Voices from Hurt Street

By Kent State University at Stark Students

Written by students from Kent State University at Stark’s Devising Theatre course, this multi-genre theatre piece enacts true and personal stories of abusive relationships and social injustice that move the characters through the hopeful journey from hurt to healing.

For mature audiences only due to sexual content and strong language.

SHOW PHOTOS

Voices from Hurt Street: The Beginning

During the previous academic year, a Kent State Stark student had to deal with a form of sexual harassment. In search of aid and direction concerning this situation, that student received the support of many in the theatre program, as well as other resources, on campus. Amidst the turmoil and tears, an idea was hatched to create a theatre piece that would deal with a myriad of types of abusive relationships. Thus, out of hurt could come understanding, expression and healing.

Student interest in this new project was electrifying, as a number of people admitted that they had experienced some form of abusive relationship, ranging from bullying to domestic violence to other forms of social injustice. With strong administrative support and faculty interest, a Devising Theatre: Bullying and Abuse course was created for the Fall 2012 term for students to craft a theatre piece that would deal with these topics. A subsequent Devising Theatre course for the Spring 2013 term would continue to develop the work for a mainstage faculty directed theatre production that semester.

It is envisioned that this new theatre piece (titled Voices from Hurt Street) would have a collage type structure, featuring dramatic material in a number of genres, and presented in various styles. This might include scenes, poetry, memoir and testimony, songs and more, and utilize music to weave and underscore. This structure would also allow for shorter sections of Voices to be taken into classrooms on campus and into the community, where interactive sessions with the ensemble could foster spirited discussions about the themes of the show, and the experiences of those who contributed to it.

An actor from the popular television show Glee was interviewed recently and said that, when referring to his own life and work on the program, that "he was a voice that was never wanted, that had become one for those who didn't have a voice." Drama has the power to do so many positive things, and one of those is to change lives. We are proud to offer Voices From Hurt Street in that great theatrical tradition.

2013 Performance Dates

April 12, 13, 19 & 20 at 8 p.m.
April 14 & 21 (ASL interpreted) at 2:30 p.m.

Post-show talk backs with the members of the Voices from Hurt Street ensemble will be held after each performance in the Theatre.

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 April 1.
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.

Writing Ensemble

Charlie Dale
Charlie is a senior English major, was the co-editor in chief for the 2012 Canto edition, a previous tutor at the Writing Center and has been published in The Writing Center Review, and will be pursuing a MFA in creative nonfiction. His writing style topics include gay youth and suicide, same sex sexual assault, and living with and the effects of AIDS on society as a whole. His current work includes his Honors thesis, which is a creative nonfiction narrative on gays and the Holocaust.

Jillian Dailey
Jillian began her theatrical training at Lake Center Christian High School where she was involved in all the musicals and plays during her four years there. This included leading roles in Seussical and Little Women. She is a sophomore at Kent State Stark, where she has performed in Anton in Show Business and Plumfield, Iraq, and was the costume design assistant for I Love You Because and Evil Dead: The Musical.

Olivia Durell
Olivia appeared on the stage at Kent State Stark as Marcy in I Love You Because, Holly in Anton in Show Business and Melody in Dating Is Tough To Do...And Funny, Too! and stage managed Songs for a New World and Plumfield, Iraq at Kent State Stark. Olivia also serves as stage manager for Voices from Hurt Street. She has performed as Marian in The Music Man, Laurie in Oklahoma, and Grace in Annie. She is in her third year at Kent State Stark studying theatre, and works for the Theatre Department as a technician.

Courtney Lamb
Courtney is an English major with a writing minor, having taken classes in writing fiction, prose poetry, and poetry. She will be graduating in a year with her B.A., after which she hopes to continue her studies and pursue a career in writing.

Magan McLaughlin
Magan is currently a junior at Kent State University. She has served as costume design assistant and also worked as stage crew in various shows. She served as assistant stage manager for Plumfield, Iraq at Kent State Stark. She is honored to be working with peers and professionals alike on such a moving and vigorous production.

Karie Jo Milburn
Karie Jo, who began her undergraduate program at Baylor, graduated from Kent State University at Stark in December of 2012 with a B.A. in English and a writing minor, concentrating in fiction. She is currently enrolled in the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program at Carlow University in Pittsburgh.

