Elmira College Theatre Presents 'Graceland and Asleep on the Wind'

Elmira, NY (03/18/2022) — Elmira College Theatre opens its 2021-2022 season with Graceland and Asleep on the Wind by Ellen Byron. Performances, which are free and open to the public, are scheduled for April 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., in Watson Arena at Elmira College. Seating is first-come, first-served.

The production is under the direction of Hannah Hammond, Assistant Professor of Theatre, and features Breana Millard '22, Yamille Moss '22, and Josh Stuttle '22. Hanna Yoselevich '22 provided scenic design, Jadde Didonato-White '23 provided costume and lighting design, and Scott McGuire served as the technical director.

Many of the students involved with the College's theatre program are excited about this year's first performance. Josh Stuttle '22, a senior Theater major who plays Beau in Asleep on the Wind, is eager to get back on stage. Stuttle has appeared in four other productions and is excited to perform as a character with a different dialect.

"As a Theatre major, being a part of a great program has prepared me for a successful career. Over the past four years, I have developed myself as an actor in ways I never thought possible," he said. "The EC theatre program has helped build my confidence and creativity. My entire experience in the program has been nothing but excellent!"

Hanna Yoselevich '22, a Psychology and Theater Production double major, is looking forward to seeing the production come together.

"As we continue to build the set, it is all coming together the way that I imagined it," she said.

Yoselevich started working on shows her sophomore year, beginning with lighting. She believes that the EC theatre program is unique "because of all of the hands-on work and experience." Other programs Yoselevich considered before deciding on Elmira College limited certain types of work to junior and senior students.

ABOUT THE PLAYS:

Graceland and Asleep on the Wind are two, one-act plays connected by a common character.

Graceland takes place at the front entrance of Graceland, the late Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion, at 5:00 a.m., three days before the estate is to be opened to the public. Two ardent Presley fans, Bev and Rootie, are camped out before the gates, each determined to be the first to enter the sacred precincts.

Asleep On The Wind takes place 10 years before Graceland, in a "special place" in Louisiana. This is where Rootie and her favorite brother, Beau, come to talk in private. Beau has a double purpose for their meeting: to persuade Rootie to try to stick it out at home and in school and to reach beyond him for companionship; and also to tell her that he has enlisted in the army and has requested service in Vietnam.

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