Virtual Devotion

BY ERIC COBLE

It’s the end of the world as we know it; pollution, terrorism and disease have taken over humanity. Three characters, Pete, Anne and Ruth – all members of a broken family – attempt to sell their faith to nonbelievers in various, and sometimes violent, ways, as a last-ditch effort to save souls, including their own. Through a series of ironic, laughable and most unfortunate events, all of the characters, including the returned Son of God, Jesus Christ, find one another on the Home Shopping Network selling religious artifacts. But now that they are finally together, is it too late to stop the ensuing Armageddon?

SHOW PHOTOS

2018 Performance Dates

February 23 & 24 and March 2 & 3 at 7:30 p.m.
February 25 & March 4 (March 4 ASL interpreted) at 2 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 sales begin February 12 at 8 a.m..
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

Sean McCormick: Rev. Pete
Sean is excited to make his debut performance at Kent State Stark. Located in the Cleveland area, Sean's previous theatre experience includes The Lyons (Curtis Lyons) at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre and performances at Broadview Heights Spotlights in Footloose, The Musical (Reverend Shaw Moore), And Then There Were None (Anthony Marston), and Boeing Boeing (Bernard Lawrence). Outside of theatre, Sean is a college lecturer in philosophy and comparative religion at Cleveland State University, an auxiliary police officer, and a bartender. He hopes that you all enjoy the show!

Cassandra Terry: Ruth
Cassandra is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. As a student, she appeared in several theatre productions and is incredibly excited and honored to be back acting with Kent State University. Her previous theatre experience includes: Spring Awakening, Our House, Voices from Hurt Street, Godspell, Once Upon A Mattress, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, and Annie Get Your Gun. Cassandra currently works for Akron Children’s Hospital, hopes to continue acting, and thanks you for coming to the show!

Morgan Brown: Anne
Morgan is currently a sophomore at Kent State Stark, with a major in theatre performance. She has been acting for most of her life, during which time she has had the privilege of playing a multitude of roles, including Oliver in Oliver!, The Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol (Players Guild Theatre), Peter Pan in Peter Pan (GlenOak High School), Steph in Reasons To Be Happy and Henrietta in Silent Sky at Kent State Stark. Most recently, Morgan was the Assistant Stage Manager for Consider the Oyster at Kent State Stark. Morgan would like to thank her family and God for their constant love and support, and Brian Newberg for the honor of being involved with this show.

Reis Rankin: Jesus

Sarah Brine: Lil, Others, Voiceovers

Anthony Antoniades: Zach, Others
Anthony Antoniades appeared in Huck Finn’s Story, Dating Is Tough To Do...And Funny, Too!, Plumfield, Iraq, Buried Child, Blur and These Shining Lives at Kent State Stark, where he also stage managed Songs for a New World and Evil Dead: The Musical, served as lighting design assistant for Anton in Show Business, sound design assistant in Silent Sky and served as crew for Reasons To Be Happy, Almost, Maine, The Bicentennial Project, What We're Up Against and Consider the Oyster. He is a theatre major at Kent State.

Production Team

Brian Newberg: Director
Brian Newberg is an Associate 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.

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.

Stephen Ostertag: Costume Designer
Stephen is excited to be a part of Kent State Stark Theatre’s creative team. Stephen earned his BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from Kent State University in 2015. After graduating in the top of his class, Stephen immediately joined Kent State University Stark as their Costume Designer in residence and adjunct instructor teaching Costume Design and Makeup courses. The proud father of three, Stephen founded the Silver Star Youth Theatre Company with his wife, Tricia. For five years Silver Star provided theatrical opportunities for young performers through collaboration with Stark Parks. Stephen hopes to continue working in theatre instruction at every age level, “Theatre is about community and team work, qualities which are vital to a healthy society.” Some of his favorite design credits include: Spring Awakening, Cabaret, These Shining Lives, Almost Maine, Memphis, Silent Sky, and Sister Act.

Sergio Rosa: Assistant Director
Sergio Rosa was an actor for 11 years in Brazil, as his second job, with the troupe Fraternal Cia de Artes & Malas-Artes. This Brazilian theater company is devoted to research, and the development of texts based on Italian Comedia Dell’ Arte and native Brazilian culture. Sergio also wrote and direct shows about slavery in Brazil, and the role that Capoeira (a unique Brazilian martial art developed by slaves in Brazil) plays. He moved to the United States two years ago, and he is very happy with this opportunity to learn from Brian and his team, and have good times watching the show for free.