Nichole Neely
Nichole is an English major with a writing minor. She will be graduating soon with her B.A. where she hopes to continue her studies in both fiction writing and composition theory.

Stephen Ostertag
Stephen is a theatre studies major, who is excited to be involved in the Kent State Stark Theatre scene, where he was a scenic/lighting design assistant for the recent production of Buried Child and will be a costume design assistant for the upcoming opera The Crucible. 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.

Michael Ritzert
Michael has taken classes in writing fiction at Kent State University at Stark. He has been active in community theater, including Carnation City Players in Alliance with credits including Jack in Into the Woods and Dickon in The Secret Garden.

Caitlin Roberts
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. At Kent State Stark, Caitlin was a crew member for I Love You Because, scenic/lighting design assistant for Buried Child, 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.

John-Michael Roberts
John-Michael is a junior at Kent State University at Stark majoring in psychology and minoring in theatre sound design. This is the ninth project he has been involved in on this campus. His work in the theater has ranged from acting (Buried Child, Huck Finn’s Story, Crazy for You), sound design assistant (I Love You Because, 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.

Mahalia Shoup
Mahalia is a senior English and nursing major with a writing minor, who enjoys prose poetry and creative non-fiction writing, and is published in Canto 24 and The Writing Center Review 2012. She is currently the Poetry Editor of Canto 25 and a columnist for a Filipino weekly newspaper, Ang Dyaryo Natin. She sees the opportunity of writing for Voices from Hurt Street both enriching and challenging.

David Sponhour
David has been active in theater for over 30 years. He has performed on many local stages, and acted at Kent State Stark in Buried Child, where he is a full time theatre student. David also serves as assistant director for Voices from Hurt Street. 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.

Bryan Steffee
Bryan has been part of many productions, such as Bye, Bye Birdie, Lil’ Abner, Annie, and The Sound of Music. He was a scenic/lighting design assistant for I Love You Because and a costume design assistant for Buried Child at Kent State Stark. He is majoring in theater with a minor in English.

Derek Wholihan
Derek is a Kent State University at Stark student majoring in computer animation.

Adam Yeich
Adam has studied writing poetry, prose poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenplay writing while a student at Kent State University at Stark. He plans to teach high school after graduation.

Cast

Audrea Amstutz
Audrea is a freshman at Kent State Stark majoring in communication studies and a minor in theatre. She graduated from Washington High School and was very involved in drama, choir, and musical performances since 3rd grade, debuting in the Canton Children’s Chorus at the Canton Players Guild. She has performed leading roles in Cinderella and Hello Dolly. Other acknowledgements include: Guys and Dolls, Sound of Music, a senior director of one-act plays, and a member of Thespian Club. Her stage presence does not end at acting for she has been very involved in her high school show choir: the Washingtonians, and has taken numerous solos to competition and have received superior ratings.

Megan Lombardi
Megan is currently studying theatre and psychology at Kent State Stark. She has been a costume design assistant for Plumfield, Iraq, and played Joby in Kent State Stark’s Anton in Show Business. She is also honored to be in the cast for Voices from Hurt Street and looks forward to being involved in future productions at Kent State Stark.

Ed Meunier
Ed is a retired English teacher from Plain Local Schools. He is married to Carol, a math and algebra teacher, also retired from PLS. Ed is father to three adult children and grandfather to five little ones. Besides Carol and theatre, golf is the love of his life. Favorite theatre roles include Fagin in Oliver! at LT of New Philadelphia; George in Virginia Woolf at Kathleen Howland; and John Mueller in The Romeo and Juliet War at North Canton Playhouse. He also enjoys being a part of Spotlight on Youth with NCP, performing in elementary schools from Cleveland to New Philadelphia.

Maya Nicholson
Maya is a freshman at Kent State Stark majoring in musical theatre with a minor in marketing. She graduated from Copley High School in Copley, Ohio as the President of her Thespian Club, where she performed in Smokey Joe’s Café, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Little Shop of Horrors; she has also directed George Washington Slept Here and Copley’s Got Talent (the annual talent show). She was also costume design assistant for Kent State Stark’s I Love You Because, and is currently enrolled in theatre courses and aspires to be a Broadway director.

