[NEohioPAL] Leveling Up Opens Next Week at Ashland

[Tricia Applegate]

Ashland University Theatre presents

LEVELING UP
by Deborah Zoe Laufer
directed by Teresa Durbin-Ames

*October 11-14 at 7:30 p.m.*
*October 15 at 2 p.m. | Studio Theatre*
*Opening Reception: *Wednesday, Oct. 11 immediately following performance

*WARNING: Show Contains Adult Language & Content*

Ashland University Department of Theatre opens the 2017-2018 season with
Deborah Zoe Laufer's 21st century American drama, Leveling Up.

Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Teresa Durbin-Ames, the play is
about three twenty-something roommates who are glued to their video games
and have a hard time navigating the blurry line between their virtual and
real worlds. They spend hours with people playing virtual war games and
think they are their friends, but do they really know them. When one of
them uses his gaming skills to land a job with the National Security Agency
launching actual drones and missiles, he begins to realize that not
everything is “just a game” and there are real consequences.

With the theatre season’s theme of “Building Bridges,” AU Theatre is
striving to provide opportunities to better understand ourselves and others
with performances that encourage dialogue about challenges in our world
today. Leveling Up dramaturg and cast member Jake Riley explains, “This
isn’t a play to merely present you with a meaning, but to get you asking
questions about reality, friendships, futures, and anything else to start a
discussion.”

Comprised of roles for three males and one female, the cast includes the
three roommates who live in an apartment in Las Vegas, Nev., and one of
their girlfriends. The most serious of the gamers, Ian, is played by
sophomore theatre major Alejandro Ridolfi (Parma Heights); while his
roommates Chuck and Zander are portrayed by senior vocal music major Jake
Riley (Wooster) and freshman graphic design major Tristan Peterman
(Canton), respectively. Jeannie, Zander's girlfriend, is played by
sophomore musical theatre major Maya Rickard (Wooster).

The show’s production staff includes guest lighting designer Wally
Eastland. As a lighting and scenic designer for theatre, dance and opera in
both the U.S. and Australia, he has worked for companies such as North
Carolina Stage Company, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Playhouse in the
Park, Lost Nation Theatre, Cumberland County Playhouse, Sly Rat Theatre
Company, and LA MAMA Australia. His selected credits include: 4000 Miles,
On The Verge, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Steel Magnolias, Driving Miss
Daisy, The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Valse Fantaisie.
Eastland earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and is a proud
Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Other production designers include AU Theatre Technical Director J. Michael
Desper as the scenic and sound designer with assistance from student
designers Ivey Buffenmyer (Ashland) and Nik Demers (Shelby), while Drew
Berlin (Barberton) serves as the costume designer.

Patricia E. Lanious is the show's production manager with senior theatre
majors Jessica Dupee (Wellington) as the stage manager and Seth Morrison
(Millersburg), the master electrician. Ashland University theatre alumni
Justin Bilewicz (2009) and Dusten Welch (2007) round-out the production
staff as the costume studio manager and stage combat choreographer,
respectively.
*Ashland University Box Office:*
419-289-5125 <(419)%20289-5125> (Noon-6 p.m., Monday-Friday)
Online at www.ashland.edu/tickets
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?AshlandUniversityMus/a2ffba067d/1af00b4fad/cc6cdfcb1b/t=tix&e=c88f4b4f84799ea3a62e8c9cb72b68f4>
 (additional fees apply)

*Single Tickets
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?AshlandUniversityMus/a2ffba067d/1af00b4fad/447ee13dc6/t=tix&e=c88f4b4f84799ea3a62e8c9cb72b68f4>:*
$12
Adults
  $10 Senior Citizens, AU Alumni & Faculty/Staff
  $8 Groups of 10 or more*
  $5 Non-AU Students*
  $2 Ashland University Students w/ ID*
**For REDUCED TICKETS: AU STUDENT ($2), CHILDREN ($5), GROUP of 10 or more
($8)Call Box Office, 419.289.5125 <(419)%20289-5125>.*
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