University Players is Lock Haven University’s student-run drama club that is open for any student of any major to join. UP is a home for not just actors on campus, but to techies and stagehands alike.
General membership meetings take place on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. The club welcomes students from any major with any background in theater.
Members don’t have to act in productions to be a part of the club. They can run lights, work on costumes, and even paint sets. “We also can sign off on community service hours for helping our productions,” says Max Nissel, University Players’ club president.
The club’s productions include plays and monologues with at least one production taking place every semester. Performances take place either in the black box theater or the auditorium in the Sloan Fine Arts building.
Members can suggest ideas for shows once the current production is finished. Brianna Beck, University Players’ treasurer, says “if there is a large enough attendance during general membership meetings, it is up to them to vote.”
Overall support for the club has dwindled since the COVID-19 pandemic. Two shows were canceled in Spring 2020 and no productions took place in fall 2020 and spring 2021. “And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little” was intended to be performed in the fall of 2021, but due to COVID concerns, the show was canceled. This lack of activity led to falling membership numbers.
The club is now pushing for one production every academic year instead of multiple productions like previous years. “Sometimes we try to do one [production] in the fall, one in the spring, but sometimes it doesn’t work like that.”
Current club members are focused on the production of “The Haunting of Hill House.” Cast member and club member Jake Cannizarro says he is pumped for the show. “I am very excited. [It is] my first time having a character lead with so many lines and [the play] is based on one of my favorite books.”
“The Haunting of Hill House” will take place in the Sloan Auditorium on Nov 3 and 4 at 7:00p.m. and Nov 5 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m and will be free to all students.
For any questions about University Players, students can visit a general membership meeting or contact Brianna Beck at bnb678@lockhaven.edu.
Alex Ross
Alex Rossis a third-year Communication student at Lock Haven with a focus in Journalism. This is his second year as an active member of the Eagle Eye and has been the Arts and Entertainment editor, News editor, and an active writer. He focuses on writing reviews for the A&E section, but has written stories for news, sports, and opinions. Outside of the newsroom, Alex enjoys record shopping, reading classic literature, and analyzing films. Alex hopes to work for a film or music news site as a writer or editor after graduation.
