February 19, 2007
SIUC playwright wins new play contest
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A playwright at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is the first-place winner in this year's Firehouse Theatre New Play Contest.
Based in Virginia, the Firehouse Theatre Project promotes work by emerging playwrights. Every year, hundreds of applicants from across the country submit plays for the New Play Contest.
This year, judges singled out David A. Rush, SIUC associate professor of theater and head of the playwriting program, who won for "One Fine Day." The play will run at SIUC April 10 through April 15 in the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater, located in the SIUC Communications Building. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. for the Tuesday through Saturday shows and 2 p.m. for the Sunday show.
The Stage Left Theater in Chicago will also produce the play. "One Fine Day" will run from Feb. 27 through April 7.
"One Fine Day" is about a professor who finds himself defending his career and his ideals about academic freedom when a student accuses him of anti-Semitism.
Rush exclaimed he is "more excited than ever over the fact that we're producing this play in our theater this season, which gives me a chance to share my work with my colleagues and the community."
In fact, Rush credits his SIUC colleagues for giving him stimulation and insight. "Being surrounded by, and interfacing with a large community of intelligent, perceptive and creative people is always inspiring," he said.
For SIUC theater department productions, individual tickets are $15 adult, $12 senior and $6 child/student. A four-show season ticket costs $50 for adults, $40 for seniors and $20 child/student. Additional show tickets are available at a price of $12 adult, $10 senior and $6 child/student at the time a season ticket is purchased.