“Up and Away? poster
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For the ninth time in 10 years, Carthage Theatre has been selected to attend and perform at the Kennedy Center Region III American College Theatre Festival, to be held Jan. 8-13 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Carthage will stage “Up and Away,” written for Carthage by Academy Award-winning playwright Eric Simonson as part of the College’s New Play Initiative. “Up and Away” had its world premiere at Carthage Nov. 9-17.

It will now be performed at the festival’s main stage venue, the Mitby Theatre in Madison, at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11. In honor of the invitation to KCACTF, Carthage Theatre performed an encore of “Up and Away” on campus on Monday, Jan. 7, in the Wartburg Theatre.

About KCACTF

The 2018 KCACTF festival is being hosted by Madison College in partnership with the University of Wisconsin and Edgewood College. The festival will be held Jan. 8-13. KCACTF provides a wonderful opportunity for those in attendance to learn and grow as theatre students and artists. The six-day event includes various competitions, educational workshops, and performances. Theatre students have prepared material with which to compete, including acting scenes, directing scenes, auditions, costume designs, stage management materials, and student-written plays. Carthage Theatre is thrilled to once again receive the opportunity to perform.

?Up and Away? Carthage Theatre: Recognized for excellence

Carthage Theatre has developed a reputation for providing new and socially-relevant works. Works written for the College’s New Play Initiative have often caught the eye of the Kennedy Center, allowing for multiple invitations to the regional festival. Last year’s New Play Initiative production, “A Seat at the Table,” authored by actress and playwright Regina Taylor, garnered not only regional recognition, but national praise for distinguished actress (Marie Tredway ’17), sound design (Conor O’Brien ’17), stage management (Joshua Maloney ’20), scenic design (Maureen Chavez-Kruger), and dramaturgy (full company).

“Up and Away” has already received regional certificates of merit for the acting ensemble and costume design (Latora Lezotte ’20). At the festival, the play will be further reviewed and considered for national awards.

About ‘Up and Away’

?Up and Away? “Up and Away,” directed by Professor Herschel Kruger, is a drama set in rural Wisconsin following up-and-coming YouTube star Madison as she struggles to rise from poverty and isolation to fame and stardom while caring for her ailing mother. With pressure mounting, Madison turns to prescription drugs and soon develops an opioid addiction. Desperate for a fix, Madison befriends her drug dealer, an immigrant struggling to provide for his family and stay alive. In the face of such trying times, will they rise from their circumstances or tumble down like so many before them?