Up next is Jen Silverman’s “The Moors,” presented in partnership with the University of Dayton’s Theatre, Dance and Performance Technology program. Slated Nov. 30-Dec. 3 inside UD’s Fitz Hall Black Box Theatre, the play “delves into the complexities of relationships and the blurred boundaries of reality.” Michelle Campbell Hayford, associate professor of theatre at UD, will direct.
“The playwright describes (’The Moors’) as ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Jane Eyre,’ but it’s all present and turned upside down,” said Gina Minyard, founding artistic director of Magnolia Theatre Company. “It’s a beautiful, female-driven story with great opportunities for students and professional actors. We hope this collaboration shows UD students that they can live here in Dayton and have a professional career.”
The company will return to the PNC Arts Annex for its comedic season finale. Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder’s “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” will be performed April 4-7, 2024. Set in the 1950s, the play promises to take audiences on a journey “filled with laughter, warmth and unexpected twists.”
The 2023-2024 season marks Magnolia’s first as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its first since the coronavirus pandemic. Minyard is aware of the company’s potential to impact local audiences with fresh perspectives and representation.
“We’re ready to be immersed back into the community again,” she said. “And we’ve further recognized how underrepresented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) women are in the arts. I’m proud it’s easier for us to shift and elevate those stories, and I don’t think anybody else in Dayton is doing it in that way. Our unique perspective to tell female-driven stories can always fit into the landscape here.”
For more information about these productions or to purchase tickets, visit www.magnoliatheatrecompany.com.
Dayton Live Creative Academy classes
Dayton Live’s Creative Academy is gearing up for the fall season offering a variety of professionally curated performing arts experiences.
Free Sample Classes will be held Saturday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 2. This is an opportunity for the young people in your life to explore their creativity through dancing, acting and improv.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
During this one-hour class, attendees will explore activities from the Creative Academy’s upcoming fall session offerings. Classes for ages 4-7 will be held at 9 a.m., ages 7-12 will be held at 10 a.m., and ages 12-18 at 11 a.m. These classes are free but registration is required at daytonlive.org/creative. Space is limited. Classes will be held at the PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton.
Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame/DayTony Awards
Dayton Theatre Guild board member Debra Kent and retired Northmont City Schools drama teacher Marjorie Strader were inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 23.
For over 20 years and in addition to the aforementioned Guild, Kent has participated with such troupes as Beavercreek Community Theatre, Brookville Community Theatre, Dayton Playhouse and Undercroft Players. She has also handled publicity for the Guild, participated in the Ohio Playwrights Circle and has served as a regional representative to the Ohio Community Theater Association.
Her directorial credits at the Guild include “Relativity,” “The Price,” “Icebergs,” “Nice Girl,” “All My Sons,” “Luna Gale,” “Last Gas,” “Good People,” " Time Stands Still,” “The Story of My Life,” and “A Case of Libel.” She has also directed for the Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest of new plays and will direct Neil Simon’s “The Gingerbread Lady” next season for Beavercreek Community Theatre.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Strader most recently directed “Broadway Bound” for the Guild and served as lighting designer for “Relativity.” At Northmont High School she directed over 80 plays and musicals, six of which were honored as featured mainstage productions at Ohio Educational Theatre Association state conferences. She also continues to manage the auditorium at Northmont High School. Beyond the Northmont community, she directed shows for Tippecanoe High School and works closely with several dance studios and community theater programs such as Vandalia Youth Theatre.
The Hall of Fame ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual DayTony Awards, recognizing outstanding accomplishments from the 2022-2023 season by participating theaters. The seven shows that received top honors for Outstanding Production: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Springboro Community Theatre); “Barefoot in the Park” (Troy Civic Theatre); “The Lifespan of a Fact” (Dayton Theatre Guild); “Next to Normal” (INNOVAtheatre); “The Outsider” (Springboro Community Theatre); “Relativity” (Dayton Theatre Guild); and “Twelfth Night” (Beavercreek Community Theatre). The festivities were held at Beavercreek Community Theatre.
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