Buried Child

by Sam Shephard

Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama takes a macabre look at the disintegration of the American dream. Mystery and humor combine in the Midwestern home of a dysfunctional family with a very dark secret that plunges them into bizarre degeneration and finally, toward hope.

For mature audiences only.

SHOW PHOTOS

2012 Performance Dates

November 2, 3, 9 & 10 at 8 p.m.
November 4 & 11 (ASL interpreted) at 2:30 p.m.

Ticket Information

Adults - $10
Seniors (55 and over) - $7
Non-KSU Students (17 and under) - $7
KSU Students - Free with current ID

• Tickets go on sale October 22.
• Purchase tickets online, by phone or in person at the Box Office.
• Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted. Checks and cash accepted in person at the Box Office.
• Tickets purchased online or by phone will be available at Will Call.
• Will Call opens one hour prior to curtain time and closes when the performance begins.
• Kent State Students: Free admission with current Kent State ID. Seats must be reserved in person at the Box Office.
• No refunds for purchased tickets. Exchanges for the same production can be made by contacting the Box Office prior to the reserved performance date.
• Tickets held at Will Call will be forfeited if not picked up by curtain time.

Cast

Jim Viront as Dodge
Jim has been as actor for 35 years. His experience ranges from dinner theatre to summer stock; from community theatre to residential repertory. He was very active in the Players’ Guild of Canton and with Akron’s Weathervane Playhouse in the 1980’s. Most recently he was proudly involved with Akron’s Bang n’ Clatter Theatre where he played the title role in their inaugural production of The Late Henry Moss. He also appeared as Barney in B n’ C’s Defender of the Faith; Mr. Vaneslaw in Betty’s Summer Vacation and Uncle Tony in Griller. Jim was awarded Scene Magazine’s Best Actor in Northeast Ohio for his portrayal of Uncle Tony. Finally, film geeks might recognize Jim as Zachariah in the cult horror classic The Sandman. God bless Sam Shepard.

Jacki Dietz as Halie
Jacki has been seen in many productions locally, most recently Dot's Journey by local playwright Craig May. She is honored to work with such a talented production staff and ensemble of actors. She would like to thank everyone in this production for allowing and welcoming her to participate in this creative journey. She knows you will enjoy what everyone has created.

David Sponhour as Tilden
David has been active in theater for over 30 years.  Performing  on many local stages this is his first performance here on the Kent State University at Stark stage, where he is a full time Theatre student. He is also a founding member of “Scared Scriptless”, Canton’s premiere professional Improv troupe. Some of his favorite past performances include Crumpet in Santaland Diaries, Comet in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Jerry in Zoo Story, and Hal in Proof starring All My Children’s David Canary. He spends what little free time he has with his wonderful, spectacular, and supportive wife, Christine.

Chris McDaniel as Bradley
Chris is a third semester sophomore majoring in Classical Greek and minoring in theatre. He graduated from Pell City High School in Pell City, Alabama where he performed in Everafter and Our Town, stage managed Wizard of Oz, and was a technician on all three shows. Has taken several theatre classes at Kent State Stark, and was a Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant for the production of Anton in Show Business on campus last season.

Anthony Antoniades as Vince
Anthony Antoniades appeared in Huck Finn’s Story and Dating Is Tough To Do...And Funny, Too! and Plumfield, Iraq at Kent State Stark, where he also stage managed Songs for a New World and Evil Dead: The Musical, and served as lighting design assistant for Anton in Show Business. He is a theatre major at Kent State.

Sarah Peters as Shelley
Sarah is majoring in Electronic Media while minoring in Theatre. After attending a year at Kent, she transferred to NYCDA: School for Film and Television located in New York City, which she graduated from. In addition to NYCDA, she also received voice over training from Howard Ross, her voice over coach, voice over character training from Paul Liberti, and improv training from the Red Tie Mafia improvisational group. She has now returned to Kent to finish where she left off. Before college, she appeared in numerous community plays at the Canal Fulton Players Guild, and was active in her high school theatre and choir productions. Some of her past shows include Anton in Show Business (at Kent State Stark) The Music Man, The Odd Couple, Bus Stop, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and Blithe Spirit.

John-Michael Roberts as Father Dewis
John Michael is a junior at Kent State University at Stark majoring in Psychology and minoring in Theatre Sound Design. This is his seventh project he has been involved in on this campus. His work in the theater has ranged from acting (Huck Finn’s Story/Crazy for You), sound design (Dating is Tough to Do and Funny Too, The Glass Menagerie) and stage management (Anton in Show Business). In the future he hopes to continue his work in theatre while working on his degree in counseling. 

Production Team

Brian Newberg: Director
Brian Newberg is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Director at Kent State University at Stark. Brian’s directing experience (over eighty production credits) includes Broadway, Regional, Equity Waiver, industry showcases, new work development, and many college productions. He has extensive experience as an actor (over seventy production credits) in the New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oregon areas. He has also served as an Associate Artistic Director for a regional theatre company, run his own private acting studios, and taught at a number of colleges on the west coast before coming to Kent State. Brian is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and received his M.F.A. in Directing from the University of California, Irvine.

