HOPE, a New Works Festival features five new works from OBU students. Our playwrights began working at the beginning of the semester to create plays which showcased the themes of HOPE, as understood by the Lynn Institute and OBU. The four plays were selected to be performed, and one piece was selected as the basis for a design. Our guest director, Jennifer Ezell, worked with our students using a variety of techniques including Viewpoints and Jacques Lecoq’s movement techniques to bring our young playwrights’ visions to life. She also worked with our student designers who played a large role in the outcome of the shows.  

Faculty member Alex Webster, led the devising team on a new adventure to create theatre work using non-traditional movement and voice techniques, interview-based devising styles, and a design-first approach to theatre. This resulted in a new performance piece called The Ordinary.  

These five works heavily feature our students’ creativity, growth, and collaboration. Teamwork, determination, and perseverance were the biggest lessons learned alongside acting techniques, design principles, technology processes, and creating works of theatre. Our playwrights, designers, and actors getting to see fully realized plays in a collegiate setting is a privilege that not many students are afforded. We are glad to showcase the work that they are creating and hope you enjoy the show.