Samford theatre for youth students will be attending and performing at this week’s Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC). An original play by recent Samford graduate Audrey Myers, The Inside Scoop: A Play of Discovery was selected to be presented at the 2023 SETC Theatre for Youth Invitational Festival on March 2 at the Lexington Children's Theatre in Lexington, KY.
Originally created as part of Myers' senior project in 2022, The Inside Scoop: A Play of Discovery was written for a group of students at Birmingham, Alabama’s Unless U, a non-profit organization committed to serving adults with developmental disabilities. Unless U has an ice cream shop called Scoops which provides vocational training in a safe and fun work environment for its students while serving the community with the sweetest of skills.
“The Inside Scoop holds a very special place in my heart. When we devised it a year ago, we had the opportunity to interview our intended audience, Unless U, about their likes and interests and incorporated those elements into a show crafted specifically for them. The students of Unless U helped us find the very special ingredient that makes the greatest ice cream in the world! We are thrilled to be sharing it with the TYA community at SETC,” said Myers.
The production includes two main characters, Anna Kate Hindman as Freezer, a junior from Birmingham, AL and Kate Ortiz as Melting, a junior from Miami, FL. Amy Ethington, a senior from Austin, TX is the production staff director and sound designer. Junior Olivia Sundberg from Orlando, FL is the stage manager. Laura Byland is the director of the theatre for youth program at Samford.
"Something that has been special to me about this play's journey is getting to work with the creative team on fitting the play specifically to our audiences," said Hindman. "I'm excited to perform our show for more students and share the fun with as many people as possible!"
The play was submitted last fall and was selected by a panel of jurors to be performed at the Theatre for Youth Festival which strives to highlight, promote and enhance the quality of theatre for young audiences by presenting professional and/or amateur productions that embrace the broadest possible range of genres and styles. The festival has showcased more than one hundred works to more than 25,000 young people over the past 25 years. Participants not only get to perform but also receive feedback from industry professionals.
