SU theater department practicum class to perform ‘An American Daughter’

Shippensburg University theater students currently enrolled in professor Paris Peet’s practicum course will bring their classroom-obtained skills to the stage this week in the performance of “An American Daughter.”

SU’s Theatre and Music Arts Departments’ performances of “An American Daughter” will take place in SU’s Memorial Auditorium Nov. 8 to 11 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Doors will open an hour before the performances begin.

Tickets for the show are $15 at the door or $10 online at https://ship.ticketleap.com/.

“An American Daughter” is a drawing room comedy show written by American playwright Wendy Wasser in the late ’90s. The show takes place in Washington, D.C., and tells the story of a senator’s daughter who was appointed to a cabinet post by the president. Soon after being appointed to the position, she realizes that the past is still capable of haunting the future, as a scandal surfaces within the media.

“It’s something theater practicum has never done before,” said Halle Shank, a senior SU student in the theater practicum course who doubles as the public relations director for the show.

Shank said the most noteworthy aspect of the upcoming “An American Daughter” performance is that the actors and the audience will both be on stage while the show is going on.

Ignoring the conventional seating in SU’s Memorial Auditorium and arranging seats on the left and right of the stage will limit available attendees to approximately 80 per show. However, Shank said the seating arrangement will allow the actors to intimately connect with the smaller-scale audience, which can aid in fostering a powerful and lasting impact on those who attend.

With the performance of “An American Daughter” run entirely on the efforts of students in Peet’s practicum course and other students within SU’s music and art departments, an abundance of time and effort has already been invested into the show. And with a limited crew, many individuals involved in the production are wearing multiple hats to ensure that things run smoothly, Shank said.

Peet is the sole director of the show and Shank said she and her peers bear an immense amount of gratitude for their professor for all the guidance and assistance he has contributed in the production of “An American Daughter.”

“The passion and work he has put in the show gets students excited to learn, to act and to perform,” Shank said.