Terese Linder
Though she recently graduated from Eastern University with a bachelor's degree in psychology, theatre has been a long time fascination of Terese Louise Linder. While at Eastern, Tess participated in the actor’s lab, which consisted of a small group of students, dedicated to the exploration of greater openness and risk taking through acting. Tess’s earlier theatre experience includes productions from GlenOak high school, The North Canton Playhouse and the Player’s Guild Theatre in North Canton. These include The Shape of Things (Jenny), A Christmas Carol (Martha Cratchit), To Kill a Mocking Bird (Stephanie Crawford), and Playing For Time (Greta). Tess's recent role of Jenny in The Shape of Things was a benchmark that symbolized the resurfacing and development, of an old dream and passion. Tess feels that her current role in Voices from Hurt Street will be a challenging and healing experience, as she embraces theatre as a medium of play and creative expression.

David Sponhour
David has been active in theater for over 30 years. He has performed on many local stages, and acted at Kent State Stark in Buried Child, where he is a full time theatre student. David also serves as assistant director for Voices From Hurt Street. 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.

Cassandra Terry
Cassandra is a sophomore at Kent State Stark and is pursuing a degree in human development and family studies with a focus in family life education. Her previous theatre experience includes acting in Godspell, Once Upon A Mattress, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, and Annie Get Your Gun. Cassie is a graduate of Field High School and when not busy with her schoolwork, she enjoys reading, dancing and spending quality time with her family.

John Walker
John has appeared at Kent State Stark in Dating is Tough to do…And Funny, Too!, Songs For a New World, Plumfield, Iraq, and Evil Dead, The Musical. He also was assistant stage manager for The Glass Menagerie. John has performed elsewhere in Les Miserables, Oliver Twist, South Pacific, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie and many more. John is a theatre major and his goals are to work on television and movies as an actor after graduation.

SueAnn Zavarelle
SueAnn is a freshman at Kent State University at Stark, in her second semester. She plans to major in psychology and minor in theatre performance and fine arts. She has been in plays throughout her life in school and in church. Voices from Hurt Street is her first play at Kent State Stark. About two years ago, she was also an extra in 25 Hill, a movie directed and produced by Corbin Bernsen.

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.

Robert Miltner: Dramaturg
Robert Miltner is Associate Professor of English at Kent State University at Stark. He is on the Poetry Faculty of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts Consortium Program (NEOMFA) and serves as its Kent Campus Coordinator. Robert is the author of a dozen chapbooks, including Against the Simple, winner of a Wick Chapbook Award, and limited editions, including Ghost of a Chance, with lithographs by Wendy Colin Sorrin, published by Zygote Press, Cleveland’s premier printmaking cooperative. His collection of prose poems, Hotel Utopia, selected by National Book Award for Poetry Finalist Tim Seibles as winner of the Many Voices Project Book Award and published by New Rivers Press in 2011, was a finalist for the 2012 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry. While his acting experience is limited—a remake of the silent film The Prodigal Daughter and playing Paul Brennan in Christopher Durang’s The Marriage of Bette and Boo - he has given readings at nearly 200 venues including colleges, coffee shops, museums and galleries. His current collaborative project is Two Trains Too Many, a CD of his poems with original compositions by Kent State University at Stark guitarist Erin Vaughn.

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.

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.

David Sponhour: Assistant Director
David has been active in theater for over 30 years. He has performed on many local stages, and acted at Kent State Stark in Buried Child, where he is a full time theatre student. David also serves as assistant director for Voices from Hurt Street. 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.

Lauren Vachon: Assistant Dramaturg
Lauren is a fiction writer and a master's student in the Northeast Ohio MFA creative writing program. She will graduate in August 2013. Lauren is a graduate assistant for the Kent State LGBTQ Neighborhoods Project. She is also an LGBT affiliate instructor at Kent State University, where she has taught LGBT Studies. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, with which she hopes to combine her interests in writing, queer theory, and teaching.

