Once every three years Knox College gives student the chance to take a deep dive into the trappings of the theatre.
This is the 17th year they’ve offered the Repertory Term, a semester in which 40 students devote all their study time to mounting two productions.
Knox Theatre Professor Neil Blackadder explains to WGIL that the students handle nearly aspect of the two shows.
“The productions are directed by faculty and some of the key design positions are held by faculty, but a lot of it is done by students,” Blackadder says. “All of the acting is students, the sets are built by students and in this case sound design for both of the shows was done by students.”
The pair of shows being tackled this rep term include an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” and “The Secret in the Wings”, Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of a collection of fairy tales.
Blackadder says that “Neverwhere” involves all 40 students in the program, while “Secret in the Wings” is much smaller in scale.
“But what they have in common is that they are both adaptation of the stories for the stage, because we always try to make sure that the stories are linked in some way.”
“The Secret in the Wings” has shows tomorrow and Saturday in the Studio Theatre.
“Neverwhere” has shows tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday in the Harbach Theatre.
