The Saint-Bonaventure student theater troupe will present “We Live by the Sea” from April 6 to 9

March 29, 2022

SBU Theatre, St. Bonaventure University’s student theater group, will present its Spring 2022 production “We Live by the Sea” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, April 6-9, at the Garret Theater, located next to the Devereux Hall on the Saint-Bonaventure campus.

‘We Live by the Sea’ tells the story of Katy, a 15-year-old girl with autism, and her older sister, Hannah, who live in a small house on the Yorkshire coast in England, with the dog Katy’s imagination. , Paul. When troubled teenager Ryan arrives from London, Katy and Hannah must work to integrate someone new into their complicated relationship.

“It’s a beautiful play,” said Dr. Ed. Simone, drama teacher and director of the SBU Theater Program, who also directs the play. “It’s very affirming, very positive and look at what it’s like to love and be loved by someone with autism spectrum disorder.”

“We live by the sea” was developed in 2016 by the theater group Patch of Blue. The playwrights are Lloyd Bagley, Alex Brain, Alex Howarth, Alex Simonet and Elizabeth Williams. It was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, then had success in London and near Broadway in New York. The New York Times called it “a tender, comic and deeply enchanting spectacle”.

The cast includes sophomore theater student Jesus Martinez; Kimberlie Mitchell, first-year psychology student; Bianca Billoni, music and journalism junior double major; and Nina van Volkenberg, a freshman in strategic communications.

Sydney Layton, a first-year child education student, is the production manager, and Autumn Reed, a first-year psychology student, is the assistant manager. The tech team includes Meghan Baehl, an adolescent education major with a theater minor; Madison Wood, major in media studies and minor in theater; and Emily Tiedemann, major in public health and minor in theater.

The lighting design for the show was done by Ryan Wheeler, Theater and Facilities Technician at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts in Saint-Bonaventure. Wheeler also built the set with Don Hopwood, Technical Director and Facilities Manager of the Quick Center.

“We are very grateful to Don and Ryan, as well as Ludwig Brunner, Executive Director of the Quick Center,” said Simone. “Don and Ryan are a great team and their work has allowed us to deliver a stronger and more visually impactful production.”

Janell Clingenpeel, Technical Director of SBU Theater and Assistant Theater Program Instructor, is the show’s set, prop and costume designer. Clingenpeel had previously served as a guest costumer for the SBU Theater productions “Picasso au Lapin Agile”, “A Christmas Carol”, and “Lines: A Surrealist Vaudeville”.

“It’s my first set design and I was really excited about it,” Clingenpeel said. “It’s a real pleasure to work with everyone on such a great show.”

Clingenpeel’s design incorporates elements from Katy’s fantasy life on the sea, including a full sail and mast, as well as pieces of the house Katy shares with her sister, Hannah, and her imaginary dog ​​friend, Paul. “We live by the sea” also presents a video projection and original music composed and mixed by Dr. Les Sabina, music teacher at Saint-Bonaventure.

“This play gives our student actors and technicians the opportunity to tell a really moving, important and often very funny story using virtually any tool that theater has to offer,” said Simone. “The play quickly oscillates between the imaginary worlds of Katy and the daily life of the sisters and their new friend Ryan. The cast and crew impressed me at every rehearsal. I hope ‘We Live by the Sea’ is as inspiring to our audience as it has been to us.”

The show is approximately 65 minutes with no intermission and contains adult language and subject matter.

Tickets for “We Live by the Sea” are $8 for the general public and $6 for seniors, students and

Saint-Bonaventure employees. For information and reservations, call the Quick Center box office at (716) 375-2494.

Free “Student Rush” tickets (for unsold theater seats) will be available to SBU students beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the night of each performance. These can be picked up at the Quick Center box office, which is located next to Devereux Hall and the Garret Theatre. Each student is entitled to a ticket on presentation of a student card. These tickets must be picked up in person.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, Université Saint-Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring them with a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the 5th regional college value in the North in the 2022 edition of US News and World Report’s College Rankings.

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