World Premiere of Lahaie's play BIG BROTHER 2014 - GWU Theater Presents a Political and Social Thriller
March 1, 2010
Big Brother 2014 Hits the Stage (Article by GWU Public Relations)
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Gardner-Webb University Theater will be performing "Big Brother 2014," a multi-media stage performance based on themes from George Orwell's novel "1984." The production will be March 2-6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dover Theater located inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.
This new and original play is written and directed by Scot Lahaie, director of GWU Theater, and designed for the stage by Christopher Keene, GWU technical director for theater. Both are associate professors in the Gardner-Webb Department of Communications Studies.
Set in a future America, the play offers a "what if scenario" and examines the abuses of power in government and the effects on the nation's people. Lahaie and Keene have put together a play they believe will speak powerfully about the need to guard the liberties enumerated in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Lahaie notes that, "This is a political play for an apolitical generation and a call to action for every college student in the nation."
Because of the show's emphasis on freedom of speech and the free expression of that voice on the Internet, it will be streaming live on the World Wide Web each evening.
Lead roles in the production include Ron Houser, who plays the part of "Spartacus," and Ruthie Moore who plays his love interest. Ashley Burton plays the part of the "villain."
"Big Brother 2014 is a play about our times," said Lahaie, "We want people to be aware that they can and should voice their opinions in society or else our freedom of speech will be taken away." The play is meant to be a thought provoking political and social commentary on liberties and the rights of individuals.
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New Website for LEAR ReLoaded
December 8, 2009
Professor Lahaie has just posted a new website dedicated exclusively to his production of LEAR ReLoaded. It contains information about the cast & production team, as well as photos of the show. Check it out by clicking here!
BIG BROTHER 2010 - a New Drama in Twelve Scenes
October 30, 2009
Professor Lahaie has just completed the script for his most recent play entitled BIG BROTHER 2010. This new dramatic piece explores the recent trend of big government to limit American freedoms. The scene is set in 2014 after the US President has signed the Internet Control Act, allowing the government to limit free speech on the Internet. The story follows Big Brother's attempt to hunt down and destroy a rogue blogger named Spartacus who defies the government's takeover of the Net and broadcasts the cold hard truth of the fall of the Republic. The play is scheduled for a World Premiere in the Dover Theater on the campus of Gardner-Webb University from March 2 - 6, 2010.
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World Premiere of Lahaie's play LUMINARIUM - Performances slated for October
September 28, 2009
BOILING SPRINGS, NC - Gardner-Webb University Theater presents Luminarium, a play described by its creator Scot Lahaie, director of GWU Theater, as complex with significant depth. Performance dates are October 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee on October 4 at 2:30 p.m. in Dover Theater, located in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.
Luminarium, a play in five acts, is a dramatic retelling of the conversion of King Drtad, the first of the Armenian kings to embrace the Christian faith. The play is set in 284 AD and moves past the genre of historical drama as it follows Drtad's encounter's with the most-high God and his prophet Gregory the Illuminator. It is a story that shows how an individual goes through years of pain and suffering and does so with grace and patience.
Lahaie wrote Luminarium in May 2008 and believes this is his best work to date. "We're telling an important story here. And that story may be about the founding of the Armenian Orthodox Church. It is also about faith in God, and standing for what is right in a world that disregards our faith," said Lahaie.
Lahaie said audiences attending the production have a lot to look forward to that involves both the actors and stage design. "I am pleased to see the work my students have been doing in rehearsals and how they have developed their skills as performers," said Lahaie. Lahaie added, "Christopher Keene's (assistant professor and technical director for GWU Theater), sets are exciting and something to behold."
For additional information, including tickets call 704-406-4372.
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Professor Lahaie'a Drama Group Wins Big - GWU Theater Wins Six Awards at the Annual MTA Awards
September 20, 2009
BOILING SPRINGS, NC- The Gardner-Webb University Theatre Program won multiple awards at the much-anticipated Metrolina Theatre Awards (MTA) in Charlotte, NC this week. GWU made an outstanding showing by winning six awards (13 nominations) including key awards for "The Crucible".
The awards won by Gardner-Webb were:
* Outstanding Production- "The Crucible"
* Outstanding Lead Actor- Male -Ron Houser (John Proctor)- "The Crucible"
* Outstanding Lead Actor- Female - Amy Elliot (Elizabeth Proctor)- "The Crucible"
* Outstanding Choreography- Kenzie Conner- "Li'l Abner- The Musical"
* Outstanding Lighting Design- Nicholas Laughridge- "The Crucible"
* Outstanding Set Design- Christopher Keene- "The Crucible"
Ron Houser, the Gardner-Webb University MTA winner for Outstanding Male Lead Actor, said, "The fact that Gardner-Webb was able to win so many of the awards is proof that Christians can compete and succeed with the ‘lions' of theatre." He also said, "The behavior and conduct of the Gardner-Webb nominees at the MTA awards were very professional and they were a good representation for the university."
The MTA organizes more than 80 peer nominations; this year, MTA nominators attended 105 adjucated shows, submitting thousands of nominations. The MTA represents more than 50 organizations, along with hundreds of theatrical artists, directors, and producers in the Charlotte region. The MTA also votes every year on performances and creative elements in seven categories: dramas, comedies, musicals, companies in the northern region, companies in the southern region, colleges and universities, and special events.
Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is home to nearly 4,000 students from 37 states and 23 foreign countries..
