Kankakee resident Katy Papineau has a role in Lewis University's Heritage Theatre Company 24-Hour Theatre Festival

2014 Mar 11

Lewis University’s Heritage Theatre Company (HTC) is proud to host a “24 Hour Theatre Festival a.k.a. Black Box Blowout” on Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15. The new Studio Theatre, nicknamed the “black box,” is a theater with a very simple design, which makes it an extremely flexible space.

As its name would suggest, this kind of theatre is designed kind of like a box. The space which contains the theatre is square and painted black, because black is a neutral color which will not clash with costumes, sets, and lighting. The floor is flat and open, allowing designers to arrange seating however they desire. The great thing about a black box space is that it can be anything anyone wishes to imagine. A black box theatre is capable of endless new configurations, allowing artists to exercise their creativity, which can be especially valuable in the case of experimental performances, like a “24 Hour Theatre Festival.”

Katy Papineau of Kankakee, Ill. is a playwright in the festival.

In January, HTC started seeking playwrights, directors, actors, stage managers, technicians and front-of-house staff for a weekend long experience of creating original live theatre. They have 1 day – 1,440 minutes – 86,400 seconds – for total play creation. They will be given a theme, a bag of theatrical supplies and one chance at glory. The “24 Hour Theatre Festival” will begin at 7 pm on Friday, March 14, 2014 and conclude with a free performance on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 7:30 pm.

HTC board members and Lewis alumni, Chad Tallon ’08 of Essex, Jo Slowik ’88, Andrew Nelsen ’04 both of Joliet and Matt Dutton ’13 of Chicago are the festival leaders. Lewis alumni participating in the event include: Sean Barber ’11 of Aurora, Christopher Hueg ’11 of Roseville, MN, Ashley Daun ’12 of New Lenox, Tim Karkowski ’07 of Channahon, and Sandy Bednarz ’12 of Woodridge.

Current Lewis students participating in the festival include: Justin Anderson of Orland Park, Mary Bradley of Palos Heights, Matthew Carlson and Erika Young both from Lockport, Brendan Casey and Sylmarie Soto both from Joliet, Allie DiMiele of New Lenox, Austin Hill of Naperville, Stephanie Lipinski of Oak Forest, Bryan Lochner of Essex, Annie Martello of Morris, Kate O’Neil of Yorkville, Katy Papineau of Kankakee, Nicole and Briana Reidy of Darien, Jessie Richey of McHenry, Tyler Senjanin of Evergreen Park, Rachel Tau of Wood Dale, and Sabrina Parr of Plainfield.

The show is recommended for patrons 18 and above and will have a one-night only performance on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lewis University Studio Theatre. This event is free and open to the public. Seating will be general admission, first-come-first-serve. For more information, patrons can check out the PLT Website at www.lewisu.edu/plt, or call the box office (815) 836-5500 Monday through Friday 1-4:30 p.m. Patrons can also email at boxoffice@lewisu.edu. The Studio Theatre is located on the main campus, the Oremus Fine Arts Center on Route 53 in Romeoville.

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,600 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.