Senior Brianna Lugibihl of Gomer, Ohio, will present an original play titled “Demo” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 24 in Ramseyer Auditorium in College Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.
Lugibihl is an education major with a theatre minor and will graduate this May. This performance is a partial fulfillment of Lugibihl’s department honors project. She wrote and will stage and produce this play.
Lugibihl researched the effects of trauma on creativity in adolescence and used her research to create “Demo.” The two-act play will be be staged this week to open conversations on the way future life experiences are impacted by sexual assault and mental health awareness at the middle and high school ages. The script is accompanied with lesson plans and teacher resources tied into core content to help middle school classrooms address and examine how creativity and overall learning are affected by trauma.
Participating students are Devony Miller ’19 of Findlay, Ohio; Erika Byler ’18 of Shipshewana, Ind.; Heather McConnaughey ’20 of Pioneer, Ohio; Christopher Brenner ’19 of Defiance, Ohio; Demetrius Terry ’20 of Columbus, Ohio; Brooke Ryman ’18 of Troy, Ohio; Brista Drake ’19 of Richwood, Ohio; Alexis Oaks ’19 of Rushsylvania, Ohio; and RaeLee Hightower ’19 of Tulsa, Okla. Bluffton graduate Alex Parker ’16 will return to perform as one of the main characters.
Bluffton graduate Jessica Roth ’15 served as a manuscript editor and Dr. Melissa Friesen will serve as the faculty advisor. Micayla Hanover ’18 of Sidney, Ohio, will serve as the stage manager. Brianna Keith ’17 of of Grafton, Ohio and Isabelle Friend ’20 of Findlay, Ohio, will serve as the crew. Joshua Leatherman ’17 of Goshen, Ind., and Keith will serve as the lighting and sound designers.
Theatre study at Bluffton provides training and experience in many performance areas such as acting, directing, set construction, makeup design and execution, costuming, lighting and sound design and stage management. Participation in Bluffton theatre productions gives students a chance to experience all facets of theatrical production.
A student can earn departmental honors at commencement after completion of the following requirements: a 3.0 GPA or higher, submission of progress reports throughout the course of the project, an oral exam administered by the sponsoring committee and the submission of a final report in various locations on campus. A faculty advisor is required to serve as a guide for the writing of the proposal and the completion of the project.
— Story provided to The Wit by Claire Clay