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Gadfly - a Cabaret in Two Acts
May 18, 2009
Professor Lahaie has just completed the text for his most recent play, which he has entitled GADFLY. This new ironic comedy, which he has subtitled "A Cabaret," explores the hegemony of the institution (meaning the establishment) to establish what we call accepted truth, and chronicles how it has historically been the outsider that has moved our understanding of truth forward. The play is a cosmic Cabaret where special guests are invited to defend their teachings or actions, to include Socrates, Galileo, & Darwin. Backed by a ukulele and a squeeze box, a Poet Guide named Virgil keeps the action moving forward as the "Idols of the Institution" play judge and jury over the minds of our history's greatest thinkers.
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Martyr! - The Screen Play
February 19, 2009
Professor Lahaie has recently completed a screen play entitled MARTYR!, which is an adaptation of the story of from Pierre Corneille's neo-classical tragedy POLYEUCTE, which Professors Lahaie translated in 2007 from the French.
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News Flash!!!
December 1, 2008
Professor Lahaie's play LEAR ReLoaded, a deconstruction of Shakespeare's play King Lear, was showcased in an article in the January 2009 issue of AMERICAN THEATRE Magazine. The article was on the use of new media in scene design. Congratulations Prof. Lahaie!
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Luminarium - A Play in Five Acts
November 07, 2008
Professor Lahaie completed the text for this fascinating history play about the life of Saint Gregory the Illuminator during the summer of 2008. It has sinced been translated into Armenian with real interest in seeing the play staged in the Armendian homeland.
Gloria Dei Scheduled for Production at Gardner-Webb University
BOILING SPRINGS, NC - Gardner-Webb University Theater will produce GLORIA DEI in 2008. Professor Lahaie will be directing, while long-time collaborator Chritopher Keene will be design the production. Production dates are 20, 21, 22, 23 Februrary 2008 at 7:30 pm, and February 24 at 2:30 pm. This new drama explores the ethical choices surrounding the starvation of a young woman diagnosed as being in a Persistent Vegistative State or PVS. Although a fictional story, this play echoes the Terry Schaivo court case from 2005.
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Martry! - A Tragedy in Five Acts by Pierre Corneille in a New Translation
December, 2007
Dr. Ute Lahaie and Professor Scot Lahaie recently translated Pierre Corneille's neo-classical tragedy POLYEUCTE from the french into 21st century english. With the new title MARTYR!, this tranlsation premiered on the stage at Gardner-Webb University in November 2007. Photographs from the production are below. Performance rights are now available for those seeking to produce the show.
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News Flash!!! - Gardner-Webb University Theater Department Wins 4 Awards from 8 Nominations at Award Ceremony
BOILING SPRINGS, NC – The Gardner-Webb University Theater Department received some well-deserved recognition at this year's Metrolina Theatre Award Ceremony. After being nominated for 8 awards in the categories of Outstanding Director, Outstanding Male Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Lighting Design, Outstanding Sound Design, Outstanding Set Design, and Outstanding Special Technical Effects, Gardner-Webb took home 4 crystal plaques from the ceremony.
GWU Director of Theater Scot Lahaie won the award for Outstanding Director while Technical Director of Theater Christopher Keene won Outstanding Set Design. Keene also won Outstanding Sound Design, and GWU senior Caleb Moore won the award for Best Lighting Design. The awards came from two Gardner-Webb productions: Waiting for Godot and Lear ReLoaded. Other exceptional performances that earned a nomination included Brian McGill for Outstanding Actor from his performance in
LEAR: Reloaded, Caleb Moore for Outstanding Supporting Actor from Waiting for Godot, Mark Houser for Outstanding Special Technical Effects in LEAR: ReLoaded, and Josh House for Outstanding Special Technical Effects in Waiting for Godot.
Ironically, it’s the story behind Waiting for Godot that’s most interesting. Lahaie had had a girl in his Modern Drama class who refused to finish the book after reading the first segment of Waiting for Godot. This wasn’t an unusual reaction, as both book and play have the potential to be “long, boring, and tedious,” and Lahaie acknowledges that it is quite possibly “the hardest play to produce and understand.” He also admits that he had wanted to produce this play for years and took his student’s statement as a direct challenge. So he decided to produce Waiting for Godot, making it shorter and more understandable, while emphasizing the humor. Needless to say, the student came to agree with the teacher on the plays greatness.
Lahaie understands that the Outstanding Director award wasn’t his honor alone, citing that “getting the award for best director is a referendum of how hard the actors work.” He was also proud of how hard Chris Keene and his stage crew had worked, ultimately highlighting one lesson about the theater: it consists of “collaborative artists,” whereby success or failure is measured by the shared efforts of all.
Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is home to over 4000 students from 39 states and 21 foreign countries. Gardner-Webb seeks a higher ground in higher education – one that embraces faith and intellectual freedom, balances conviction with compassion, and inspires in students a love of learning, service and leadership.
(Text written by RJ Dowder)
Gloria Dei - A Play in Two Acts
June 28, 2007
Professor Lahaie has just completed the text for an exciting new drama, which he has entitled GLORIA DEI. This new drama explores the ethical choices surrounding the starvation of a young woman diagnosed as being in a Persistent Vegistative State or PVS. Although a fictional story, this play echoes the Terry Schaivo court case from 2005. This script has been selected for production in the annual Playwrights Workshop at Gardner-Webb University, and will premiere in November 2007.
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Cubicle! The Office Musical
May 24, 2007
The text for Professor Lahaie's very latest script is now complete. It is called CUBICLE! The Office Musical. The music for the show is being written by Roger Lowe. Check back for updates on this exciting show. The music should be complete by Christmas.
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