” means to them.
Kurtis Wallgren, junior musical theatre major and one of the fringe festival directors, says that directing one of the plays has brought him a different kind of perspective in itself.
“Directing has always been something that I’ve been interested in,” Wallgren said. “This year’s fringe festival was a perfect opportunity for me to gain directing experience and gain a new perspective on theatre that I don’t usually get from acting. Directing has allowed me grow in my passion for theatre.”
Katie Eyers, sophomore English major and fringe festival performer, also says that “Lost and Found” has been an opportunity for her to learn and grow in her passion for the arts.
“This collaboration has allowed me to learn so much about many aspects of theatre,” Eyers said. “I’m a part of the movement piece, the devised theatre piece and I’m stage managing one of the plays. Each role has allowed me to learn so much but also realize the importance of each piece of the production.”
Eyers connects the theme of “Lost and Found” to herself as this experience has allowed her to find her passion for theatre. She hopes that audience members will feel inspired by the performances to have the courage to find themselves, as well.
Performances for “Lost and Found” will be held in Jenkins Theatre of the Noel Fine Arts Center on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for non-students and $7 for students with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ID. Tickets are available at the UW-Stevens Point Information and Tickets Office, located in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, or by reserving them online through the Information and Tickets Office.
Anna Schuttenhelm
Online Editor
aschu445@uwsp.edu