Olivia Durell: Stage Manager
Olivia appeared on the stage at Kent State Stark as Marcy in I Love You Because, Holly in Anton in Show Business and Melody in Dating Is Tough To Do...And Funny, Too! and stage managed Songs for a New World and Plumfield, Iraq at Kent State Stark. Olivia also serves as stage manager for Voices from Hurt Street. She has performed as Marian in The Music Man, Laurie in Oklahoma, and Grace in Annie. She is in her third year at Kent State Stark studying theatre, and works for the Theatre Department as a technician.

Lauren Paulis: Assistant Stage Manager
Lauren is a freshman at Kent State Stark majoring in theatre. She plans to transfer to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City this fall. She has appeared in numerous community theatre and high school productions. Also, she was an active member in GlenOak’s choral department; including being a member of The Drifters and Chorale. Some of her favorite productions include Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt), Ax of Murder (Darlene), Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl), and Mulan (Zhang).

Jonathan Diehl: Assistant Stage Manager
Jonathan is a freshman at Kent State Stark, pursuing a music composition degree. He graduated from Perry High School in 2012. He served on crew for I Love You Because at Kent State Stark.

Magan McLaughlin: Costume Designer
Magan is currently a junior at Kent State University. She has served as costume design assistant and also worked as stage crew in various shows. She served as assistant stage manager for Plumfield, Iraq at Kent State Stark. She is honored to be working with peers and professionals alike on such a moving and vigorous production.

Stacey Pasternak: Makeup Designer
Stacey is a sophomore American Sign Language major. Her previous theatre experience includes Evil Dead: The Musical, Buried Child, Annie, and The Outsiders. She was an assistant stage manager for I Love You Because, will be the stage manager for The Crucible in the summer and works for the Theatre Department as a technician.

Molly Patterson: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
Molly is a sophomore theatre technical and design major, and was stage manager for I Love You Because and assistant stage manager for Buried Child at Kent State Stark. 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!

Sarah Peters: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
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 performances include Buried Child and Anton in Show Business at Kent State Stark, where she was also a scenic/lighting design assistant for I Love You Because. She also performed in 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.

Kerry McCarthy: Multimedia Design/Sound Design Assistant
Kerry is currently a senior majoring in theatre studies at Kent State University. She was sound design assistant for Anton in Show Business, assisted costume crew in Huck Finn's Story, and was costume design assistant for Songs for a New World, stage managed Dating is Tough to Do...And Funny, Too! and The Glass Menagerie, and was the sound design assistant for Plumfield, Iraq and Evil Dead: The Musical. Kerry has also designed costumes for Puss in Boots and was head costumer for Aladdin Jr. at Medina Performing Arts Center for summer theatre.

Tim Novotny: Multimedia Design/Sound Design Assistant
Tim is currently a senior at Kent State University. He was a sound design assistant for I Love You Because at Kent State Stark, and has served as a sound designer and production assistant on many of the university’s productions, including The Crucible, Grease, and the Kent Dance Ensemble. He is also a prominent figure in the local independent (horror) film scene and is known for his acting, scoring, and cinematography in films such as Tonight You Die, Mantua, Giallo Girl, and Gangrene: The Dink Documentary.

Jered Rossow: Multimedia Design/Sound Design Assistant
Jered is a sophomore at Kent State Stark, with a few previous plays under his belt, such as assistant stage manager for I Love You Because, sound design assistant for Buried Child, 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.

Jillian Dailey: Costume Design Assistant
Jillian began her theatrical training at Lake Center Christian High School where she was involved in all the musicals and plays during her four years there. This included leading roles in Seussical and Little Women. She is a sophomore at Kent State Stark, where she has performed in Anton in Show Business and Plumfield, Iraq, and was the costume design assistant for I Love You Because and Evil Dead: The Musical.

Caitlin Roberts: Makeup Design
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. At Kent State Stark, Caitlin was a crew member for I Love You Because, scenic/lighting design assistant for Buried Child, 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.

Cory Kosman: Musician/Composer
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 took place at his high school. He was a scenic/lighting design assistant for I Love You Because and on crew for Buried Child at Kent State Stark, and hopes to continue on the tech path throughout college and beyond.

Leah Reese: Crew
Leah is a freshman a 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 served on crew for I Love You Because and Buried Child at Kent State Stark.