BOONE—Appalachian State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present “Love and Information” by Caryl Churchill Nov. 2-11 in the I.G. Greer Studio Theater on the university’s campus.

All performances of “Love and Information” begin at 7 p.m., with the exception of a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Nov. 6. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for students.

“Love and Information,” one of the most recent works by the British Obie award-winning playwright, premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2012. The Appalachian production is part of a campus theatre season devoted solely to the works of female playwrights.

The production is directed by Dr. Derek Davidson, who is a senior lecturer in Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance, an award-winning playwright and the co-founder of the In/Visible Theatre in Boone. It features an ensemble of 16 student cast members, who create a web of nearly 50 scenes through interaction, dance and music designed to appeal to a variety of audiences. It highlights the rate at which we acquire and share information in the 21st century.

“The Appalachian community will experience a new kind of theatricality,” Davidson said. “Humans breathe in information all the time; the question is, what do we do with it?”

“Love and Information” focuses on everyday topics that humans must take in and interpret. Along with sophomore Sophia Mosby, an English and theatre arts double major from Asheville, Davidson identified seven chapters in the play: “Getting It”; “Giving It”; “Knowing It”; “Retaining It”; “Interpreting It”; “Feeling/Not Feeling It”; and “Seeming vs. Being.”

“The style reflects the content of the piece,” Davidson said. “Because the play delivers information and content so rapidly, the audience is able to experience what the play is all about. Through the viewing experience, the audience will get a super-charged injection of the overwhelming amount of information surrounding, invading and consuming us,” Davidson said. “Amid it all, we continue the struggle to relate, to connect and to love.”

For tickets or information, call the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at 800-841-ARTS (2787) Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or the Valborg Theatre box office at 828-262-3063 (open Monday-Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.) or visit http://theatreanddance.appstate.edu.

I.G. Greer Studio Theater is located on the side of the I.G. Greer Building below the main auditorium, with a separate entrance down the stairway on the side of the building. Parking is available after 5:30 p.m. on campus in faculty lots and the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.

About the Department of Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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