Louis Williams: Scenic & Lighting Designer
Louis Williams is the resident technical director, and scenic and lighting designer, at Kent State Stark and has designed over 200 productions in 30 years in theatre, opera, ballet and rock-n-roll. This includes work with such theatre companies as: The American Ballet Theatre II, The Joffrey Ballet II, The Arizona Theatre Company, The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, The Kenley Players, The Ohio Light Opera, The Cleveland Opera, The Cinncinnati Opera, Southern Arizona Light Opera Company, Carousel Dinner Theatre, The Agora, Cleveland Ohio, The Temple Of Music And Art, Tucson, Arizona, ChildsPlay Inc, of Phoenix, Arizona, and The Scottsdale Civic Center, Scottsdale, Arizona. Read more about Louis Williams.

Susan Blurton: Costume Designer
Susan Blurton has designed costumes for various productions over the past 16 years including the Canton Palace Theater, Canton Civic Center, Players Guild, Porthouse Theatre, John F. Knight Center, Akron Civic Theater and The Christmas Spectacular, which was recorded and aired on PBS. She began her venture into theatre while living in New York and freelancing for Off-Broadway shows, mainly as a stitcher and pattern maker. She designed sportswear for the 7th Ave. design house Ellen Tracy/Liz Claiborne. Her duties included designs for sportswear and the dress division, purchases of all fabric and trims, and dressing models at runway shows and photo shoots. While living in L.A., she served as a dresser to Franki Valli, The Pointer Sisters, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and she was a personal shopper for Aaron Spelling. Along with designing costumes, she is an active artist and art teacher. She received her B.S. in Fashion Design from the University of Cincinnati, Teaching Certification from Mount Union University and M.A. from Marygrove College.

Ron Jarvis: Sound Designer
You might recognize Ron Jarvis as a performer, producer, music director, and/or composer for such stalwart North East Ohio acts as The Buckeye Biscuit Band, Ital, First Light, Alex Bevan, Pat Dailey and, most recently, Macaw; the American Worldbeat Band.  He is also an adjunct faculty member at Kent State where he has taught Art of the Theatre and Theatre Criticism classes as well as the three part series of Sound Design and Technology classes for the Entertainment Arts and Technologies certificates program. Ron has worked with world renowned directors Vincent Dowling (composition for The Winter’s Tale at Kent State) as well as Ping Chong (Blindness: The Irresistible Light Of Encounter at La Mama Theatre in NYC) and has served as a live mix consultant at Geauga Lake and Cedar Point Amusement Parks. Although his first sound design for Kent State Stark was for the 2002 production of Dancing at Lughnasa, since 2007 he has designed many of the Kent State Stark theatrical productions including Oklahoma!, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Into the Woods, The Revenger’s Tragedy, The Mikado, Crazy for You, Dating is Tough to Do...and Funny, Too!, Songs for a New World, Plumfield, Iraq, Evil Dead: The Musical and Anton in Show Business.

Joshua Brown: Stage Manager
Joshua Brown has performed in many plays throughout his high school career (including roles in Once and Future King and Oklahoma) and appeared in Plumfield, Iraq and Evil Dead: The Musical and was assistant stage manager for Anton in Show Business at Kent State Stark.  

Molly Patterson: Assistant Stage Manager
Molly is a Sophomore BFA Theatre Technical and Design major. She recently returned to Kent State after spending a year making magic at Walt Disney World! Her previous technical credits include Nunsense, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Cedar Point's Rock Band Live! She is thrilled to be part of a great production team for her first show at Kent State Stark.

Stephen Ostertag: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
Stephen is a Theatre Studies major who is excited to be getting involved in the Kent State Stark Theatre scene. Some of his favorite onstage credits include Lennie in Of Mice and Men, The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, and Nick in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Stephen also enjoys directing, writing and designing. When not busy with school, or his two children, Stephen runs the Silver Star Youth Theatre Company with his wife, Tricia.   

Caitlin Roberts: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
Caitlin is a sophomore at Kent State Stark and is pursuing degrees in music education and theatre. Previous theatre experience includes acting in Lil Abner, Anything Goes and Oklahoma. Cait is a graduate of Northwest High School, and is involved in worship at her church and working on youth drama there. Last season at Kent State Stark, Caitlin was an assistant stage manager for Plumfield, Iraq and the makeup/special effects design assistant for Evil Dead: The Musical, and acted multiple roles in Anton in Show Business.

Jered Rossow: Sound Design Assistant Jered is a sophomore at Kent State Stark, with a few previous plays under his belt, such as crew for Evil Dead: The Musical and costume design assistant for Anton in Show Business at Kent State Stark; and a few performances in high school including Robin Hood: A New Generation.

Bryan Steffee: Costume Design Assistant
Bryan has been part of many productions, such as Bye, Bye Birdie, Lil’ Abner, Annie, and The Sound of Music. This is his first time being part of a production as an assistant designer. He is majoring in Theater with a minor in English, and he is most excited to be part of the Stage Combat class, and the special Devising Theater class that will deal with the topics of bullying and abuse.

Cory Kosman: Crew
Cory’s theater experience started in 7th grade when he acted in the musical Guys And Dolls. When freshman year rolled around he found himself being drawn towards the technical side of the theater. Since then he has had a deep love of anything tech related; sound especially. He has been the lead sound engineer on two musicals at his high school. He has also worked sound for two rock concerts that also took place at his high school. Now that he is on the tech crew at Kent State Stark he hopes to continue on the tech path throughout college and beyond. 

Leah Reese: Crew
Leah is a freshman at Kent State Stark and majoring in Early Childhood Education. She has been in numerous musicals and plays at her alma mater Tuslaw High School: The Pajama Game, The Sound of Music, High School Musical, Seussical, The Boyfriend Project, and John Lennon and Me. She is super excited to be involved in her first production at the Theatre at Kent State Stark.